Although plum is hardier than many fruit trees, it is not immune from disease. It is attacked by viral, fungal and bacterial infections, parasite insects harm. We learn what problems threaten plum trees, and how to deal with them.
Fungal Plum Disease
These diseases are easily transmitted from plant to plant. Favorable conditions for infection - increased humidity and thickening of the crown. Fungi actively spread in warm and humid summers, rooted in tissues, and creating a mycelium, they quickly destroy the tree, eating its fruits, leaves, shoots. Fight against fungal diseases is carried out with the help of special drugs - fungicides.
Coccomycosis
Mostly leaves suffer from the fungus, less often - fruits and shoots.
The reasons. It occurs with increased humidity and with reduced immunity of the plant.
Symptoms Around the month of July, specks of red-brown or purple-violet color appear on the foliage. Growing, they merge. On the back of the leaves is a white-pink pubescence. Yellowing and turning brown, the leaves quickly fall. The fruits dry before they develop.
Treatment. After harvesting, the tree is treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid. 1% copper oxychloride is also suitable.
It prevents coccomycosis timely destruction of fallen leaves - the pathogen overwinters in it. In autumn, the soil near the trunk is dug up.
Rust
Appears in the middle of summer, striking the foliage of a tree. A tree affected by rust weakens, loses its immunity and frost resistance.
The reasons. The source of rust is anemone. This plant is also called anemone - it spreads the spores of the fungus wintering on its rhizomes.
Symptoms Brown spots appear on the leaves. If you do not deal with the problem, the spots turn into spore-bearing pillows. Foliage crumbles, and fungi winter in them.
Treatment. There are no plum varieties that are 100% immune to rust, but each of them has its own susceptibility.
To prevent rust, standard prevention of fungal diseases (cleaning and burning residues, etc.) and planting varieties resistant to this disease - Anna Shpet and Greenclod will help to avoid rust.
Brown spotting
The second name of the disease is gnomoniasis. It affects many plants. You can lose up to 50% of the crop.
The reasons. Bad weather, low immunity. Spores are spread in the usual way for fungi.
Symptoms In spring, red-brown and ocher spots appear on the foliage, purple at the edges. Foliage on both sides is covered with black dots - spores of the fungus. Spots, growing in size, capture the entire sheet, which curls and falls. Fruits, not having time to ripen, are deformed and spoiled.
Treatment. Spraying before flowering with copper sulfate 1% (for 10 l take 100 g of vitriol). After 2 weeks, when the tree fades - 1% Bordeaux liquid. If the tree is very infected, then 2-3 weeks before harvesting, the tree is sprayed again.
Prevention consists in digging the soil, timely cleaning and destruction of fallen leaves.
Plum pockets
It is excited by a laconic mushroom. Plums become bag-like. The spores of the fungus winter on a tree - it penetrates into the cracks of the bark, hides under the scales of the kidneys.
The reasons. Appears with prolonged cold springs, accompanied by high humidity. Mushroom spores, penetrating the flowers, affect them, damage the ovaries.
Symptoms The disease deforms and spoils the fruits. Inside them, a fungus grows and develops. He sits in a "pocket" - hence the name of the disease. There are no bones in the affected fruits. This type of fungus is “interested” in only fruits - it is not present in other parts of the plant. During the season, the disease appears only once: there are no fruits - there is no problem.
Treatment. In the fall - sanitary pruning. Burning affected shoots in early summer. Collection and destruction of rotten fruits - this is done before the spread of spores. For prevention - spraying with Bordeaux liquid 3%. The first - before the buds open, the second - before blooming, the third - after flowering.
If left untreated, it can pick up more than 50% of the crop.
Kleasterosporiosis
The fungus affects all the aerial parts of the tree. The fungus overwinters in the wounds of a tree, and it can also choose shoots and buds.
The reasons. Spore paths are through the air, by insects, through inventory.
Symptoms Brown spots with a reddish border are visible on the leaves. Holes appear at the spot. Because of the through holes in the leaves, claustosporiosis is also called holey spotting. There are also spots on the shoots, the bark cracks, the foliage dries, the buds turn black, and the flowers crumble - the tree simply dies. Fruits are first covered with spots, then inflated, and gum flows from the spots. The fruits dry, decrease in size.
Treatment. The tree needs regular spraying. At the initial stage of budding, the tree is treated with Bordeaux liquid 1%. Repeat - during the appearance of the buds. The next treatment is after flowering. Fourth - a couple of weeks after the tree fades. The last, fifth spraying - in 3 weeks of removing the plums.
In case of severe infection - with shoot defeat, it is recommended to process the tree again - after the leaves have fallen, but not 1%, but 3% with Bordeaux liquid.
Prevention measures: they clean and burn fallen leaves and fruits on time, dig the soil in the tree circle, remove diseased branches, and lubricate the wounds.
Bone moniliosis (gray rot)
The full official name for this dangerous disease is a monilial stone burn. But among gardeners, he is often called gray rot. The disease is triggered by the fungus monilia, wintering on shoots and unharvested fruits. The disease threatens the death of a tree.
The reasons. The tree becomes infected during flowering - during temperature jumps. Spores of the fungus, penetrating through the pestle, deep into the plant, gradually affects all its parts.
Symptoms Flowers and surrounding leaves dry. Branches crack - thick juice begins to flow from them. A tree affected by moniliosis seems to be charred. Shoots turn brown, wither, thickenings appear on the bark. From the surviving flowers, fruits grow, but they are also affected by the spores of the fungus. On plums, the disease is manifested most strongly by rotting fruits - they rot right on the branches. On the skin are gray thickenings.
Treatment. Treatment with copper or iron sulfate 1% and Bordeaux liquid 1%. All rotten plums are destroyed, and the trees themselves are again treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid.
To prevent moniliosis, gardeners collect and burn fallen leaves, fruits and shoots, fight pests, repair wounds and injuries on the bark, and whitewash.
Witch plum broom
Often called bushiness or overgrowth of plum. At the site of damage, all parts of the plant are affected.
The reasons. Damage to plants, including those caused by pests, contribute to the development of the disease.
Symptoms In places of localization of the fungus, thin, sterile shoots massively grow. Branching shoots look like brooms. On diseased shoots, the leaves become smaller and quickly crumble. At the end of summer, a gray coating appears on the leaves - these are spores of the fungus.
Treatment. Affected fungus shoots, cutting off, burn. The tree is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid 3% - until the formation of buds. When the plum blooms, spray again with 1% Bordeaux fluid. You can also treat the plum with fungicides.
The usual sanitary measures help to avoid the disease - timely removal and destruction of affected shoots, digging the soil, preventive spraying with Bordeaux fluid.
If a crop failure happened - in a field or in a garden, the guilty were always sought among people. Many believed that the thinning of the shoots was the work of the witch. The unusual name has survived in the original to this day.
Milky shine
The branches are struck - they die, and then the tree itself also dies.
The reasons. Transmitted from infected trees. It affects trees frozen in the winter, and with damage to the bark.
Symptoms The leaves, becoming silvery and brittle, dry quickly. A fungus appears in the form of plates of different colors on a darkened bark. These formations adhere tightly to the cortex, their width is 3 cm.
Treatment. Is absent. It is necessary to increase the frost resistance of the plum, insulate it for the winter, whiten the trunk, lubricate the sections with garden var.
It is recommended to buy seedlings from trusted sellers - in reliable nurseries, and to destroy infected plants on time.
Fruit rot
The symptoms are similar to moniliosis (gray rot), but only the fruits are affected - those that have damage.
The reasons. The fungus spreads intensively in wet, rainy weather.
Symptoms Brown spots appear on the plums, quickly growing and capturing the entire surface of the fruit. Symptoms of rot occur in July, when plums peck birds and eat insects.
Treatment. Trees are treated with 1% Bordeaux fluid.
To prevent fruit rot, pests are destroyed in time, and rotten plums are buried.
Having destroyed the infected fruits, the gardener must thoroughly sanitize his hands. If you touch healthy fruits with unwashed hands, the fungus will immediately be transmitted to them.
Plum tinder
This mushroom settles on a tree trunk (it affects plums, cherries, cherries, less often - an apple and a pear).
The reasons. Penetration occurs through places affected by sunburn, frost, insects.
Symptoms Mushrooms appear in the trunk in the form of growths. The mushroom has a solid hoof-shaped body. First, its surface is velvety, and then smooth gray-black.
Treatment. Treatment of wounds and cracks in the cortex. Destruction of the fruiting bodies of the fungus. Damage is washed with a solution of copper sulfate, then poured with a sand-cement mortar.
All dry and damaged branches are removed and burned in time - it is they who attract polypore.
Soot fungus
Gardeners often call this disease mob. The causative agent lives in colonies on leaf blades. Fungal formations interfere with normal photosynthesis, which leads to a weakening of the tree.
The reasons. Carriers of the fungus are insect parasites. Appears with excessive dampness.
Symptoms Leaves and shoots are covered with black coating which is easily erased.
Treatment. Spraying with soap-and-copper solution. In water (10 l) dissolve the shavings of laundry soap (140 g) and copper sulfate (5 g). For prevention, it is necessary to prevent thickening of the crown in time and destroy pests.
Infectious (viral) diseases of the plum
Viral diseases are especially dangerous - they are practically not treated. Viruses are carried by insects.
Smallpox plum
Gardeners often call this disease smallpox. This viral disease affects the leaves - they become covered with spots and stripes, become "marble". The disease is widespread everywhere - in the south and in the middle lane.
The reasons. Plums are infected by insects. It carries the aphid virus - it settles on different plants. The source of infection can be clover, nightshade, clover. The virus can lurk in seedlings, often it is carried by a garden tool.
Symptoms Stains appear on the fruits, the flesh is affected to the very bone, loses its natural taste. The spots become depressed over time. Affected fruits, ripening prematurely, fall or, having dried up, remain hanging on branches.
Watch the video about the smallpox (smallpox) plum viral disease:
Treatment. The disease cannot be cured. All infected trees are burned. The fight against smallpox lies in its prevention - the timely destruction of the virus carriers.
When trimming several trees in succession, it is important to sanitize secateurs and other tools.
Dwarf plum
It is caused by a virus that multiplies in the cells of living organisms. A tree slows down growth and then dies.
The reasons. Spreaders are parasitic insects (aphids, ticks, etc.).
Symptoms Leaves are smaller and then deformed. Bunches of diseased foliage form at the ends of the branches. The kidneys are deformed or not growing at all.
Treatment. Like most viral diseases, dwarfism is not treated. Sick trees uproot and burn.
In order to avoid infection, planting material is bought in reliable nurseries, insect pests are destroyed on time and all the necessary preventive measures are carried out.
Bacterial diseases
The causative agents of this group of diseases are bacteria and microbes. Infection usually occurs through tools or seedlings purchased from random suppliers.
Root cancer
Cancer activates and affects almost all fruit trees.
The reasons. Pathogens - bacteria in the soil. Bacteria enter the plant tissue through damage to the roots. Provocateurs - severe droughts and slightly alkaline environments.
Symptoms Outgrowths appear on the roots of the plum.
Treatment. Sick trees destroy. The soil is disinfected with copper sulfate. The entire instrument is disinfected with 0.5% chloramine.
The garden is recommended to be placed in places free of root cancer.
Bacterial burn
This disease can destroy the largest tree. The disease affects trees in the spring and autumn.
The reasons. The provoking factor is dampness. Infection occurs from diseased plants that carry bacteria.
Symptoms It affects the entire aboveground part of the tree. The bark is cracking. Leaves and buds, blackened, dry. The flowers turn dark brown and fall off.
Treatment. Spray, until the formation of kidneys, with a solution of copper sulfate 1% (per 10 l of water - 100 g of substance). They are treated with antibiotics.
To avoid infection, only healthy seedlings are used, they destroy infected branches and whole trees in time.
Noncommunicable diseases
Noncommunicable diseases are caused by disturbances in agricultural technology. Improper care - pruning or watering, can provoke systemic problems that are not treated with conventional drugs.
Gum detection
The second name is gummosis. This disease is characteristic of all stone fruit trees. It is not infectious, but no less dangerous. If measures are not taken in time, the tree dies.
The reasons. Most often appears on trees affected by severe frosts, suffering from fungal or other diseases. Gumming often indicates excessive soil moisture or acidity. Often a problem arises in the gardens of inexperienced gardeners who have exceeded the dosage of fertilizers.
Symptoms On the trunk - a drop of translucent gum (resin). There is a risk of infection through gum-wounding wounds.
Treatment. In order to save the tree from gum expiration, it is necessary to carry out a whole range of measures:
- The outflowing gum is cleaned with a garden knife.
- Disinfect the wound with 1% copper sulfate.
- After a couple of hours, the wound is rubbed with oxal leaves - this is repeated several times.
- They cover up the damaged area with garden var.
To prevent gum bleeding at the drain, they need proper care - moderate watering, the right dosage of fertilizers, and treatment of wounds after trimming.
Drying out
This disease is caused by a violation of the conditions for growing plums.
The reasons. Close occurrence of groundwater, gumming, freezing. Strong alkaline or acidified soils contribute to drying. Salt marshes are also not suitable for plums.
Symptoms Leaf drying out.
Treatment. Elimination of factors provoking the disease. Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology.
Parasites
Plum has enough enemies among the insects. Parasitic pests weaken the tree, reduce productivity, and are even able to destroy it.
Gall tick
These are micro-insects of a purple or pink hue.
Harm. Parasites settle in growths located near the fruit buds - in galls. In one gall - 4 hundreds of ticks. In late spring, ticks creep out to feed on the plant's cell juices. Ugly reddish growths testify to the defeat of a tree by a tick - they are formed in the lesion sites.
Treatment. As soon as the plum fades, it is treated several times with colloidal sulfur. If the lesion is massive, the affected shoots are cut off and burned. Insecticides are effective in the initial stage of tick activity.
To prevent infection, trees are timely sprayed, whitened, cover up wounds and cracks, observe agricultural practices.
Goldfish
This is a small butterfly from the silkworm family. She is often mistaken for a harmless night moth. She has a yellow, almost golden abdomen and a furry antennae. Caterpillars are hairy, gray-black, with an orange-red pattern. The length of the caterpillar is 4 cm. The butterfly lays eggs directly on the leaves.
Harm. The harm of the goldfish becomes apparent as soon as the buds open - the caterpillars eagerly eat them. Gluttonous pests quickly eat foliage, causing permanent damage. Tree growth is slowing. Left without leaves, the tree can die at all.
Treatment. Spraying with a solution of kalbofos.
To prevent the invasion of a golden-bellied butterfly, the attraction of predatory insects and birds to the garden helps. So, for example, the tahid fly feeds on larvae. A vigilant inspection after leaf fall is also needed. Finding cocoons on the branches, they are collected manually. If there are many cocoons, the affected branches are cut and burned.
Plum moth
The pest is a gray-brown butterfly. She lays eggs in green plums.
Harm. Caterpillars hatching from eggs eat out the flesh of plums. Corrupted fruits, darkening, quickly fall off.
Treatment. Preventive spraying with karbofos helps.
To reduce the number of moths, I cultivate the soil - to destroy the nesting insect. All damage is disinfected with manganese and covered with garden var.
Aphid on tree
The "herds" of small, pale green insects harm trees by drinking juices from them.
Harm. Aphids, eating plum juices, weaken it. The tops of the shoots curl around the tree, it grows poorly, and the leaves dry and fall off. If you turn the sheet, then on its reverse side you can see a colony of aphids.
Treatment. As soon as the vegetation begins, the tree is sprayed with aphid preparations. After 2 weeks - re-processing.
Proper agricultural technology, timely destruction of pests, loosening of the soil, removal of weeds, etc. helps to get rid of aphid attacks.
Hawthorn
This is a large day butterfly with a wingspan of 6.5 cm. It has a white and black color, black veins on its wings. Caterpillars are shaggy, in black and orange stripes.
Harm. The pest eats everything except the bark. The plum weakens and dies.
Treatment. Use the full range of possible tools. The caterpillars are shaken down, the trees are sprayed with insecticides, treated in early spring with a solution of urea and copper sulfate (for 10 liters of water - 500 g of urea and 100 g of vitriol). Plum is sprayed with insecticides before and after flowering. Apply DDT, Metaphos, Thiophos and other drugs.
Prevention measures include attracting birds to the site, regularly inspecting the trees, and feeding them with mineral and organic fertilizers.
Plum sawfly
An adult insect has wings with membranes. It feeds on the juice and pollen of inflorescences. Damage to the tree is caused by larvae - pale green false caterpillars. Sawers lay eggs in buds.
Harm. Hatched larvae penetrate the fruits and eat the flesh of the ovary. Offspring of the 2nd and 3rd age eat part of the fetus near the bone. Corrupted plums fall off.
Treatment. They are treated with Karbofos 10%, Benzo-phosphate 10% - in places of the greatest concentration of insects. The first treatment - 2 days before flowering. It is possible to spray Rogor, Gardon, Tsidalial. The second spraying is directed against the larvae, it is carried out after flowering - the tree is sprayed with Tarzan or Novaktion.
Prevention of damage by a sawfly is the destruction of larvae by loosening and deep digging of the soil. It is recommended to remove the wormy fruits by shaking.
Plum weevil
This is a bronze-colored bug with a red-copper glow. The length of the insect is 3.5-4.5 mm. Covered with thick hairs. Larvae are yellow-white, head is brown, curved arcuate.
Harm. Beetles eat buds in spring, then pass on to the leaves. Females lay eggs in the flesh of the ovaries. Having been born, the larvae eat the flesh of plums. Then the larvae pupate in mummified fruits; in the autumn season, adult beetles emerge from the soil.
Treatment. They are sprayed with insecticides - Karbofos, Wofatox and others. The first treatment is before flowering.
Prevention is similar to measures to counteract the plum sawfly - loosening, digging, destroying the affected fruit and other agrotechnical measures aimed at the destruction of pests.
Most plum diseases can be treated, and the sooner the fight is started, the more effective it is. Prevention deserves special attention - many diseases can be prevented thanks to timely spraying and proper agricultural technology.
Posted by
12
Russia. City Novosibirsk
Publications: 276 Comments: 1