What Is Wrong With My Cherimoya?

Are the older leaves turning yellow and wilting, an overall decline in plant vigor is apparent?

Are the leaves small, discolored, and drop early, clusters of honey-colored mushrooms may sprout at the base of the plant?

Did the fruit change color prematurely, brown or black lesions are present on young twigs, leaves, and fruit?

Is the fruit malformed, shrunken, and drops early?

Do the leaves have tan or brown blotches or serpentine tunnels?

These symptoms indicate fungal disease Verticillium wilt. Verticillium infects a wide range of plant species. Destroy all infected plants, as there is no cure. Prevent problems by presoaking seed in a 10 percent bleach solution.

Armillaria root rot is a fungal disease that cannot be effectively controlled once it has become established in an orchard. Diseased or dead plants should be uprooted and removed. Planting resistant rootstocks is the most effective method of preventing the disease.

These symptoms indicate a fungal disease - Alternaria brown spot. Avoid overhead irrigation and excessive application of nitrogen. Plants that are stressed are more susceptible to the disease, ensure plants are provided with water and fertilizer. Delaying harvest until diseased fruit has dropped from a tree can reduce the number of fruit lost to the disease post-harvest.

If there are creamy-white maggots inside fruits they belong to Fruit flies (Anastrepha sp.). These flies emerge in late spring from soilborne pupae and lay eggs in the fruit. Since they are attracted to the fruit by sight, you can trap them by hanging red balls with a sticky coating on the trees. 4-8 traps by a tree will be enough to control their numbers.

These symptoms are usually caused by insects - Leafminers. These tiny pale green fly larvae feed between the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves. Prune off and destroy all infested leaves. Remove debris in fall because it might contain overwintering leafminers. The weekly application of insecticidal soap should keep their numbers low. Also, introducing parasitic wasps is a very effective method of controlling leafminers.

If there are white, cottony clusters on leaves and stems the culprits are mealybugs. These tiny insects are covered with a fluffy white coating. You can control them by washing them off the plant with water spray. Insecticidal soap should be used with severe infestations.