Cherry Crinkle

No, we’re not discussing those yummy chocolate cherry cookies, though I may have to try baking a batch after researching this post!

​The cherry crinkle we are exploring today is a condition that occurs in cherry trees. Cherry crinkle looks like a viral disease, but it’s not. Also known as cherry vein clearing, this condition is believed to be a genetic mutation that may or may not be related to a boron deficiency.

Healthy cherry trees are a garden treat (Couleur) Pixabay

Cherry crinkle symptoms

Vein clearing, especially in the margins, is the most common symptom of cherry crinkle. Vein clearing refers to the way veins look lighter or more yellow than normal. I wasn’t able to find a photo that I could use, but these other symptoms may also occur:

• Leaves are thinner.
• Leaves become more heavily serrated or irregular.
• Slot-shaped perforations may appear.
• Affected leaves often fold in half lengthwise, wilt, and drop in midsummer.
• Blisters may appear on the underside of leaf veins.
• Silvering may occur on upper leaf surfaces.
• Buds may be distorted.
• Flowers are abundant, but very little fruit develops.
• Fruits tend to be pointy and flattened on one side, with a pointed ridge.

Cherry crinkle management

If you suspect cherry crinkle, send a sample of soil to a lab for testing. This will tell you if your boron levels are low. It’s not a good idea to add nutrients without a soil test because too much of a nutrient can cause just as many if not more, problems as a nutrient deficiency.

If boron isn’t the problem, the tree is probably a mutant and should be replaced.

Cherry crinkle can be spread to unaffected trees by grafting mutated scions onto healthy wood. When shopping for a cherry tree, try to find one listed as unlikely to crinkle.