Content
- Pitting on the cherry laurel - is that actually a pest?
- Detect shotgun
- The Nektardrüsen of the cherry laurel see shotgun deceptively similar
- Contain early fungal disease
- The disease does not help curb fungicides
- Tips & Tricks
Pitting on the cherry laurel - is that actually a pest?
Discover holes in the leaves of the cherry laurel, it is in most cases a pest, as many garden owners suspect. Rather, the circular holes are a consequence of shotgun disease, a widespread fungal disease. In addition to the cherry laurel, it also attacks stone fruits such as plum, cherry, peach or almond.
Detect shotgun
That no pest is responsible for the pitting you recognize that the leaves show different stages of disease:
The Nektardrüsen of the cherry laurel see shotgun deceptively similar
If you notice some dark spots on the underside of the leaves along the leaf blade, they are usually not shotgun. From these extrafloral nectaries the laurel cherry separates sweet plant juices. The glands are initially recognizable as dark green dots, which turn brownish over time by harmless Rußtaupilze. Depending on the type of cherry laurel, there are between four and ten of these nectar glands per leaf.
Contain early fungal disease
Before you reach for the chemical mace to contain the shotgun, it is worthwhile first to combat the fungus with biological agents.
Cut out all affected parts of the plant thoroughly. You should pay attention to a loose structure of shrubs, so that the leaves can dry quickly. The deciduous foliage of the cherry laurel must also be removed consistently. Dispose of both the clippings and the leaves in the household waste as the mushroom spores survive in the compost.
To strengthen the shrubs, it is advisable to fertilize them with slow-release fertilizer such as horn shavings, mature manure or compost. Even horsetail show good results.
The disease does not help curb fungicides
If the fungus attacks the cherry laurel again despite these measures, you will receive highly effective sprays against the shotgun disease (Stigmina carpophalia).
Tips & Tricks
Forged leaves on the laurel cherry could also come from the weeping weevil. The nocturnal beetle, however, nibbles almost exclusively on the leaf margins and causes Buchtenfraß. As a result, the damage pattern of the weevil weevil is well distinguishable from that of shotgun disease.