Diseases of the bark of fruit trees and their treatment

Modern varieties of fruit crops can have good immunity to one or more diseases, have resistance to a certain type of pests – breeders have been achieving this effect for years. But unfortunately, there are still no such trees or shrubs that would never get sick and would not be of interest to insect pests. Pest and disease control is an important part of the care that is vital to the orchard. A gardener can conscientiously prune his trees, fertilize and water the soil, but this will not protect the garden from a small pest or infection that can nullify all man’s labors in a matter of days.

Descriptions and photos of the most dangerous pests of fruit trees are given in this article. Here we will talk about the most common diseases of fruit trees and shrubs, and about effective methods of dealing with them.

Reasons for the death of orchards

The goal of a good gardener is a well-groomed, healthy garden that produces consistent yields of tasty fruits. Unfortunately, not only people like fragrant fruits – various insects also like them. There are also such pests that eat only leaves, buds or regale exclusively on the bark of a tree. There are also those who devour everything that comes in their path.

In addition to the main reason, there are also indirect ones that can aggravate the condition of fruit trees:

1. External damage to the tree. Rodent-eaten bark, improperly pruned shoots, wind-broken branches – all this causes the tree to weaken, which, in turn, is an easy prey for pests and diseases.
2. temperature damage, which may occur against the background of exposure to too high or critically low temperatures on the garden. Temperature fluctuations are especially dangerous: sudden warming in winter, hail and sharp cooling of air in the middle of summer, cool and humid night air combined with daytime heat.
3. Lack or excess of moisture. Every gardener knows the strong dependence of plants on the amount of water they receive. At the same time, both excessive rainfall or watering and periods of prolonged drought are equally dangerous for a tree.
4. Nutritional imbalance. Everyone knows that cultivated plants need to be fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. If the amount of fertilizer is not calculated correctly, the plant will definitely respond to this: the shade of the leaves will change, they may curl or go in spots, the shoots will turn red or turn brown, the appearance of the fruit will become unattractive.

Types of insects

Anyone who believes that it is the harvest of the orchard that needs to be saved from pests is mistaken. Yes, insects are often attracted to juicy and fragrant fruits that ripen on tree branches. But absolutely any part of the plant (from foliage to roots) can become food for some types of these pests.

It is customary to divide fruit pests into groups depending on their “culinary” preferences:

• fruit pests – those who are interested exclusively in the fruits of the tree. Among them, there are those that eat the pulp of the fruit (for example, the sawfly), but there are those who are interested in the bones (weevils). The caterpillars of many butterflies are very dangerous for the orchard, since at this stage of their development they are omnivorous and can quickly cause irreparable damage to the crop.
• Deciduous pests interested in the green part of plants – leaves. The destruction of the leaves impairs photosynthesis, as a result of which any plant dies. In this group, there are insects that leave holes in the leaves, and there are pests that turn the leaf plate into a tube or destroy it entirely.
• bark parasites use this part of the tree to satisfy their own hunger (ticks, bark beetles). And most of all existing pests penetrate into the cracks of the bark and hide there from the winter cold.
• root pests, probably the most dangerous of all, because they are not visible, and for a long time the gardener may not be aware that the tree is in danger of imminent death. The main representatives of this group are weevils and beetle larvae. A tree with damaged roots dies very quickly, and it is almost impossible to save it.
• Omnivorous pests – a real pestilence for an orchard. For example, aphids are able to drink juice from any part of a plant, so a large number of this parasite is certain death for a tree.

In order to get to know the dangerous pests of the orchard better, you should study their photos and descriptions, learn about the habits of these insects and how you can fight them.

Caterpillars

Caterpillars are great lovers of fruit and berry plants, because their main food is juicy foliage. The caterpillar can leave holes in the leaf plate or eat it completely.

Caterpillars begin their life journey at the very beginning of spring. At this time, pests are just waking up and are small in size, so it is still easy to deal with them. There are several ways to destroy caterpillars on fruit trees:

• spray the tree with chlorophos or karbofos (40 grams per 8 liters of water);
• use captan or phthalan for processing (40 grams per 7 liters of water);
• any mineral oil will simultaneously protect the tree from ticks;
• removal and cutting of nests of pests;
• destruction of clutches (effective for silkworms);
• cutting out affected branches;
• treatment of bark with kerosene.

Larvae

These pests are good because they are clearly visible on the shoots of fruit plants. You can eliminate the larvae mechanically – just collect them manually. The larva looks like a yellowish or dark gray ring covered with transparent mucus. On the leaves of the tree, the larvae leave holes and translucent traces of dried mucus.

If the number of larvae on a tree is large, it is very dangerous – pests will quickly destroy all the leaves and disrupt the plant’s photosynthesis. Therefore, in such cases, one should not hesitate and be careful – only a strong chemical agent will help. From biological products, you can try Entobacterin, which is safe even at the stage of fruit ripening.

Dolgonosiki

A weevil can be distinguished from another beetle by the presence of a long trunk, which is a continuation of its head. Thanks to this powerful trunk, the pest can eat both tender leaves, juicy fruits, and hard bones or tree bark.

The first wave of weevils appears by mid-April and is engaged in eating the kidneys. The presence of these pests can be guessed from the transparent drops near the buds of the tree. If you open such a kidney, a cavity will be found inside – the pest has destroyed the future leaf.

You can destroy kidney weevils with a solution of chlorophos (20 grams per bucket of water). If the gardener is against “chemistry”, you need to remember that weevils are ordinary beetles that do not hold well on branches. Effectively shake off pests with the use of physical force. Before the procedure, it is recommended to spread a cloth or film around the tree, and then collect the beetles and throw them into salt water.

Copperheads (leaflets)

Copperheads are very unpleasant pests that can jump and fly considerable distances. The psyllids feed on the juice of leaves and fruits. You can learn about their presence by the characteristic sugar traces on all parts of the tree. The fruit damaged by the sucker is covered with a transparent film, subsequently a fungus develops on the peel and the process of decay is activated.

You can fight this pest with a solution of nitrafen – 350 grams per bucket of water. When spraying before flowering, you can add karbofos. A week after flowering, fumigation of fruit tree shoots can help.

aphid

You can learn about the defeat of stone fruit crops by aphids at the beginning of spring. To do this, already in March, the owner needs to go out into the garden and look for ants on the trees: it is these insects that are most interested in aphids.

When the aphid has multiplied, it is quite easy to see it: the tree or its individual parts are covered with sticky small cobwebs, the leaves curl, the shoots slow down in growth. At this stage, a stronger drug will be required, you can use Thiacloprid or other “chemistry”.

Diseases of the orchard

Along with pests, gardeners are often annoyed by diseases of the bark, roots, shoots and leaves of fruit trees, so their treatment is one of the main tasks of a professional. Unfortunately, there are no less various diseases that threaten fruit trees than pests. All of them manifest themselves in different ways, and they should be treated with special methods.

Cancer of the apple tree

You can find out that a tree has cancer by the following characteristic signs:

• bark on individual shoots shrank and cracked in concentric rings;
• in winter, a red growth appeared on the bark;
• the damaged branch became darker than the rest.

It is necessary to treat a tree cardinally: diseased branches are cut out, wounds are treated with garden putty.

Bacterial cancer

This disease threatens only stone fruits. First, spots with light edges appear on the leaves. Later stages of bacterial cancer are characterized by the appearance of gum that seeps through the bark. Sick branches gradually die off.

To cure a tree, you need to cut out all the damaged areas and treat the ulcers with garden pitch. For prevention, you can spray the garden with copper in August, September and October.

wilting buds

This disease appears if the spring is too wet. Flower brushes of apple, pear and plum trees turn brown and begin to dry. To prevent the spread of the disease, it is necessary to radically remove all infected shoots and ovaries.

brown rot

This disease primarily affects the fruits of fruit trees. Yellowish plaque rings appear on ripening fruits. Later, the whole fruit turns brown and becomes soft – until it completely rots.

To prevent the disease from spreading, you need to pick the infected fruits and collect them from the ground near the tree.

Bacterial burn

The shoots and leaves of the diseased plant turn brown and gradually dry out. In early spring, a translucent liquid begins to ooze from the infected parts. If a case of a bacterial fire is noticed in the garden, it is urgent to cut the diseased shoot 60 cm below the lesion.

Conclusion

Pests and diseases of fruit trees are a constant headache for a gardener. Experienced owners know that it is very difficult and difficult to treat plants, it is much more correct to carry out prevention and follow recommendations for care. Pests and diseases manifest themselves in different ways, before treating the garden, you need to find out what exactly it suffers from.