Control of powdery mildew on apple trees. The main diseases of apple trees and their treatment. Bacterial cancer or cortical necrosis

Since ancient times, people have used spicy herbs as a vitamin seasoning for various dishes, and prepare medicinal potions from them.

These herbs include basil, species and varieties of which are grown in many countries around the world for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Let's get acquainted with the main species characteristics and varietal assortment of this spice, and find out how they differ and what they look like.

Description of basil plant species

Basil – Ocimum

Other names: fragrant basil, common basil, camphor basil, mint basil, fragrant green basil.

A bush or herbaceous plant from the Lamiaceae family. It can be perennial or annual.

Translated from Greek as “king”.

The plant blooms in an intermittent cluster or spikelet. White, light pink or purple flowers collected in whorls of 6-10 pieces.

The roots are superficial and branched, the stem is straight and branched, about 60-70 cm long.

The leaves, which have an ovoid oblong shape, are decorated with sparse teeth and covered with villi.

The seeds remain viable for about five years.

Wild basil can be found in the South and Central Asian regions, India, China, Africa, Iran, the American tropics, and the Caucasus.

The well-known camphor oil is made from basil essential oils. The leaves of the plant have a salty and tart taste, so they are added to meat and fish dishes, pasta and cheeses.

Historical Roots of Basil

As the story goes, it first appeared in the Middle East and India. In ancient times, healing decoctions and infusions were made from it.

• In European countries they learned about it thanks to the Germans, in whose country basil began to be cultivated from the beginning of the 12th century.
• In the 16th century, the French and other Europeans began to add its greens to traditional dishes, especially meats, desserts, and refreshing and warming drinks.
• In the 18th century, it ended up in Russia, where this greenery was initially used as a medicine.

Now basil is cultivated all over the planet and is used mainly as an aromatic spice, rich in essential oils, vitamin C, PP and B2, as well as carotene, routin, camphor, etc.

Green and purple basil: the difference

There are a great many varieties of this plant, but according to the color of the leaves they are all divided into two types: purple and green. Let's find out what their features are and how green basil differs from purple basil.

Taste

Green basil has a mild flavor and is therefore commonly used in European cooking. They prepare many desserts with this plant, and for them purple look doesn't fit.

But residents of the Caucasus and Asian peoples prefer purple plant, appreciating its rich, spicy taste.

Aroma

Green basil exudes a delicate aroma, especially the lemon variety, used in the production of refreshing drinks.

In contrast, purple basil, also known as red basil or black basil (with black-purple leaves), has a more pungent odor. It is enough to walk past a stall with this species at the market, and you will immediately notice the characteristic pungent smell.

By the way, this greenery, whether it be bush basil or herbaceous basil, smells strongest when it gains color.

Leaf color

As can be seen from the names of the species, one of them has green leaves, the other has purple, purple-violet or black-violet leaves.

These are, perhaps, all the differences between green and purple basil.

Green basil: photo

This is what a variety of spicy plant with green leaves looks like:

Purple basil: photo

This is what a plant with purple leaves looks like:

Let's find out which varieties of the species with green leaves are popular among modern gardeners.

Basil "Basilisk"

An ornamental variety, successfully grown both in vegetable gardens and at home - in flower pots.

A plant up to 20 cm high with a rich cap of smooth small leaves, blooming with small white flowers. Thanks to its peppery-clove aroma, it is used in marinades and fresh salads.

From 1 square meter you can collect up to 700 g of leaves. The leaves are ready for cutting after 2 months from the date of emergence.

Basil "Clove"

A tall bushy plant, capable of growing up to 60 cm, covered with elongated bright green leaves. Blooms in clusters of snow-white flowers.

It can be grown both in the garden and at home. Due to its characteristic smell and taste, cloves serve as an excellent seasoning for meat and salads.

From 1 square meter you can collect up to 2400 g of leaves. Clove basil is ready for cutting after 24-40 days from the date of germination.

Basil "Greek"

This small-leaved spherical bush, 15 cm high, is so beautiful that it can decorate any interior, not just a garden. Its sweetish, spicy taste and classic basil aroma are highly revered by Italian chefs. They add Greek basil to sauces, marinades and fresh salads.

It is ready for cutting after 2-2.5 months from the moment of germination.

Basil "Lemon Flavor"

A plant with a rich, refreshing lemon aroma. From one bush of this variety you can get up to 250 g of fresh, smooth, light green leaves. They add a special taste to desserts, vegetable salads, drinks and various dishes.

From 1 square meter you can collect up to 2900 g of leaves. Lemon basil can be cut after 2-2.5 months from the date of emergence.

Basil "Gourmet"

Salad variety. Compact low plant (up to 25 cm) with wide large leaves.

The variety is very aromatic and has a delicate taste. Grows back quickly after pruning. Good for adding to salads and pasta, it can be dried, pickled and frozen.

Leaves can be cut 50 days after germination.

Basil "Caramel"

A favorite plant for culinary experts with a pronounced caramel-fruity taste, ready for cutting within a month after germination!

It can be grown both in the garden and on windowsills. Fleshy, large leaves of caramel basil are suitable for vegetable salads and other dishes, they can be preserved and dried.

The yield of the plant is up to 3300 g per square meter; it is ready for the first cutting 30-40 days after germination.

Basil "Thai Queen"

An ornamental plant with elongated large leaves contrasting with purple square stems when cut.

It is distinguished by luxurious flowering in the form of clusters of dark purple flowers, more reminiscent of lilac blossoms. This variety can be grown in greenhouses, vegetable gardens, orchards and on windowsills.

The leaves are eaten throughout the growing season.

Holy Basil

It is also Indian basil, or Tulsi. The variety is grown in vegetable gardens, greenhouses and flower pots.

Its leaves exude a spicy, pungent clove-pepper scent and have a bitter taste, which is why they are used in spicy dishes.

Basil "Naughty"

A plant with small fragrant leaves with a delicate taste, forming a nice bush with many shoots.

It is grown both in gardens and in homes - in flower pots and containers. It is used for food preservation, as a seasoning for meat, pasta, fish and fresh salads.

The yield of the “Shalun” variety is up to 1800 g per square meter.

Basil "Tonus"

Tall spicy plant. Leaves average size and bright green color are distinguished by a tart, pleasant taste and delicate aroma. They are used dried or fresh - in salads, drinks and various dishes.

Cutting is possible after 76 days from the moment of germination.

Let's find out which varieties of purple basil are most often grown by summer residents and gardeners.

Basil "Thai"

Thai basil seeds produce compact plants with dark purple, toothed, smooth leaves that form a dense bush.

The leaves exude a distinct spicy aroma with cinnamon notes. They are added to salads, marinades and pickles, meat and other dishes.

Basil "Yerevan"

One of the best varieties in terms of culinary use. Produces a vibrant foliage mass of bright purple leaves with a reddish tint.

During flowering, the bushes are decorated with soft pink flowers, so this plant is often grown as flower bed flowers. The variety is also good because the leaves can be cut 2-3 times per season.

The yield of the variety is 3-3.5 kg of leaves per 1 square meter.

Basil "Opal"

A popular variety with deep purple-violet leaves. It blooms with crimson flowers, which need to be picked off so that the flowering does not interfere with the growth of the leaves.

The leaves have a pronounced peppery smell with clove notes and a tart, pleasant taste. Used in sauces, salads, vinegars, oils and various dishes.

You can collect up to 2 kg of Opal basil leaves per square meter.

Basil "Pepper flavor"

An annual herbaceous plant with leaves of an unusual reddish color. Vitamin leaves have a spicy aroma and taste, and therefore are often used by chefs instead of peppers when preparing sauces and various dishes.

The plant is ready for cutting after 20 days from germination. Its yield per square meter is up to 4200 g.

Basil "Ararat"

A very aromatic variety that forms tall branching bushes with lilac flowers. Its leaves, colored green-violet, are rich in carotene and essential oils. They are added to delicate cheeses, green salads and vegetable soups. They are sprinkled on finished dishes before serving.

Leaves can be cut after 2 - 2.5 months. Can be grown in flower pots.

Vanilla basil

An annual variety of herbaceous basil with powerful branched stems no more than 40 cm high.

The leaves are jagged, dark purple in color, the flowers are pale purple, collected in spikelets. The leaves are so tasty that they are used not only in traditional dishes, but also in fruit salads.

This greenery has long been used by cheesemakers in the production of cheeses, and by culinary specialists in vegetable salads, spicy soups such as gazpacho, meat and fish dishes. The French add green basil to sweets, the Italians to jams.

So that you can understand why Europeans value this spice, we suggest preparing the famous Italian salad with basil and mozzarella.

Caprese salad

Ingredients for 4 servings

• Fresh tomatoes - 8 pcs.
• Green basil leaves - 1 tbsp. + 2 branches for decoration
• Water - 2 tbsp. spoons
• Wine vinegar - 2 tbsp. spoons
• Shallot - 1 pc.
• Salt - to your taste
• Mozzarella – 250 g
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons
• Oregano and black pepper - to your taste.

How to make basil salad

To make Caprese salad, follow the step-by-step recipe:

1. Cut the washed tomatoes and mozzarella into thin slices.
2. Prepare basil sauce: grind basil leaves with peeled onion, water, salt and wine vinegar in a blender.

We wait 5 minutes for the sauce to infuse and mix it with olive oil.

1. Fan out the tomatoes and mozzarella onto the plates, alternating them.
2. Decorate them with basil leaves, sprinkle with oregano and pepper and pour over the infused sauce.

This salad is especially delicious with baguette toast.

Now you know how much basil, the types and varieties of which are simply innumerable, is adored by cooks and lovers of ornamental plants. Try it at least once, and you too will join the ranks of basil fans!

01.03.2019

Pests and diseases of apple trees lead to weakening of trees. This is fraught not only with partial loss of the harvest, but also with the spread of infection to other trees, which can lead to the death of the entire garden. To prevent the emergence of diseases and fight them, you need to know everything about diseases, their treatment and prevention.

Powdery mildew, or apple ash (lat. Erysiphales)

Cause of plant disease powdery mildew- infection with the fungus Erysiphales, which spreads to the foliage, branches, bark and buds of the tree. The disease has the appearance of a white cloudy coating, hence the name Powdery Mildew.

Signs of infection

• gradually the plaque becomes brown in color with the further appearance of black dots;
• leaves begin to curl and dry out;
• young branches stop growing;
• The apple tree produces a poor harvest.

It is transmitted from tree to tree by wind or water splashes in the spring and autumn. Fruit trees suffer from powdery mildew ornamental plants and agricultural crops.

How and with what to treat powdery mildew

Prevention and treatment consists of spraying branches and leaves with colloidal sulfur (80 g of sulfur is diluted in 10 liters of water).

The treatment is carried out three times:

• before leaves appear;
• after flowering;
• 2 weeks after the second treatment.

You can spray with chemicals (Skor, Topaz) 4 times per season. Treatment is added in July, during the period of fruit development.

Black apple cancer, or Antonov's fire (lat. Sphaeropsis malorum)

The disease is caused by the fungus Sphaeropsis malorum Peck and affects the fruit, trunk, skeletal and thick branches, apples and bark. The affected trunk and branches resemble charred ones, as if burned by fire. Most often, black cancer is observed in apple trees weakened by the underlying disease.

The risk of cancer increases if the tree is not provided with timely care and has received burns or frost damage. Cancer is often recorded in gardens growing on loamy, moisture-rich soil and in areas with large temperature changes, especially in autumn. Affects apple trees, pears and other stone fruits.

How to recognize black cancer

The disease is diagnosed in the summer. An air temperature of 22-28 degrees Celsius is ideal for the spread of fungal spores.

• If a disease is suspected, the tree bark is carefully examined through a magnifying glass. If small ulcers with black dots on the edge are detected, the diagnosis is confirmed. The points are pycnidia where fungal spores mature.

Pycnida is the fruiting body of a pathogenic fungus that produces spores called conidia.

Cytospora of apple trees, or infectious drying out (lat. Cytospora)

Damage to the bark by the Cytospora fungus manifests itself in the form of brown ulcers that expose the bark all the way to the trunk and grow over the affected part of the tree. The bark dries and falls off.

Any stone fruit and pome tree can become infected with cytosporosis in the spring and summer. The cause is poor soil or damage to the bark through which the fungus gets inside.

How and with what to treat cytosporosis

• Protective measures should begin in the spring, before buds open. For treatment with fungicides - the chemical preparation HOM or copper oxychloride, it is recommended to choose a dry, windless day;
• Before flowering, secondary treatment is carried out with a solution of copper sulfate (50 grams of sulfate are diluted in 10 liters of water).
• After flowering, the tree is sprayed with HOM again. The same treatment is used to identify signs of the disease.

Preventive measures against the disease

• Mandatory application of drying oil or garden varnish to fresh wounds;
• Protect trees from burns by whitewashing;
• Before cold weather, water with potassium or phosphorus-containing fertilizers.

Bacterial burn or bacteriosis (lat. Erwinia amylovora)

A disease caused by the gram-negative bacteria Erwinia amylovora. Introduced with infected cuttings purchased from unverified places. Bacteriosis affects trees in early spring, mainly pear. It is subsequently transmitted to apple trees and other pome trees growing in the neighborhood, along with splashes of water during rain or from watering hoses.

Signs of bacteriosis infection

• Bacteriosis spreads from top to bottom with dark watery spots on the bark, foliage and fruits.
• The leaves and apples resemble charred ones, darken, but do not fall off, but remain on the branches. Infected apples are not suitable for food.

Prevention and treatment measures

• Seedlings should be purchased from trusted places, visually inspected for diseases;
• To disinfect, water the soil with a solution of copper sulfate (60 g per 10 liters of water);
• Spray an already diseased tree with 5% Bordeaux mixture or ready-made preparations containing sulfur (Tiovit Jet, VDG, Cumulus DF);
• To prevent the spread of the disease, diseased branches are cut 20 cm below the infected area, or removed completely. The wound is covered with garden varnish;
• After working with a diseased tree, tools must be disinfected with alcohol.

Apple scab, or phytopathology (lat. Venturia inaequalis)

A disease of apple and pear trees caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, the spores of which are carried by water. The stimulator of scab development is high humidity and calm weather, infection is most often recorded in May. The lack of wind causes air to stagnate in the crown and spores begin to germinate.

Signs of scab disease

• Dark brown spots, small in size and rough to the touch, appear on the fruits.
• The apples stop pouring, crack, and through the cracks the disease gets inside the fruit.
• The leaves become covered with yellow-brown spots, dry out and fall off.

How to protect an apple tree from scab

Preventive measures taken in the spring, before the leaves appear.

• Before the leaves bloom, old branches are cut off from the tree for better ventilation.
• The crown is sprayed with a urea solution (half a kilo of urea is diluted in 10 liters of water).
• Preparations with copper oxychloride (Abiga Pik, Bronex, Kurzat, Ordan) are used for secondary treatment before fruiting begins.
• After harvesting, spray with 1% Bordeaux mixture.

If infection has already occurred, then the crown can be treated with mineral fertilizers. In this case, 10% ammonium nitrate, 10% ammonium sulfate, 15% potassium salt or potassium nitrate are used.

Prevention from infection after fruiting

• After the end of fruiting, all dry branches and dried fruits are cut off from the tree.
• If necessary, the trunk is cleared of old bark to a healthy base, and the wound site is whitewashed.
• All leaves under the trees are collected and burned.

These preventive measures help prevent the spread of fungal spores in the future.

Apple tree diseases: Silver leaf

A disease caused by the basidiomycete fungus Chondrostereum purpureum.

Signs of the disease

• A pearlescent grayish-milky sheen appears on the surface of the branches, which quickly spreads from one branch to another.
• The branches stop bearing fruit, and the fruits begin to fall off.
• If the infection affects the skeleton of the tree, the apple tree will die.

How to protect trees from milky shine

A milky sheen occurs due to improper watering, lack of vitamins, or freezing of the tree in winter.

• If fungus is detected, cut off diseased branches, including the lower 5 cm, and burn.
• Treat the wound with 1% copper sulfate and cover it with garden varnish.
• If the apple tree is completely covered with fungus, then it is better to dig it up and burn it.

How to protect an apple tree from milky shine

• increase the cold resistance of trees by whitewashing in the fall;
• before whitewashing, spray with 3-5% copper sulfate;
• avoid mechanical damage to the bark when grafting and pruning;
• fertilizing with potassium and phosphorus fertilizers.

Fruit rot - moniliosis (lat. Monilia)

This disease is caused by the fungus Monilia on stone fruit trees.

Signs of apple tree disease

• Growing fruits become covered with dark brown spots of rot that grow rapidly. The spots are covered with white spots on top.
• The stems of the apples dry out and they fall to the ground.

The pulp of fruits affected by moniliosis becomes unsuitable for food.

Promotes the spread of fungal spores

• high humidity;
• high air temperature;
• handling with dirty tools;
• windy weather, which spreads fungal spores;
• the presence of an underlying disease (rot often accompanies scab, further damaging the apple tree).

Measures for the prevention and treatment of moniliosis

• Sick apples are removed (fallen ones are collected and removed from the tree), branches are cut off and burned away from healthy trees;
• Timely spraying with fungicides: Horus, VDG.

The appearance of unsightly tubercles, black spots on branches, rot on fruits, death of the bark of the apple tree - all this may be the cause of more than just excessive watering or too hot weather. These may be apple tree diseases caused by factors beyond human control. Most amateur gardeners who have, say, inherited a plot of apple trees rarely think about the fact that most plants are susceptible to a huge number of diseases, among which you can even find cancer!

The most common diseases of apple trees and how to combat them

1. The most common apple tree disease is scab. This fungal disease, which can be caused by excess humidity and stagnation of air inside the tree crown. Scab occurs on the leaves of trees, after which it moves to the fruits.

A characteristic sign of scab is small greenish-brown spots on the inside of the leaf. On fruits, this disease appears in the form of light brown or dark brown spots, not large, but numerous. Their texture is reminiscent of kiwi skin.

Measures to combat scab include spraying the tree crown and treating the soil with organic and inorganic solutions:

• Treatment with urea solution in autumn and spring (0.5 kg per 10 liters of water), approximately 5 liters of water are spent on the tree.
• Treatment with copper oxychloride (40 g per 10 l); 2 stages: early spring before flowering and after fruit set.
• Use of Bordeaux mixture (300 g of lime and the same amount of copper sulfate per 10 liters of water).

A mandatory preventive measure is to remove excess branches on the apple tree in the spring.

2. Another common fungal disease of apple trees is powdery mildew. The disease affects young shoots, foliage and inflorescences of the tree. It looks like the appearance of a whitish coating, which gradually turns brown. Under the influence of the disease, the leaves curl and fall off, and the same happens to the fruit ovaries. The last stage of the disease is the appearance of small black dots.

The fight against this apple tree disease comes down to spraying with solutions of colloidal sulfur (a mixture of 70% concentration is diluted in a ratio of 80 g per 10 liters of water). Trees are treated 2 - 3 times in the spring: when the first leaves appear, then another 1 - 2 times every 2 weeks.

Also, the drugs “Skor” and “Topaz” have shown themselves to be effective in the fight against powdery mildew.

3. The most serious apple tree disease, difficult to cure, is common cancer. Its causes lie mainly in weather conditions: excessive cold or heat. Cancer can also appear due to injuries caused to the tree: rough removal of branches, lack of subsequent treatment of wounds.

Apple tree cancer is a lesion of the trunk or powerful skeletal branches with deep cracks and growths, leading to the drying out and death of the affected branches. Advanced cancer can lead to the death of a tree.

You can avoid the occurrence of such a disease if you properly care for the tree. If the tree does get sick, you should immediately begin treating it:

• First, all affected branches are removed, and the bark around the wounds is cut out.
• Then the wood is treated with antiseptic agents.
• Cover the wounds with garden varnish, preferably without drying oil or rosin.

4. Fruit rot. An unpleasant disease that is more a consequence than an independent disease. Rot appears where other diseases, such as scab, have occurred. Rot affects only the fruits, without touching the foliage or branches of the apple tree. When rotten fruits appear, it is very important to promptly remove them and burn them or bury them far from fruit trees.

When fighting diseases of apple trees, you need to burn the affected branches and foliage! And this should be done as far as possible from garden trees and shrubs.

First of all, we would like to consider diseases of apple trees, which often attack not only adult trees, but also young seedlings. We will also try to present the signs of diseases and methods of combating them as fully as possible.

Fungal disease powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is known to every owner of a personal plot, because this disease loves to rampage both in the garden and in the vegetable garden. Powdery mildew affects the vital parts of the tree - shoots and buds, leaves and bark. Initially, a dirty white coating appears on their surface, which over time transforms into brown, and dark spots may appear. The foliage turns yellow and quickly dries out, the shoots stop growing, the vitality of the tree fades away, and it cannot bear fruit. If the disease remains undetected, the mycelium can overwinter in the affected part of the plant and begin its activity again next spring.

Preventive and therapeutic measures for apple trees begin in the spring, when young leaves are just blooming. Wood is processed special drugs by spraying. For this you can use "Topaz" or "Skor", mixing 2 ml of product per bucket of water.

After the apple trees have bloomed, they must be treated with copper oxychloride, for example, using the drug "Hom." The product is prepared simply, at the rate of 40 g per bucket of water, and sprayed with it.

The fight against powdery mildew continues after harvesting the fruits - using Bordeaux mixture (1%) or copper sulfate solution (spraying with a solution of 20 g liquid soap and 50 g of copper sulfate per bucket of water).

Scab

Scab is a fungal disease that affects leaves and also spreads to flowers and stalks. The disease manifests itself as a brown coating on the leaves, which dry out and fall off. In addition, fruit filling may stop, because spots and cracks on their skin significantly slow down growth and deteriorate the quality of apples.

The fight against the disease begins in the spring. Trees and young seedlings need to be treated "Topaz"(spraying with a solution of the drug at the rate of 2 ml per bucket of water).

The next treatment is carried out after flowering using the drug "Hom"(spraying with a solution of the drug at the rate of 40 g per bucket of water) or colloidal sulfur (80 g per bucket of water).

Cytosporosis bark disease

Cytosporosis of apple trees is a fungal disease that affects certain areas of the plant bark. Initially, dark-colored ulcers appear on the bark, which deepen over time and occupy an increasingly larger area. They quickly develop and change color, and at a further stage cytosporosis can be identified by large brown-red ulcers. The result of the disease is death large plots bark that falls along with the branches. Due to some unfavorable factors and external influences (poor or heavy soils, improper watering and care), the disease develops faster and can quickly destroy the tree.

In the spring, in the phase of swelling of the buds, the first spraying with the drug is performed "Hom"(40 g per bucket of water).

It is important to carry out the procedure only on a fine and warm day.

The next spraying is done just before flowering. To do this, use a solution of copper sulfate (50 g per bucket of water).

The third spraying is carried out after flowering, using the same “Homa” and in the same concentration. In this case, spraying should be rationed: for a young tree - 2 liters of solution, for an adult - 5 liters.

Before the winter cold, it is necessary to fertilize apple trees with potassium and phosphorus, as well as whitewash the trunks of large trees.

Why do apple trees dry out (video)

Fruit rot

The disease manifests itself in the formation of brown spots of rot on ripening apples. They grow in size quite quickly and soon cover the maximum part of the fruit, greatly deteriorating its quality. The number of rotten apples on the tree, which simply fall to the ground, is growing rapidly. The pulp is usually completely inedible.

Today, gardening experts offer many ways and means to combat various diseases.

It is very disappointing when apple trees are attacked by pests or diseases appear. I really want to harvest a harvest of beautiful and tasty fruits. In order not to get confused and immediately take action, you need to know the enemy by sight.

Pests with photos and descriptions

A yellowish-green flying insect that grows up to 3 mm. The apple tree is damaged by its larvae. They extract juices from green shoots and leaves. The leaves become smaller, the flower stalks and ovaries crumble, and the fruits become ugly. The tree is weakening. Orange or bright yellow eggs survive the winter in crevices in tree bark and near fruit buds.

When it warms up, the hatched larvae climb inside the opening buds and eat away the contents. Honey dew remains on the surface of the buds. Sooty fungus grows on it.

A week and a half after the end of flowering, the copperheads scatter throughout herbaceous plants. Insects return to the apple tree in August and hide for the winter.

Control measures

When the temperature rises above +5 degrees, but before the buds open, apple trees are sprayed with DNOC.

When releasing buds, the apple tree is treated with fufanon, permethrin, green soap or tobacco decoction. You can fumigate your garden with tobacco smoke.

A common pest of apple orchards. Females are yellow-green, males are dark yellow. In winter, shiny black aphid eggs can be found on young shoots. In early spring, the larvae hatch from them. Growing up, they colonize green leaves and shoots, drawing out cell sap from them.

The branches stop growing, the leaves curl into tubes. If the tree is heavily infested with aphids, the shoots and leaves may dry out. Over the summer, up to 9 generations of aphids can appear.

Control measures

Once every three years, trees are sprayed with the preparation “30 plus” until the buds open. With the appearance of a green cone, the following pest control is carried out using Fufanon, Inta-VIR or Iskra.

From folk remedies Decoctions of tobacco dust, yarrow or dried walnut leaves are suitable.

In summer, it is re-treated and it is better to use another drug or decoction.

Found everywhere. Most often it damages hawthorn, apple and pear trees. Butterflies that are active during daylight hours are white with black streaks on their wings. The open wings reach 65 mm.

In the spring, when the leaves begin to bloom, the caterpillars leave their winter shelters and gnaw on everything they have the strength for - buds, emerging leaves, shoots, flowers.

When flowering ends, they turn into pupae. The butterflies will fly out of them in mid-summer and begin laying eggs. The emerging caterpillars eat the leaves, and after a month they build a wintering shelter from the damaged leaves.

Control measures

From late autumn and throughout the winter, it is necessary to collect and destroy winter hawthorn houses hanging on the branches.

In early spring, before the sap flows again, they are sprayed with nitrafen to destroy the eggs.

The emerging caterpillars are sprayed with a solution of karbofos, benzophosphate, rovikurt, and kilzar.

Biological drugs are effective: bitoxibacillin, lepidocide, dendrobacillin.

You can destroy the pest with a decoction of tobacco or walnut leaves.

A common pest that damages apples. It is a dark gray, inconspicuous butterfly, up to 10 mm in size. The upper halves of the wings are dark gray with darker transverse stripes and a rusty-brown edge. The lower halves are light brown.

The butterfly's flight begins in May and lasts up to two months. Females can lay up to 100–120 eggs on an apple leaf or ovary. They are milky white in color, flat-round, up to 1 mm in size. After a week or a week and a half, the emerging caterpillars begin to eat the fruits.

Light pink caterpillars with a brown head grow to 16-18 mm. Their food is the pulp and seeds of the fruit. During growth, each caterpillar can damage more than one fruit. Caterpillars overwinter in cocoons hidden in the folds of tree bark, in fallen leaves, in soil, etc.

Control measures

They catch and destroy codling moth caterpillars by applying hunting belts, clearing the trunks and bases of skeletal branches of dead bark, collecting damaged fruits, and catching male moths in pheromone traps.

By digging up the soil, we destroy some of the caterpillars overwintering in the top layer. Birds will destroy a significant number of caterpillars overwintering on the trunk.

Double treatment of apple trees with Fufanon, Alatar or Inta-Vir, dendrobacillin, bitoxybacillin or lepidocide will help cope with the pest.

• The initial treatment is carried out with the appearance of the caterpillars, 15-20 days after the apple tree blooms, the next one - 10-12 days after the first.
• Apple trees of late varieties are processed after another 10-12 days. But you need to complete the treatments 20 or more days before harvesting the fruits.
• Treatment of the garden against codling moths is combined with treatments against other pests and diseases.

The insect is widespread in the European part of Russia. This beetle can grow up to 4.5 mm, is brownish-gray, with sloping lighter stripes on the underwings, and has a thin proboscis. Cold period The flower beetle spends the year in folds of bark, on the trunks of apple and pear trees, in the soil, and in leaf litter.

After wintering, the flower beetle's main food becomes buds. The female flower beetle lays an egg in the emerging bud. Newborn larvae destroy unopened flowers.

A damaged flower can be recognized by a cap of dried petals, under which there is a yellowish, legless larva. Two weeks after the end of flowering, the larva becomes a pupa, and after another eight to ten days they become young beetles, which begin to feed on the leaves. At the beginning of September, the beetles hide for the winter.

Control measures

Shaking weevils onto cloths and destroying them. Fallen leaves are raked under the trees, under which the flower beetle overwinters in heaps and burned.

Apple tree pests: video

Apple tree diseases with photos and descriptions

The quantity and quality of fruits decreases. The causative agent of the disease persists in fallen leaves in winter. With warming, the spores scatter, infecting young leaves. Already on the twentieth day after infection, dark spots of fungal spores can be seen on the leaves.

There is no absolute resistance to scab; Pepin saffron, Uelsi, Antonovka, Suvorovets, and Orange are relatively resistant to scab.

Control measures

1. At the end of the season, collect and burn or compost the leaves, covering them with a layer of soil more than 5-7 cm. Dig up the trunk circles and row spacing of the garden.
2. In early spring, spray trees and tree trunks with Dnok, destroying wintering forms of infection and pests.
3. When the buds begin to open, apple trees are washed with 3-4% Bordeaux mixture or HOM before flowering.
4. The garden is treated for the third time two to three weeks after the flowers fall, along with treatment against the codling moth. In this case, it is better to use a universal composition: HOM (30 g per 10 l of water) and Fufanon (20 g per 10 l of water).
5. The last time an apple tree is treated for scab is after harvesting.

Scab. How to deal with scab on an apple tree: video

A common disease in apple orchards. The infection enters the fruit through wounds on the skin. Brown spots appear on apples, which begin to increase in size and occupy a significant part of the surface. Soon grayish mushroom pads appear on them, in the form of concentric circles.

Damaged fruits become loose, the flesh turns brown and loses its taste. Infected fruits fall off.

Mummified fruits, painted black and blue, remain on the branches. They will become a source of infection in the future.

Control measures

Fallen infected fruits, or mummified ones remaining on the tree, must be removed and burned. Wash trees with copper-containing products at the same time as for scab.

(“Antonov fire”)

An intractable fungal disease common in the Middle and Lower Volga region, Kuban, and central Russia. Damages the bark on the trunk and skeletal branches, leaves, flowers and fruits.

The leaf blade becomes covered with reddish and then rusty spots. Diseased leaves and fruits fall off early. Cracks and wounds appear on the trunk, sections of bark, branches, and later the entire tree die off. Fungal spores penetrate tissues through sunburn and frost holes on the bark.

Control measures

Strip the affected areas back to healthy wood. Increase the winter hardiness of trees and their immunity. The wounds are treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate (100 g per 10 liters of water) and covered with garden pitch. Treatment with anti-scab drugs inhibits the development of black cancer.

Why apple trees dry out Black cancer of the apple tree: video

The cause of the disease is a fungus. It settles on leaves, young shoots, flowers, and less often on ovaries and fruits. Powdery mildew appears with the beginning of bud break - a dirty white coating on the budding leaves and buds. The leaves take on an ugly shape, curl down, become coarse and dry out.

Infected inflorescences are delayed in flowering, the flowers are deformed, and the petals acquire an uncharacteristic color. The flowers dry out and the fruits do not set. In some cases, a coating appears on the ovaries, after which a mesh remains - a trace of the mycelium.

When choosing a variety for planting, preference should be given to those that are most resistant to the disease.

Control measures. If there are apple trees on the site that are susceptible to the disease, then it is necessary to periodically remove shoots damaged by the fungus when they are clearly distinguishable from healthy ones.

To protect trees, it is necessary to carry out preventive spraying with fungicides. Spray over a green cone, with the beginning of bud opening, when buds appear, before flowering, immediately after flowering and several times during the summer with an interval of 10-14 days. During the summer it is necessary to carry out 5-6 sprayings.

To treat apple trees against MR, use the preparations Topaz, HOM, colloidal sulfur, potassium permanganate or a mixture soda ash and soap.

The cause of apple tree disease such as rust is the fungus Gumnosporandium tremelloides of the genus Phragmidium. The likelihood of the disease spreading increases if common juniper grows in the adjacent area.

In winter, spores of the fungus of this disease remain in its needles and on its branches. When the temperature rises above zero, the spores scatter throughout the surrounding area, landing on apple trees. When young leaves appear, they become infected. Apple tree rust is very widespread, but it is especially common in the southern regions of Russia.

Signs of the disease begin to appear in the summer. Convex spots form on the outer surface of the leaf round shape. Most often they are painted orange or brown - the color of rust. Instead of spots, stripes of the same color may appear.

In these places there are aecidia - places where spores are formed. Externally, they are conical outgrowths that open when ripe and release tiny fungal spores into the environment.

At the same time, on inside yellow spots appear on the leaf. Affected leaves dry out and quickly fall off.

High air humidity and wind contribute to the spread of spores over long distances (up to 50 km).

Last year's branches, trunk and fruits are less likely to be affected by this disease. But this year's shoots are most vulnerable to this infection. Young shoots lag behind in growth, some die off immediately.

Less affected ones continue to develop, but by 2-3 years their bark and wood begin to crack. Fruiting on them is sharply reduced, the fruits become ugly and fall off.

Control measures

1. Remove everything from the garden conifers. Dig the growth area deeply and treat it with a fungicide.
2. Remove all infected parts of the tree 10 cm below the affected area.
3. Treat the tree with 1% Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, cuproxate, colloidal sulfur, Abiga-pik, Topaz or Strobi. The treatment is repeated every two weeks.
4. If it is a pity to remove coniferous plants, then you can try treating them with Saprol and Ditan. It is necessary to treat every other week, changing the drug each time

I wish you healthy and tasty apples!

Apple tree - description

The domestic apple tree is a small tree, reaching a height of no more than eight meters, it has a spreading crown consisting of generative and vegetative shoots. Leaves on short petioles are arranged alternately on the branches. White flowers with pink tint They form a corymbose inflorescence; they are most often pollinated by bees (apple trees are honey plants). The fruits of different types and varieties of apple trees differ in color, size and shape, taste, and smell. Inside each fruit there are about ten seeds, covered with a dense brown shell. An apple tree can grow in almost any soil; in forests and on roadsides there are luxurious trees that no one cares for, nevertheless, they bear fruit from year to year, but still correct landing and caring for an apple tree are the key to its health, high productivity and longevity.

Apple tree diseases and their treatment

Signs of apple tree disease

Unfortunately, there are many diseases that affect apple trees and destroy their fruits, and sometimes the tree itself, and it is very important to quickly detect the disease and immediately begin its treatment, so as not to regret later that the apple tree has died. In order to be able to correctly determine the nature of the disease, you need to have knowledge about the diseases and their symptoms. Each disease manifests itself in its own way, and if you notice unexpected changes on the leaves, bark, roots or fruits of an apple tree, check the information about disease symptoms and pest damage on our website. We carefully systematize all information about plants, their diseases and pests, present them in detail and in an accessible way; the experts on our website are always ready to give readers recommendations and useful tips on how to treat an apple tree or any other plant, how to maintain the health of your garden.

The apple tree is turning yellow

When autumn arrives, the leaves of all deciduous trees change color and then fall off. But how can we find an explanation for what Do the leaves of the apple tree turn yellow in June? When root system apple tree suffers from waterlogging, it will definitely let you know about it by changing the color of the leaves from green to yellow. And it will also react in the same way to improper soil moisture: if on a hot sunny day you sprayed the leaves of an apple tree while watering, burns may form at the site of the drops - yellow spots. Apple trees in the garden also turn yellow from a lack of iron in the soil, when the tree is damaged by pests, if the roots of the apple tree are undermined by a mole or its bark is damaged by rodents, and also if the apple tree is affected by scab or brown spot. This is why the leaves on an apple tree turn yellow, and how to get rid of them the listed problems, we will tell you in the relevant sections of the article.

Gray spots with a light green coating on the upper side of the leaf are an early sign of scab disease. Yellow spots are a sign of brown spot or a later symptom of scab. Red spots, or rather, swellings on the leaves of red or red-yellow color, are a sign of the presence of red gall aphids on the leaves of the apple tree, and small reddish spots indicate the fungal disease black cancer. Rusty-colored spots on an apple tree are a manifestation of another fungal disease - rust.

Apple tree leaves curl

Most often, this is evidence of the presence of aphids on the apple tree, which suck the juice from the plant, as a result of which the leaves of the apple tree curl and fall, exposing the tree. How to treat an apple tree against aphids We will tell you in the section dedicated to this pest. Leaves from the apple tree also curl and fall off in case of powdery mildew.

The apple tree turns black

If the branches of an apple tree turn black, then it is most likely black cancer - one of the most dangerous diseases, from which parts of plants located above the wound die. The lesions can be stopped. The best remedy in the fight against black cancer is copper sulfate. More on this in the next section. If the trunk and branches of the apple tree look as usual, but black leaves appear on the apple tree, then this may mean that you missed the onset of the tree scab and are now observing the development of the disease.

The apple tree is drying

Don't think too long about the question why does the apple tree dry out? and take immediate action, since such symptoms most often indicate that the cause of the disease is black apple cancer, or Antonov fire, or fireworm. This fungal disease affects not only the apple tree, but also the pear. First, dirty purple stains and depressed spots appear on the bark of the branches and trunk, growing in concentric circles, then the bark cracks, turns black, as if charred, covered with “goosebumps” - fungal spores. On apples affected by the fungus, depressed brown spots appear, which alternate with light circles. Over time, such a fruit wrinkles, turns black and dries out, becoming covered with fungal spores. Trees that are more than twenty years old usually suffer from black cancer, but you need to take care of the health of the apple tree from a young age.

Similar symptoms occur in a common fungal disease that affects apple and pear trees – cytospora blight. Like fireweed, cytosporosis affects weakened trees with damaged bark, which is why it is so important to monitor the condition of the bark of fruit trees. Areas of the apple tree affected by cytosporosis acquire a reddish-brown tint, become covered with tubercles with fungal spores, and as a result, the apple tree partially dries out, and in advanced cases, the entire tree may die.

To cure an apple tree from black cancer and cytosporosis, you need to:

• trim diseased branches;
• clean the wounds on the trunk and branches with a sharp sterile instrument, capturing 1-2 cm of healthy tissue;
• treat all sections with three percent copper sulfate and cover with garden pitch;
• fill up hollows;
• collect and burn affected fruits.

You need to check the condition of the cuttings and inspect the trees for relapse every two to three weeks, and do not forget to treat the trunk with lime in spring and autumn.

Premature drying of leaves on an apple tree is most easily explained by drought in the summer and insufficient watering. If the branches and bark are in order, watering is carried out according to the laws of agricultural technology, but nevertheless the leaves on the apple tree dry out, then this may be the result of the disruptive work of moles or a consequence of a natural disturbance in the water exchange of trees, when an early warm spring comes after a very frosty winter. There is hardly anything that can be done here. However, do not rush to clear the area of ​​such trees: they may move away next year. And carefully monitor the condition of the bark on garden trees: its integrity is the key to their health.

Apple tree cancer

In addition to black canker, the apple tree is susceptible to common canker and root canker. Common cancer affects the skeletal branches of the apple tree, second-order branches and tree bark. When frostbite occurs on an apple tree winter time damage appears on it, and if fungal spores get into such a wound, the wounds will no longer heal. The bark in the affected area dies, dries out, and eventually falls off completely. This is common cancer. In winter, cancer development stops.

Apple tree root canker disease begins with the penetration of rod-shaped bacteria living in the soil into the cracks of the root system of trees, causing rotting nodules and growths to form on the roots, in which a huge number of harmful bacteria breed. The worst thing is if the cancer affects the root collar - in this case the tree will almost certainly die.

In case of severe infection, trees and skeletal branches, which are no longer useful to treat, must be cut down and burned. Lubricate cuts and cracks in the bark with a one percent solution of copper sulfate and apply garden varnish to the cuts. However, the fight against apple tree diseases always begins with a high level of agricultural technology and careful care, because weakened and unkempt trees are the first to get sick.

Scab on an apple tree

Scab is one of the most common fungal diseases of apple and pear trees, affecting leaves, flowers, fruits and shoots. Favorable conditions for the activation of the fungus are watering apple trees with sprinkling, frequent rains, fogs and heavy dew. The fungus spends the winter on fallen leaves. The first sign of scab is the appearance of light green oily spots on the upper side of the leaves, which over time become covered with a brownish-olive velvety coating. Then the fruits of the apple tree become stained, crack and become deformed. How to deal with scab? The best results are obtained by treating apple trees and the soil under them at the moment the buds begin to open with Bordeaux mixture (400 g per 10 liters of water), but if you did not have time to spray within this time frame, then treat the apple trees during the budding period, but not four-, but one percent solution of the drug. The next (second) spraying of apple trees with a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture (or another fungicide) must be carried out immediately after flowering, and two to three weeks after the second treatment, a third one is carried out. If the disease is advanced, it is permissible to spray apple trees with fungicides up to six times, but be careful when choosing a product so as not to burn the leaves of the trees - select several control branches and carry out a test spraying on them. Good results in the treatment of garden trees from scab and other fungal diseases were given by such drugs as Vectra, Skor and Zircon. Don’t forget to remove fallen leaves from under the apple trees in the fall and dig up the soil around the tree trunk. By the way, there are varieties of apple trees that are resistant to scab: Antonovka, Pepin saffron, Pepin London, Jonathan and others.

Brown spots on an apple tree

Brown-brown spots with an olive tint on the leaves of an apple tree are a sign of scab disease, which we have already told you about. Sometimes brown spots on apple tree leaves can occur due to brown spot, a fungal disease that appears in early summer and develops at an incredible rate. These spots resemble burns from excessive or careless use of pesticides. You can fight brown spot using the same methods - spraying with fungicides (captan, zineb, one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture).

Rusty leaves on an apple tree

This is a sign of a fungal disease - rust, which appears in the middle of summer: first, rusty spots appear on the apple tree on the upper side of the leaf plate, they gradually blur, and then bottom side star-shaped growths form on the leaves. As a result, the leaves fall untimely, and this reduces the winter hardiness of apple trees and undermines their immunity. Most often, apple tree rust occurs if juniper grows nearby, and as a preventative measure, it is necessary to cut off fungus-affected juniper branches in early spring to prevent the disease from spreading to your garden. Rust on an apple tree- not a sentence, but a signal to action: fungal diseases are treated with fungicides - Bordeaux mixture, sulfur preparations. Do not delay in solving the problem, eliminate the cause, carry out intensive treatment of the apple trees, and most importantly, draw conclusions for yourself and do not repeat mistakes in the future.

The apple tree does not bloom

The reason for this may be damage to the apple tree by severe winter frosts, causing its trunk and branches to become fragile, and a sooty coating to appear on the bark. Flower buds are severely damaged by frost and do not bloom in the spring, and, therefore, the apple tree does not bear fruit. We are not able to change the laws of nature or the climatic conditions in the region, humanity has not yet learned to control the weather, but even a novice gardener can increase the cold resistance and immunity of garden trees to diseases and pests by maintaining a high level of agricultural technology - correct and timely application of fertilizers, care crown, balanced watering, hilling the apple trees with snow, protecting the most vulnerable areas on the trees to frost.

In addition, the apple tree may not bloom if, when planting, you buried the root collar into the ground, if the branches of the apple tree are located almost vertically (the apple tree bears fruit only on horizontally located branches) and if the tree is deficient in iron.

The apple tree is withering

The reason for this may be moles that undermine the roots of the apple tree. It’s difficult to get rid of them, but quite possible: put a hose on the exhaust pipe of a car or motorcycle, and lower its other end into the detected mole hole, let the engine run for 30-40 minutes, while you watch the surface of the area, and if you see a trickle smoke escaping from the ground, immediately fill up the discovered passage with earth. The more passages you find and close, the more confident you can be that moles will not appear in your garden for at least three to four years.

But it happens that the apple tree simply does not have the strength to grow, so give it a rest this year, performing all the necessary agrotechnical procedures, and it is quite possible that next spring it will bloom and produce a harvest.

The apple tree is crumbling

If you overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers (urea, humus or liquid manure) in the spring, the apple tree will produce abundant foliage, but the fruit pulp will be loose and many of them will most likely fall off. To prevent this from happening, water the tree with a superphosphate solution (25-30 g per ten liters of water) at the rate of one bucket per m² of tree trunk circle. Another reason for the massive falling of fruits from an apple tree may be a lack of potassium: feed the tree with potassium fertilizer, and the problem will be resolved. The third reason may be violations water balance- either too much or insufficient watering of the soil around the tree trunk.

The reason that the fruits fall off the apple tree may be fruit rot due to damage to the apples by the codling moth. Read about how to deal with this pest in the corresponding section of the article, and fruit rot is destroyed by two sessions of spraying the apple tree with a solution of the fungicide Hom at the rate of 40 g of the drug per bucket of water: the first - during the blossoming of the leaves, the second - after the apple trees bloom. Consumption: 5-6 liters of solution for each tree.

Why does the apple tree fall?

Apple tree loss of leaves in the fall is a natural phenomenon for deciduous trees, but if the leaves fall prematurely, it may be due to a lack of potassium. If the leaves turn yellow before they fall, you will find the answer to the question of what causes this in the section “The apple tree turns yellow.” Actually, apple trees respond to almost all stress, such as disease, pest or rodent invasion, drought, frost, and so on, by losing foliage.

Powdery mildew on an apple tree

Powdery mildew is a long-known enemy of gardens and flower beds. It affects shoots, bark, leaves and buds, forming a dirty white loose coating on the apple tree, which gradually becomes brown with dark inclusions. The leaves turn yellow and dry, the shoots do not grow, the tree stops bearing fruit and fades away. The mycelium can overwinter and resume its destructive work with renewed vigor in the spring. The fight against powdery mildew begins at the moment when young leaves bloom - the apple tree is sprayed with one percent Bordeaux mixture or a solution of Skor or Topaz at the rate of 2 ml of product per bucket of water. After flowering, treat the trees with copper oxychloride or Hom (40 g per bucket of water). The third treatment is carried out with one percent Bordeaux mixture or a solution of 50 g of copper sulfate and 20 g of liquid soap in a bucket of water.

Aphids on an apple tree

Green apple aphids are the most common insect pest in orchards. It forms entire colonies on shoots and leaves, eats and spoils greenery, and covers habitats with honeydew, a product of its vital activity. How to fight aphids? Natural enemy of aphids - ladybug, but if you count on the fact that these red and black-speckled bugs will appear in the garden in the right amount and destroy the aphids, you can ruin the apple tree. Therefore, in the spring, it is best to treat the tree with a three percent solution of karbofos on dormant buds in the fight against aphids. If the buds have already begun to bloom, then the concentration of the solution should be weaker - 2%, and if you have to spray on green growing shoots, then make a one percent solution. Instead of karbofos, you can use such agents as phosphamide, Zolon, Aktara, Fitoverm in the concentration recommended by the manufacturer.

Caterpillars on an apple tree

Spider web on an apple tree

A pest such as the apple moth lays eggs on young branches (at the base of the buds, on the branches), and the caterpillars that appear in the spring eat up the buds, and then attack the young leaves, feed on them, then make a dome out of cobwebs and live under it in a colony of 50- 70 pieces. Caterpillars on an apple tree in a web create a new voracious generation, which with an appetite destroys the leaves of the apple tree. The leaf roller behaves in approximately the same way, appearing in the form of a caterpillar and damaging the buds and buds of the apple tree, dragging the leaves with a web. How to deal with cobwebs on an apple tree and with moth caterpillars that formed cobweb nests? In this case, treating the tree with a three percent solution of nitrafen in early spring and spraying it with a seven percent solution of chlorophos or a two percent solution of Zolon after bud break will help you.

Ants on an apple tree

Ants are a real disaster for any garden. If there is an anthill on your property, then there will be aphids, and no matter how much you fight the aphids, they will appear again and again, as if ants alone are not enough. Ants that appear in the spring gnaw away the buds of the apple tree, and if they come to the tree during the fruiting period, they can thoroughly ruin your harvest, since they themselves feed on the juice of the fruit, and even place their livestock - aphids - for grazing in your garden. It is necessary to fight ants radically, because they will not go away on their own, and it is best in this fight to combine means that destroy both ants and aphids. In addition to karbofos, actara, actellik and other insecticides are used against aphids. With ants it is somewhat more complicated: the use of ant-killing chemical aerosols such as “Raptor” or “Combat” in the open air will not give the desired effect, and gel preparations with the same names can kill not only ants, but also bees, and this is an environmental crime. Therefore, it is best to use special traps with poison inside, which are a washer with small slots into which an insect larger than an ant will not pass. Having fallen into a trap and being poisoned by a slow-acting poison, the ant returns to its anthill and infects its fellows there. If you are opposed to such measures, we offer you another way out: smooth metal ring, placed very tightly on the barrel. Due to the smoothness of the metal, ants will not crawl through the ring and, therefore, will not be able to harm your apple tree.

The leaf roller appears in the spring from cocoons in the bark of a tree. Green caterpillars with brown specks eat apple tree buds and buds, producing cobwebs. By mid-summer they pupate in the leaves they fold. The difficulty is that these caterpillars are very difficult to see, so it is better not to wait for them to start eating your future harvest, but at the very beginning of spring, treat the apple tree with a solution of nitrafen (3%), and then use a seven percent solution of chlorophos for spraying.

Mite on an apple tree

Codling moth on an apple tree

The codling moth is very common and dangerous pest. It affects not only apple and pear trees, but also stone fruit trees - peach, nectarine, plum and quince. The codling moth overwinters in the soil or in the bark of a tree, wrapped in a dense cocoon, and at the end of flowering, codling moth butterflies appear, laying eggs on the set fruits and the upper part of the leaves. After two to three weeks, the caterpillars begin to spoil the apples, eating away at the middle and making their way to the seeds. Caterpillars destroy young shoots by gnawing tunnels in them, causing the branches to dry out and break. To combat the codling moth, trees are treated with chlorophos or metaphos immediately after flowering, and the treatment is repeated two weeks later. Late varieties of apple trees are sprayed up to seven times per season.

Silkworm on an apple tree

If the caterpillars of the oakleaf and ringed silkworms damage mainly the leaves of the apple tree, then the gypsy moth, in addition to the leaves, devours the buds and ovaries of the fruit. Each silkworm caterpillar can destroy up to 35 leaves. By June, the caterpillars form cocoons in the tree crown, and butterflies emerge from them at the end of July. One butterfly lays up to 1200 eggs. If there is a massive invasion of silkworms, trees may be left without leaves altogether. Inspect trees regularly and if oviposition is detected, treat it with the viral drug Virin-ENZh. Before the buds open, spray the apple tree with nitrafen, and before flowering - with karbofos, metafos, Zolon, chlorophos or another similar preparation.

How to treat an apple tree - prevention

When to spray an apple tree

Preventive treatment of apple trees is carried out in early spring, before buds open, and in the fall, after harvest. Spring treatment is carried out in order to destroy insects that have overwintered in the garden and protect the trees from fungal diseases. The treatment is carried out in three stages: before the buds open, during the opening of the leaves and after it. Autumn preventative treatment of apple trees is carried out to destroy insects hiding in the cracks of the bark for the winter, and in order to prevent diseases of the apple tree.

Treating apple trees against diseases

In early spring, before the buds swell, choosing a warm, windless day with a temperature not lower than 5 ºC, carry out preventive spraying of the apple tree and the soil under its crown against fungal diseases with copper sulfate or nitrafen solution. At the very beginning of the bud breaking process, in order to prevent scab disease, it is necessary to spray the trees with one of the following preparations:

• Bordeaux mixture;
• copper sulfate;
• inkstone.

If for some reason you did not treat the apple trees for scab before bud break, treat them with Bordeaux mixture, karbofos (urea), copper or iron sulfate during flowering. This will allow you not only to protect apple trees from scab, but also to destroy harmful larvae and eggs of caterpillars of moths, butterflies, ticks and sawflies, and if you give preference to iron sulfate or karbofos, your trees will receive additional nutrition in addition to protection. But this is only in case of emergency: it is better not to treat apple trees with chemicals during flowering.

In the summer, if necessary, treat the apple tree against fungal diseases with copper-containing preparations added to the solution of liquid soap.

In the autumn, after harvesting, but before the leaves fall, the garden is sprayed with urea for the last time as a preventive measure against diseases. This measure will also save you from harmful insects preparing for winter.

Apple tree pest control

At the very beginning of spring, before the buds swell, on a windless day at an air temperature of at least 5 ºC, trees and trunk circles under them are treated with a solution of nitrafen or copper sulfate in order to exterminate insects that have overwintered in the garden. As soon as the buds begin to bloom, choose one of the preparations suggested below and treat the apple trees with it against scab and insect pests of the buds:

• copper sulfate;
• inkstone;
• chlorophos solution (from caterpillars and weevils);
• suspension of colloidal sulfur (from mites).

Those who were unable or did not have time to carry out treatment before the onset of flowering of apple trees can, in case of emergency, treat the trees comprehensively against pests and diseases during flowering with the following preparations:

• Bordeaux mixture;
• copper sulfate;
• inkstone;
• suspension of colloidal sulfur, phthalan, captan or zineb.

At the same time, caterpillars, moths, honey moths, mites and aphids are exterminated with karbofos. To kill mites, it is best to use a keltan emulsion, and against caterpillars that damage leaves, treating the apple tree with an entobacterin suspension gives good results. However, spraying plants during flowering can harm pollinating insects, so try to avoid treating apple trees with chemicals during this period.

Immediately after flowering, using Bordeaux mixture, karbofos, copper or iron sulfate, scab is combated, as well as mites, sawflies, larvae and caterpillars of butterflies and moths. And after two to three weeks, a combined treatment of apple trees against scab, codling moth and other pests is carried out with a solution of chlorophos with the addition of urea. At this time, it is undesirable to use Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate or copper oxychloride, as they can leave burns on the leaves and netting on the fruits of the apple tree.

In the summer, if necessary, apple trees are treated against pests with karbofos, actellik, inta-vir or other insecticides. It is advisable to do this no later than a month before the fruit ripens.

After harvest, but before the leaves fall, carry out preventive treatment apple trees and trunk circles with nitrafen or karbofos against harmful insects that have settled over the winter in the soil under apple trees or in their bark. Urea, in addition to protecting against pests, will provide additional nutrition to apple trees.

Fertilizing apple trees

How to feed an apple tree

Proper nutrition of apple trees is the key to their health, longevity and resistance to diseases and harmful insects, which is why fertilizing apple trees is one of the most important conditions for proper agricultural technology. In the first year of a seedling’s life, additional feeding is not needed; the fertilizers that you applied to the site in preparation for planting are sufficient. A two-year-old apple tree needs 10-15 kg of organic matter per year, 70 g nitrogen fertilizers(ammonium nitrate), 200 g of simple superphosphate and 80 g of potassium sulfate. You need to fertilize a trunk circle with a diameter of 2 m. A tree of the third and fourth year has a trunk circle with a diameter of two and a half meters and consumes 15-20 kg of organic matter, 150 g of ammonium nitrate, 250 g of simple superphosphate and 140 g of potassium sulfate per year. The trunk circle of an apple tree in the fifth or sixth year increases to three meters, and the need for microelements increases in this way: each tree will require 20-30 kg of organic matter per year, nitrogen fertilizers - 210 g, phosphates - 350 g, potassium fertilizers - 190 g. Diameter The trunk circle of a tree that is 7-8 years old reaches three and a half meters, and one such apple tree needs fertilizer per year in the following quantities: from 30 to 40 kg of manure, 280 g of nitrogen, 420 g of phosphorus and 250 g of potassium. An apple tree nine years old and older has a trunk circle of four and a half meters in diameter, and the need for microelements of one apple tree is as follows: organic fertilizers require 50-60 kg per year, nitrogen fertilizers - 280 g, phosphates - half a kilogram, potassium fertilizers - 340 g.

Phosphates, potassium fertilizers and the entire norm of organic matter are applied in the fall when digging the trunk circle in the first three years to a depth of 12-15 cm. After the third year of the apple tree’s life, when its root system goes deep, fertilizers are applied into specially made 3-4 wells up to half a meter deep , located at a distance of a meter and a half from the tree trunk.

Two-thirds of nitrogen fertilizers are applied during bud break, and the remaining third after the apple tree blooms. Ammonium nitrate, humus or urea can be used as such fertilizers. It is better to apply them to the tree trunk in fractions and in liquid form - like a low concentration fertilizer solution in clean water. A nitrogen fertilizing scheme might look something like this:

• first feeding - from the beginning of bud break to the beginning of flowering;
• the second feeding - when the ovary becomes the size of a walnut;
• the third feeding - a month after flowering, when the shoots are actively growing;
• The fourth feeding is during leaf fall.

Experienced agronomists, gardeners and simply those who like to delve into their personal plots of land know for certain what powdery mildew is on an apple tree. Key Feature The disease lies in the ability to infect not only this fruit tree with pathogenic microflora, but also other species. Faced with a problem, many turn to the “green” first aid kit for folk remedies. It must be said that this decision is ambiguous, because there are drugs from the store that can fight powdery mildew no worse than grandma’s traditional methods. Detailed recommendations and video below.

Pathogen of powdery mildew

Like every disease, this one has its own causes. You can understand what powdery mildew is and how to fight it by identifying the source of infection.

The microscopic fungus has a specific habitat - these are the upper layers of the soil. There is no soil where powdery mycelium does not live. At proper care behind the plant it is in an anaerobic state. Active life cycle starts under certain conditions. More on this later.

Causes of the disease

Often, powdery mildew first affects young apple trees, gradually moving to more rooted trees. The mycelium envelops foliage, inflorescences, ovaries in early summer and already formed fruits in late summer. All this is facilitated by improper care, insufficient irrigation, and weak plantings. These, perhaps, are the basic reasons for the onset of the acute infection stage. Among the accompanying grounds for harmfulness are:

Powdery mildew on apple leaves

1. Inappropriate choice of fertilizers.
2. Cultivation of soil for introduced varieties that are vulnerable to many pests.
3. Increasing plantings.
4. High concentration of nitrogen in the soil.
5. A sharp drop in temperature.
6. Relatively long period of cooling (7-10 days).

By excluding the above-described reasons for the appearance of a pathogen, you can avoid unpleasant consequences, such as damage to plantings and a decrease in yield in the fall.

Attention! Mycelium is able to circulate through air and water, smoothly settling on plants. Even the infected hands of a person, garden tools can become carriers of microorganisms.

Signs of powdery mildew

The main symptom in the form of a white coating on the green parts of the apple tree is indicated. You can tell that a tree is infected by other identifying “marks” of the spores:

• lanceolate deformation of foliage (twisting of the edges, coarsening of the structure, thickening, loss of turgor, redness, drying, falling);
• dying off of the tips of the cuttings;
• intensive growth of lateral buds of the lower tiers of the tree;
• crown thickening.

Attention! If one of the signs is detected, you should not wait for the tree to recover on its own, but take drastic measures to eliminate the pathogen.

Traditional methods of treating apple trees

Traditional control methods used in relation to any pathogenic organism have always been effective: they are time-tested, reliable and accessible.

You can fight powdery mildew with folk remedies

You can use baking soda and soap to treat your garden. To prepare the composition, the last ingredient is grated and dissolved in water and soda. The proportions are taken arbitrarily, a small amount. The resulting liquid should be irrigated not only on the infected areas, but also on the entire surface of the tree.

Attention! You can skip the soap in the recipe, since soda, being a natural antiseptic, can effectively complete the task on its own.

Treating a plant with copper chlorine oxide is an equally applicable way to combat powdery mildew in gardening.

Drugs

Stores sell already prepared dry formulations. There are a large number of them. They act differently, depending on the volume of spore localization. Having assessed consumer demand, marketers have identified several favorite drugs in the fight against powdery mildew. These are: “Tebuconazole”, “Fitosporin”, “Cumulus”, granulated urea, “Impact”, “Topaz”, “Topsin”.

Almost all products are diluted with water before use. To prepare the composition, it is important to follow the recommendations on the package.

Attention! To rid an apple tree of spores, it should be prepared first: trim off dried branches, remove damaged ovaries and leaves. Only then can you begin therapeutic irrigation.

Caring for the garden always bears fruit in the form of a good harvest, so it is important to detect and prevent the disease in time.

Powdery mildew on an apple tree: video

The most common disease that significantly reduces the yield of fruit trees is powdery mildew. Heat-loving plants grown in temperate climates are at risk, but in conditions uncharacteristic for the region temperature conditions and increased average annual humidity, powdery mildew also appears on apple trees, the most traditional fruit tree in the temperate climate zone.

Fungal disease of garden fruit trees, shrubs, and root crops has several names, the most common are:

• underwear;
• powdery mildew;
• Ashtray.

What looks like a white coating on leaves, flowers, and fruits is the mycelium of microscopic fungi that multiply exponentially; every day a colony of pathogenic fungi covers larger and larger surface areas of leaves, bark and other outer parts of the plant.

The spores are easily carried by wind and insects, which means that if one tree on a site becomes diseased, it threatens to develop into a real epidemic of the entire garden.

A fungal disease develops on the bark, leaves and fruits. If at an early stage of defeat in the fight against this scourge you can save most harvest, then if the apple tree becomes diseased at the stage of fruit ripening, losses can amount to up to 80% of the harvest.

Who is the causative agent

The causative agent of powdery mildew is the marsupial fungi of the order Erysiphaceae (erysyphaceae), there are more than 700 species that cause powdery plaque - 100. Erysiphe, which causes Oidium, also belongs to this class.

Mushroom mycelium, causing disease, superficial with appressoria (suction cups). To attach to the leaves, the fungi grow into plant cells with short hyphae with haustoria. During the growing season of the plant, fungi reproduce by conidia (asexual stage); in tropical climates, this may be the only stage. Conidia are arranged in islands or chains.

In a temperate continental climate, fungi have 2 stages of development - asexual and sexual (marsupial).

Like all mushrooms, Erysifaceae have fruiting bodies - cleistothecia. The spherical mushroom with a concave tip has appendages in the form of simple or branched outgrowths. Each of them contains from 1 to 22 asci; they, in turn, are a container for 2-8 ascospores. With such fertility, the mycelium will conquer the entire fruit tree in a matter of days if preventive and therapeutic measures are not taken in time.

Distribution area

The mycelium of marsupial fungi that cause leucorrhoea does not tolerate severe frosts; the mycelium can overwinter provided that it is located deep in the bark of a tree damaged in the previous season. Based on the harsh climatic conditions - severe frosts, short, dry, hot summers, fruit trees grown in Siberia and other northern regions are least often affected by powdery mildew.

Almost powdery mildew on fruit trees can be found in every corner of the world, largest areas lesions are observed in countries with a temperate continental climate.

The higher the air and soil humidity, the less sunny days in summer, the higher the risk. The most favorable conditions The Baltic states, the northwestern regions of the Leningrad region and the Moscow region are distinguished for the spread of pathogenic fungi. Slightly lower, powdery mildew causes damage to the crops of the Krasnodar Territory, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova.

Main causes and factors in the development of the disease

Between plants, the disease spreads conidially, methodically capturing more and more new areas on the leaves and bark of the infected tree and neighboring drupes, berries, fruit trees and shrubs.

A favorable environment for mycelium is created by:

• soils with poor water conductivity;
• lack of sunlight at high air temperatures;
• mild winters with thaws;
• warm, swift spring after a snowy winter.

With such natural conditions The mycelium will develop quickly. At the spore maturation stage, winds and heavy rains will facilitate the reproduction and transmission of the disease.

Signs of tree infection

A white translucent coating formed on the shoots and leaves at the stage of the appearance of the first leaves is a sign of the manifestation of the disease. At the same time, the buds that have not yet blossomed begin to wither, become deformed, turn brown, wither and fall off.

The affected areas only initially appear white; the development of the disease is indicated by a denser silvery coating, which appears as such due to the formation of cleistothecia.

At first these are rare black dots; at a later stage, the fungal coating acquires a brown tint. The white coating on fruits is a short-term phenomenon. Apples affected by the fungus develop brown, woody spots and streaks on the skin.

What is dangerous for a tree

The mycelium of fungi that causes powdery mildew on apple trees most often does not survive the winter, but under favorable reproduction conditions it can destroy an immature young seedling due to the compaction of the mycelium. Mature apple trees with chronic mildew stop bearing fruit long before the end of the typical period for the variety.

Please note: the incubation period is 4-9 days.

Preparations for powdery mildew on apple trees

A universal remedy for fungal infections and insect pests of fruit trees is colloidal sulfur. The trees are sprayed with a two percent solution during the budding period, until the cup of flowers opens. At the end of flowering, for preventive purposes, treatment is carried out with a one percent composition.

When treating with a universal fungicide - Bordeaux mixture, take a 3% solution for the first spraying, and 1% for the second. For effective protection To prevent re-infestation of apple trees, the penconazole drug “Topaz” is recommended; it penetrates deeply into the tissues of the tree and fights the pathogen from the inside, and not just the superficial manifestations of the disease.

Just like Topaz, the following are in demand among gardeners:

• granular urea;
• "Impact"
• "Cumulus";
• "Tebuconazole";
• "Topsin";
• "Fitosporin".

If you don’t have specialized chemicals on hand, there are several options for how to treat your apple tree when the first signs of ash fly are detected.

Folk remedies

Three simple recipes have been used effectively by amateur gardeners for a long time. Recommended proportions for 10 liters of water:

1. 50 g of soda ash with 40 g of grated laundry soap.
2. 3 g potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate);
3. "Hom" - copper oxychloride, 40 g.

These products, in combination with fertilizing, give a good preventive effect; when the disease manifests itself, such spraying gives the gardener a reprieve for 3-4 days. Severe lesions must be treated with specialized means. Sometimes it makes sense to sacrifice the harvest of one season in order to protect the tree.

Control measures

Prevention at the stage of the initial growing season is important, but how to deal with powdery mildew during fruit ripening? Folk remedies do not affect the quality of the fruit; if there is an increased risk of plant infection with powdery mildew, it is recommended to spray apple trees with potassium permanganate or a solution of soda with laundry soap once every 10-14 days.

If the tree is infected, the manifestations of the disease are not only on the leaves, but also on the branches and trunk, then you cannot do without Topaz or a fungicide similar in action to it. The first 2 sprayings are carried out at intervals of 3-4 days. Further, until the fruits ripen, it is necessary to carry out prevention.

Treatment of an adult tree

Treatment of a tall apple tree with a dense crown is difficult; spraying is carried out not only on the surface of the leaves, it is necessary to treat the branches, trunk, bottom part leaves. To do this, you will need an assistant pumping the solution and tools personal protection- glasses, a suit that maximally protects areas of the body.

What to do with an apple tree when an entire branch of an adult plant is affected? It is easier to remove and burn it; in such a case, a stepladder, pruning shears, hacksaw, and garden pitcher should always be at hand. To prevent the development of powdery mildew after winter from mycelium that has overwintered in the soil:

• Mulch is removed from under the tree.
• In spring and autumn, the trunk is whitewashed.
• There should not be any last year's leaves or fruits on the site.

Manifestations of the disease on apples do not affect the taste, but the apples will be less juicy. If pathogens can be overcome using folk remedies or gentle dosages of chemicals, then the crop can be used for food.

Attention! You can find out after what treatments apples are suitable for eating on the packaging of professional products. The manufacturer's instructions will be relevant if the recommended proportions are strictly observed during use.

How to save young seedlings

To protect apple tree seedlings during the planting season, they are soaked for a day in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). The water should acquire a light pinkish tint; a strong solution can cause burns and the plant will hurt. To improve the survival rate of a seedling, it is better to use growth stimulants, and it is better to refuse nitrogen fertilizing, because in the first season a harvest is not expected from an apple tree (on any rootstock).

Prevention

When selecting a site for planting, you should avoid proximity to plants affected by the fungus, protect it on the leeward side, but do not plant it in the shade of a house or a monolithic fence. It is imperative to adhere to the intervals recommended for specific heights of fruit trees.

It is necessary to thin out the crown, remove affected and old (non-fruit-bearing) branches, remove fallen leaves and fruits, carry out mulching and whitewashing, and apply potash and phosphorus fertilizers.

How to fertilize an apple tree in the fall against disease?

A 1-1.5 percent solution of sodium phosphate strengthens the plant, helps to establish the formation of strong, healthy buds, and strengthens the plant’s immunity to diseases.

Seasonal processing

Phosphate spraying is carried out on apple trees and other fruit trees after harvesting, but before the leaves have fallen and turned yellow. The solution is absorbed through the leaf blades, thereby protecting the plant from infection with powdery mildew and other fungal diseases after winter.

On apple tree varieties late dates After ripening, the leaves fall off before the tree is harvested; in this case, phosphate must be applied through the soil with the last watering of the season. Thinning the thickening tree crown prevents the rapid spread of the disease; whitewashing the trunk makes it difficult for hyphae and haustoria to penetrate the plant bark.

Varieties resistant to powdery mildew

The resistance of an apple tree to certain strains of diseases in plants, as in all living organisms, is determined by a gene that is strongest in apple trees of selected varieties:

• Amulet;
• Argo;
• Gloucester;
• Duet;
• Marshmallow;
• Golden summer;
• Carmen;
• Red poppy;
• Red amber;
• Kupava;
• Linda;
• Mutsu;
• Orion;
• Palette;
• Prestige;
• Dawn;
• Redfree;
• fontanel;
• Union;
• Talida;
• Mascot;
• Fortune;

This is not a complete list of apple trees resistant to powdery mildew. For each region, other varieties with high resistance rates can be found in local nurseries. When choosing an apple tree variety, it is necessary to remember that immunity to one disease in an apple tree can be compensated by weak resistance to other types of pathogens.

Apple powdery mildew

Pathogen: mushroom - Podosphaera leucotricha Salm.

Class: Ascomycetes - Ascomycetes

Harmfulness of the apple powdery mildew pathogen

The disease is widespread everywhere. It affects almost all plant organs, leaves, inflorescences, shoots, and less often fruits.

Symptoms of powdery mildew in apple trees

Symptoms of the disease appear first on young foliage. Infected plant organs are covered with a gray-white cobwebby powdery powdery coating. Affected foliage stops growing, curls, turns brown and dies prematurely and falls off.

At the beginning of the development of the disease, infected shoots become covered with a white coating. Over time, this plaque begins to darken. The shoots slow down in growth, bend and die over time. Inflorescences are affected even in the bud separation phase. The peduncles and the flowers themselves become covered with a thick whitish coating and quickly dry out, but the ovary does not form.

On fruits, powdery mildew appears in the form of a rusty mesh, which looks like mechanical damage. The infected ovary soon falls off. The disease causes enormous harm in nurseries, affecting seedlings and saplings.

Biology of the causative agent of powdery mildew in apple trees.

The causative agent of the disease is powdery mildew Podosphaera leucotricha Salm. The development cycle of the pathogen consists of two stages - conidial and marsupial. White plaque on infected plant organs is nothing more than conidial sporulation.

In the third ten days of May - the first ten days of June, as a rule, the marsupial stage appears on the affected shoots, sometimes on fruits and leaves. The marsupial stage appears as black dots (fruiting bodies) equipped with branched appendages at the tips. The fruiting body consists of one sac, which contains eight sacspores.

The disease development cycle has 2 types of infection – primary and secondary. In the spring, during the budding phase, a primary infection appears as a result of infection by a fungus that has overwintered inside the buds. During the primary manifestation of the disease, conidia appear, which are the source of a new infection and, accordingly, a secondary infection. This period lasts from 15 to 45 days.

Hot weather, heavy dew and fog are favorable for the development of powdery mildew. Plant resistance to the disease decreases in dry weather and when there is a lack of water in the soil. Under such conditions, plants are affected much more quickly by powdery mildew. Also, sharp fluctuations in humidity have a very negative effect on the resistance of apple trees to powdery mildew.

The pathogen usually overwinters in the form of mycelium in the affected buds, but the pathogen can also overwinter in the form of fruiting bodies (marsupial stage) on stems or on fallen leaves.

Measures to combat apple powdery mildew

Agrotechnical control measures

• proper care of plants in the garden, which ensures normal plant development;
• maintaining optimal humidity in gardens with irrigation;
• identification and destruction of sources of infection, timely pruning and burning of affected shoots;
• recycling of fallen leaves;
• between the rows it is necessary to plow and dig around the tree trunks;
• growing powdery mildew-resistant apple varieties.

Chemical control measures

It is recommended to spray with fungicides. During the phase of loosening and separation of buds, it is recommended to carry out the first spraying, the second - immediately after flowering, the next 2-3 sprayings should be carried out at intervals of 10-15 days, with the following fungicides:

• Horus 75, V.G. – 0.2-0.25 l/ha – during the growing season 4 sprayings should be carried out every 10-14 days;
• Tsideli Top 140, cd – 0.6-0.7 l/ha – spraying is carried out according to a similar scheme, but with a doubling frequency;
• Tiovit Jet 80, v.g. – 8.0 l/ha – spraying frequency 4, every 10-14 days;