Despite the fact that the cherry laurel is one of the relatively robust trees, it is occasionally affected by fungal diseases. Pests can also affect the laurel cherry to such an extent that it suffers from a lack of nutrients and, in the worst case, can even die.
What infestations can harm cherry laurel and how do you treat them?
Cherry laurel can be affected by fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, shotgun disease, or pests such as aphids, leaf miners and black weevils. Remedies include removing infected leaves, fungicides, insecticides, soft soap solutions or nematodes.
Fungal infestation of the laurel cherry
When infected with fungus, the leaves show unsightly deposits or appear as if they have been shot at. However, these diseases are not just a visual problem. The fungi disrupt the vital photosynthesis of the laurel cherry and can massively weaken the plant.
Common fungal diseases
Powdery or downy mildew
This fungus shows itself through flour-like coatings on the top or bottom of the leaves. The young foliage also grows curved and cannot develop properly. Some of the leaves turn yellow, later brown and are subsequently thrown off.
The shotgun disease
You can recognize this fungal disease of cherry laurel by the small brown spots on the leaves. At first these only appear sporadically, so they can easily be confused with the nectar glands. As the infestation progresses, the plant sheds the necrotic tissue parts, so that the leaves appear as if they have holes in them. Eventually the leaves dry out and fall off.
Effective measures
- Remove the infected foliage.
- Dispose of clippings in household waste, as many fungi survive in compost.
- Collect leaves from the ground and destroy them too.
- Additionally treat the infected laurel cherry with a suitable fungicide.
Pest infestation of cherry laurel
Aphids
Laurel cherries, like many garden plants, are occasionally attacked by aphids, mealybugs, mealy bugs or scale insects. Tried-and-tested home remedies include spraying with a soft soap solution mixed with a dash of spirit. If this gentle remedy does not have the desired effect, there are highly effective aphid remedies commercially available (€9.00 on Amazon).
Leaf miners
You can recognize a leaf miner infestation by the light brown serpentine lines on the leaf tissue, which are caused by the moth caterpillars. Another identifying feature are the butterfly cocoons, which are about half a centimeter in size, on the underside of the leaves. You can combat the pests with insecticides and the consistent removal of all cocoons.
Bigmouth Weevil
If you discover bay-shaped or circular feeding marks on the leaves, the black weevil has nested on the laurel cherry. However, it is not the beetles that are dangerous to the cherry laurel, but rather the larvae that feed on the roots of the cherry laurel in the soil. Collect the beetles consistently by placing flower pots filled with wood shavings under the cherry laurel. Applied nematodes, which you can obtain from specialist retailers, penetrate the larvae and kill them.
Tips & Tricks
Always use insecticides and fungicides exactly as directed so as not to pollute the environment with chemicals more than necessary.
