Who can identify the problem with this cherry leaf?

[grlight]

So the resident experts here solved last years problem! Yay! The trees have really done well since last year. But now...Now can you please help with THIS years Cherry Tree issue?

Thank you in advance everyone.

 

[Logan]

It looks like the leaf is dying off for some reason.

 

[DirtMechanic]

My cherry has lost almost all of its leaves because it is bare for fall in August.

 

[oneeye]

When the soil gets wet in the spring and then extra dry in the Summer with a lot of heat it will lock up some macronutrients from the plant. The plant will do a leaf drop to save itself. Keep the moisture constant when you experience dry hot droughts. Use a lot of hay mulch around the trees to help hold water and keep the roots cool.

 

[Meadowlark]

The plant will do a leaf drop to save itself.

I'm seeing a lot of this here...no rain since May.

I find it just incredibly amazing that plants have this protective mechanism.

 

[grlight]

When the soil gets wet in the spring and then extra dry in the Summer with a lot of heat it will lock up some macronutrients from the plant. The plant will do a leaf drop to save itself. Keep the moisture constant when you experience dry hot droughts. Use a lot of hay mulch around the trees to help hold water and keep the roots cool.

Thank you for the response. I water for consistency for the reasons you mention among others. Likewise the mulch. We maintain a few inches of clean wood chips (our own that we use throughout he garden and orchard every year) keeping the appropriate distance from the trunk to prevent fungal and pest intrusions. The leaves are not dropping, it is simply a very small percentage have this pronounced discoloration. My concern is it is an early indicator of some specific nutrient deficiency or fungal type infection that I have not been able to track down on the internet. It's why I posted here in fact.

 

[YumYum]

Does not look like a fungus on the leaf to me.

 

[pepper]

I also think it's from a lack of water or too much water, they might not drop right away but a yellow leaf is a sign of over/under watering. It does look like a leaf that is suffering from cherry leaf spot but there are no spots on it. So keep an eye on that but most likely it's something to do with water. If you are giving it a lot of city water that's filled with chlorine that's hard on a plant, even a tree.

When there is a starting sign of a water issue not all the leaves will turn yellow, and they don't always drop right away.