What's eating my prunus serrula?

Prunus serrula (Tibetan cherry) is grown for its polished mahogany bark, which makes squirrel and rabbit bark-chewing especially damaging. Cherry blackfly attacks young leaves in spring. Peach leaf curl can distort foliage in wet springs. Protecting the ornamental bark is the top priority for this species.

Gnaw and strip the distinctive shiny copper-red bark, especially on young trees, potentially girdling stems. Fit tree guards or wire mesh spiral protectors around trunk and main scaffold branches through the growing season.

Dense black colonies cause tight leaf curl on shoot tips in spring, stunting new growth and producing sticky honeydew. Use insecticidal soap or neem oil spray on infested tips. Hand-squish small colonies early before populations explode.

Gnaw bark at the base of young trees, especially in winter when other food is scarce, potentially ring-barking the tree. Fit rigid spiral tree guards or wire mesh guards extending at least 60 cm up the trunk from ground level.