How to beat rust on fruit tree leaves
Diseases occur not only in indoor and garden plants, fruit trees are also susceptible to various infections. Leaf rust is one of the most common diseases. Even an adult strong tree will not be able to resist it, and even a young seedling with a fragile root system, even more so.
How does leaf rust appear?
In the initial stages of this plant disease, the leafy plate is covered with small orange specks. Over time, they grow up to 1 cm or more. In this case, a dense build-up forms on the back of the sheet (just under the stain). With an increase in the affected area, the leaves begin to curl and completely crumble.
In diseased trees, immunity is weakened, as a result of which they do not survive the winter well: adult plantings partially freeze, and the seedlings planted this season can completely freeze out. In addition, the yield decreases from year to year.
Causes of "rusty" plant disease
In most cases, plantings growing in the neighborhood become carriers of rust spores. Experienced gardeners have long noticed that they are most susceptible to disease. apple trees, pears and plums. Raspberries, gooseberries and currants are often sick from shrubs.
Rust fungus (the causative agent of the disease) is carried by gusts of wind, affecting all plants that it hits.
Leaf rust treatment
Affected trees need to be sprayed several times:
- in early spring before bud break - with a solution of copper sulfate at the rate of 300 g per bucket of water;
- during flowering - with Horus;
- after the end of flowering - Skor, Raek or Fitalavin.
Fallen leaves must be collected and burned.
Disease prevention
In order to protect your garden from the insidious apple tree diseases and other plants, it is necessary to inspect the plantings more often. The area should be kept clean, removing fallen leaves and weeds in time. Water should not be allowed to stagnate in the near-stem circle after abundant watering, since this is an ideal environment for the development of fungal infections.
The best prevention of rust is to use for growing only zoned varieties of fruit trees that are immune to rust.
It is necessary to regularly carry out sanitary pruning, as well as whitewash the trunks with a mixture of lime (slaked) and preparations containing copper. In addition, it is necessary to dig up the trunk circle annually, after which the soil is treated alternately with urea and copper sulfate.