Chestnut diseases: photos and types

Chestnut is a very beautiful majestic tree that will decorate any suburban area. However, many plant growers are stopped from buying a seedling by the notorious chestnut disease – rust, which disfigures curly leaves with scatterings of unpleasant brown spots. But do not give up the decision to plant a plant on your estate, because this and other diseases of this culture are quite treatable.

Chestnut diseases and their treatment

Although the chestnut is considered a fairly unpretentious plant, its cultivation is associated with various diseases that affect different parts of the tree. Most often, the leaves are the indicator of chestnut health, since the symptoms of the disease appear first of all on them. If the leaf blades turn yellow in the middle of summer, curl or become unhealthy, then the chestnut is affected by a certain disease.

Rust

Of all chestnut diseases, rust or spotting can be called the most common ailment. It not only spoils the aesthetic appearance of the plant, but also poses a serious threat to the health of the chestnut, often causing anomalies in the development and even death of the tree. There are several types of the disease:

• perforated rust;
• black rust;
• brown rust;
• red-brown rust.

Each type of rust has its own symptoms and causes. Accordingly, the methods of dealing with these chestnut diseases also differ.

Rust is black.

A characteristic feature of this disease is that chestnut leaves begin to quickly turn black and soon fall off. In the long term, rust causes various disturbances in the development of the plant, it gradually weakens. Flowers on the chestnut appear much later and in much smaller numbers. Some flowers do not open at all or fly around after a few hours. The flowering itself becomes more short-term and scarce.

There are 2 causes of this disease:

• excess moisture due to frequent watering or heavy rainfall;
• lack of sufficient potassium in the soil.

Based on the available reasons, choose the appropriate method of treating chestnut from black rust.

In the first case, it is necessary to reduce the number of chestnut waterings and water the plant as the earthen coma dries out. In regions where summers are often wet, watering can be carried out even less often or not at all – chestnuts will have enough water obtained from precipitation.

The second case requires the introduction of mineral top dressing into the soil. As a rule, a lack of potassium in the soil can be avoided if fertilizers are regularly applied to the soil: in autumn – nitroammophos at the rate of 15 g per 10 liters of water, in spring – 1 kg of mullein and 15 g of urea for the same amount of water.

Red-brown rust

As the name suggests, this disease causes reddish-brown spots on chestnut leaves. Most often, rust makes itself felt at the end of July or in August. If you do not intervene in the development of the disease, very soon the rust spots grow and cover the chestnut leaves almost completely.

A large amount of moisture can provoke red-brown rust, so you should pay close attention to the chestnut watering regimen.

Sudden changes in temperature can also affect the occurrence of a disease on a plant. If the plant grows in regions with an unstable climate, care should be taken to insulate the near-stem circle of the chestnut, especially in the autumn. This can be done with a mulch such as wood chips, peat moss, or a mixture of compost. Such a measure will not only protect the roots of the plant from freezing, but also serve as an additional fertilizer for the chestnut tree.

brown rust

According to the symptoms, this ailment is very similar to red-brown rust, and therefore even experienced plant breeders often confuse these 2 varieties of chestnut disease. Brown rust also appears closer to the middle of the summer season, however, in the first days of the disease, brown formations affect not only the front, but also the reverse side of the plant leaf.

Brown rust can occur for the same reasons as the red-brown variety of the disease, namely due to excessive watering or sudden temperature fluctuations. In addition to mulch, you can mitigate the impact of the latter by making a shelter from wood stakes and cling film around the chestnut trunk.

Rust control measures

In addition to using the above measures, rust, regardless of type, can be cured in the following ways:

1. With the onset of spring, it is necessary to spray the chestnut crown once every 1 days with a weak solution of Bordeaux mixture. This must be done regularly until the beginning of the flowering period. As soon as the chestnut has finished blooming, it should be treated again with the composition or its substitutes – Azofos or Bayleton.
2. If the rust has developed too much, from the beginning of the budding period of the plant until the end of its flowering, the chestnut is treated with Bordeaux liquid – 1 time with an interval of 30 days during the season. To consolidate the effect obtained, the crown of the plant is sprayed with a 5% solution of urea for the winter, observing a dosage of 5 g of the composition per 1 liter of water. The soil around the chestnut tree is treated with a 7% solution using 7 g of the substance per 1 liter of water.

Mučnistaâ rosa

In addition to rust, another disease affecting the chestnut tree is powdery mildew. This disease is caused by a special type of fungus. As soon as optimal conditions for temperature and humidity arise for this, it begins to actively multiply. Also, its development can be caused by an imbalance of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers in the soil. Due to the defeat, a characteristic gray-white coating forms on the leaves of the plant. In addition, dark brown spherical formations can be observed on chestnut leaf plates – these are fungal spores. Long-term lack of treatment leads to the fact that the leaves of the plant eventually turn brown and die.

Powdery mildew is contagious, chestnut can become infected with this disease through air and water or through contact with infected plants. Therefore, if a disease is detected in one plant, it should be immediately isolated from healthy chestnuts and urgent treatment should be started.

First of all, it is required to remove all damaged leaves from the infected plant and burn them. If the reason for the appearance of the fungus lies in the lack of minerals, their reserves should be replenished with potassium-phosphorus top dressing. It will be useful to treat the chestnut with various fungicides such as Fitosporin-M, Topsin, Fundazol or Skora. Fans of environmentally friendly preparations are advised to use a composition based on wood ash:

1. 500 g of ash is poured into 1 liter of water and infused for 48 hours.
2. A mixture of 5 g of laundry soap and water is added to the solution.
3. The resulting composition treats the trunk, branches and leaves of the chestnut 2 times with an interval of 1 week.

Along with this tool, sophisticated plant growers are advised to treat the chestnut with an infusion of weeds and water, in a ratio of 1: 2.

Necrosis

Often chestnuts undergo various forms of necrosis:

• stem;
• Phomopsis;
• septomyxov;
• to cryphonectry.

The symptoms of these diseases are very similar. All three forms of necrosis involve the gradual death of the chestnut bark: it begins to crack and become covered with black or brown seals 2–3 mm in diameter, which can be seen with the naked eye. In the case of stem necrosis, the seals may also be pale pink. Septomyx necrosis of the plant can be recognized by the way the bark becomes gray-white.

Although such a disease is not dangerous for adult chestnuts, it greatly harms the decorative appearance of the plant. Young trees can die if the disease is ignored for a long time.

To get rid of the disease, you must first carefully clean the affected area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe trunk with a well-sharpened garden knife. Then the infected area is treated with bactericidal preparations and covered with garden pitch. It will also be useful to spray the chestnut with Bordeaux liquid or antifungal medicines.

Chestnut pests and their control

In addition to diseases, illiterate chestnut care can provoke the appearance of pests. Among them, the most dangerous plant breeders rightly consider the mining moth.

Minimizing Mole

Mining, or chestnut moth resembles a butterfly and reaches a length of 4 mm. The first mention of this pest dates back to the 80s of the last century, but today it is not known for certain where it came from. In recent years, this seemingly harmless insect that harms millions of plants has become a real punishment for gardeners around the world. The fact is that chestnut moth lays eggs on chestnut leaves. As soon as the caterpillars hatch from the eggs, they begin to eat the leaf plate from the inside, gnawing tunnels in it. This damages the structure of the leaves, because of which they wither and quickly crumble. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the mining moth is very prolific and capable of producing hundreds of larvae several times a season. In addition, it is unpretentious to the conditions, which allows it to expand its habitat from year to year and cause damage to all new farms.

At the moment, there is no way to get rid of this pest once and for all. Researchers are looking for drugs against it, but the only option available now is internal injections. Despite their high price, such injections are very effective, and often even single sessions lead to the recovery of the plant.

However, this method of treatment has a significant drawback – the drug for administration is very toxic not only for moths, but also for the environment as a whole. Therefore, when choosing a medicine for injection, one should give preference to the compositions of the 1st and 2nd class, because they do not have such a harsh effect on the environment. It is strongly not recommended to use injections in populated areas.

Alternatively, you can use hormonal agents, for example, Insegar. This composition should be sprayed on chestnut leaves before the moths have time to lay on them.

Chafer

May beetles are classified as root pests, although in reality the root system of chestnuts is attacked by the larvae of these insects. Adults feed mainly on the leaves of the plant. May beetles do not pose such a large-scale danger as chestnut moth, but can significantly weaken the plant.

You can cope with these pests with the help of chemical insecticides and folk remedies. So, a weekly infusion of onion on water in a ratio of 1: 2 has proven itself well. It is bred in half with water and watered around the chestnut circle instead of ordinary water.

Shield

Shchitovka is a representative of sucking pests that feeds on the juice of leaves and shoots. The size of the shield is very small – about 5 mm. She has a strong wax shield on her body, because of which she got her name. Young individuals of this pest are born without it. The layer is formed after the insects are fixed on the leaf and begin to eat heavily.

In addition to insecticides, such as Fitoverm and Metaphos, these pests can be dealt with by using an infusion of onions, garlic and peppers or a weak vinegar solution. A powdered preparation against Colorado potato beetles, diluted with water, is also suitable.

elm leaf beetle

The elm leaf beetle is one of the numerous species of the leaf beetle genus. This insect has two wings with rigid elytra and a bright yellow coloration with black longitudinal stripes. The pest feeds on chestnut leaves, moreover, mature individuals gnaw holes in them, and the larvae eat the leaf plate completely, leaving only the skeleton.

As a rule, leaf beetles are sensitive to any insecticides, so periodic treatment of the chestnut will soon help rid the plant of the problem. Spraying with infusions of tomato tops or pharmacy chamomile will not harm him either.

Mealybugs

Mealybugs are also considered to be sucking insects, since they, like scale insects, feed on leafy juices. These small pests are white or light pink in color and have transverse stripes on the surface of the body. In the process of life, they secrete a slimy substance that sticks insect eggs to the leaf plate. Because of the worms, the leaves and other parts of the chestnut tree grow much more slowly and quickly turn yellow, and the mucus of the pests serves as a breeding ground for dangerous fungi.

Good means of dealing with a mealybug are chemicals – Aktellik, Aktara and others. Connoisseurs of folk compositions use garlic infusion.

Prevention of diseases and pests of chestnut

The best remedy for diseases and pests of chestnut has been and remains prevention. Proper care and timely action will help prevent the disease and facilitate further treatment of the plant:

1. You should regularly inspect the chestnut, noting the slightest change in its condition.
2. It is necessary to carry out pruning in time, get rid of dry and damaged branches of the plant.
3. Wounds and splits that appear on the bark of the plant are subject to immediate examination and treatment.
4. It is necessary to follow the recommendations for feeding and watering the chestnut tree.
5. It is strongly not recommended to use the leaves of even a healthy plant when mulching, as they may contain pathogens. Fallen chestnut leaves should be burned immediately.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that the most common chestnut disease is rust, there are many other ailments and pests that affect this plant. To get rid of some of them, it will take considerable effort, so it is important not to bring the chestnut to a deplorable state, but to recognize the threat in time and eliminate it.