How Do You Treat Cankers on Fruit Trees

There is no cure for cytospora canker on fruit trees and shade trees, but you can control the spread of the disease by pruning out the infected area. In late winter or early spring, remove infected branches at least 4 inches (10 cm.) below the canker where the tree is weeping amber color sap.

How do you get rid of cankers on fruit trees?

The only proven method of treating canker is to remove all infected wood and bark by pruning it out. If the canker is in a stem or branch this means cutting off the branch or stem below the site of infection into good clean wood. Infected wood is brown whereas clean wood is creamy green.

What do you do with cankers on trees?

This is also the best time to prune in order to minimise the risk of infection by spores of the fungus causing silver leaf disease. Cut out all cankered areas, pruning back to healthy wood and painting promptly with a wound paint to protect the wound from re-infection.