Apple leaf diseases and their treatment

When laying a garden, few people imagine not very attractive pictures in the form of deformed fruits, tree trunks mutilated by a pest and twisted leaves that wither before their time. But, alas, such an attack can happen in any garden. And even if the fruits do not particularly suffer, the diseased leaves of the same apple trees do not allow to fully enjoy the flowering and harvest.

The most common problem with apple leaves is yellowing and drying. And it seems that this is due to some one specific problem, which complicates the treatment of the tree. In fact, the leaves turn yellow, dry out and fall off for various reasons.

Let's designate the main ones.

• Heat and lack of moisture. If the summer is dry, this happens. In this situation, the tree needs watering more often than usual. But if the leaves soften and begin to rot, there is too much moisture.

• Iron deficiency. Lack of an important element leads to yellowness and dryness. However, such symptoms can be a reaction to a lack of calcium and magnesium too.

• Burns from improper watering. Trees are watered early in the morning, and if you do this in the middle of the day, when the sun is beating down, burns can very quickly form on the leaves.

• Apple mite. This pest also deforms foliage. He is very gluttonous, hibernates between branches and goes hunting again in spring. If such a parasite eats the kidneys, the leaves will immediately begin to grow sick.

• Shields. They are diagnosed if small yellowish spots appear on the leaves. They are shaped like a comma. Scabbards are dangerous in that they lead to complete drying of the leaves and subsequent fall.

• Mosaic. The chaotic yellow stripes, which, together with the dots, create a strange pattern - this is a sentence to the tree. The mosaic virus is incurable, the affected tree threatens others, while still healthy, therefore it must be removed from the site.

The foliage of the apple tree not only dries and turns yellow, there is also a whole list of deformities and painful conditions that need competent diagnosis and proper treatment.

Red, brown and even reddish spots are a dangerous symptom. In most cases, it indicates a fungus or virus that has infected the tree.

You can define the disease by some points.

• Chaotically located red spots on the leaves may indicate rust damage. Such a fungal disease, without timely treatment, quickly spreads to other trees.
• If there is a light center in the brown spots, and it falls out of the plate or becomes covered with cracks, this is probably septoria. Also the disease is called "white spot", it affects a huge number of crops.
• Expressive brown spots can also be a sign of marsoniasis. The disease speaks of insufficient care for the crown.
• If dark specks with an olive undertone have formed on the leaf plate, then this scab attacked the apple tree. The disease is terrible, difficult to treat. But, fortunately, now there are many varieties that are resistant to this scourge.
• If the redness of the leaves is pronounced, it may be fungal spot. But the disease is quite rare, nevertheless, the leaves at the plums often turn red.
• Brown spots with a brown tint may indicate a copper deficiency. If there is a lot of nitrogen fertilizers in the soil, this is quite likely. Excess nitrogen interferes with the balance of trace elements in the earth.

White spots almost always indicate a fungal infection. Myceliums are visually distributed in this way. In most cases, such a description of the change in the leaf plate speaks of powdery mildew. The affected areas gradually dry out and die off. Also, white spider webs appearing on the leaves can be a sign of a spider mite.

And then there is a pest called apple moth. It also leaves behind a white, cobweb-like coating. With such a misfortune, the leaves seem to become transparent. The moth does not touch the leaf shell, but quickly and insidiously eats up the pulp. The leaf plate is dull, has a silvery sheen - a sure symptom that the leaves have struck an ailment called "milky sheen".

Blackness is already a fatal stage for foliage, indicating necrotic processes in the leaf blade. The chances of saving the tree are already much less than in other cases. But emergency measures still leave a chance.

It is worth figuring out why the leaves turn black.

• Root system burn. The case is not very common, but it should not be ruled out. Young trees usually suffer from it if they decided to fertilize them very early or if the dosage of the first feeding was exceeded.
• Improper watering. It also affects young trees more often. Young apple trees are very sensitive, and black leaves are a sign that an urgent need to rethink the principles of care.
• Sooty fungus. The leaf is covered not with a solid black layer, but with a sooty bloom. After aphids attacked the trees, there may be such a defeat.
• Black cancer. It manifests itself in small dots that grow at lightning speed. At first, the leaves turn red, then black terrible foci are already visible on them. The disease attacks the wood, the bark begins to become covered with ulcers and cracks to the cambium layer.
• Bacterial burn. It is fraught with complete blackening of the leaves, shoots and inflorescences are also affected. Insects become carriers of bacteria, tree restoration will be difficult.

If the spots began to acquire a noticeable texture and you already want to call them bumps and bumps, this in most cases indicates pests. For example, aphids lay their larvae wherever they can, and galls form on the surfaces of the leaf plates of apple trees. Then the leaves will begin to dry, curl, deprived of their juice by the aggressor insect.

If the leaves hit small spots with pronounced tubercles, this may be a sign of phyllostictosis. Also, the disease is often called brown spot. The affected leaves will fall off over time.

Sometimes the leaves do not turn yellow, do not turn black, do not turn red, but seem to fade. They lose color, fade, brighten considerably. It can be a pale green shade that is completely unnatural for a healthy tree. And such an ailment can affect an apple tree of any age. The problem can overtake a tree that is not sufficiently fed with nitrogen. During the growing season, this element is vital. In principle, the general deficiency of trace elements, their imbalance in the soil also causes such leaf deformations.

This is one of the most disturbing symptoms of curled leaves. If this is a pest, then everything is not so dangerous, spraying will save the tree from the parasite, and the problem with leaves will be solved. But if this is a viral disease, perhaps it has reached its final stage and there is nowhere to get away from twisting.

The following problems are associated with leaf curling.

• Roll up like a boat they are if the tree is attacked by the leafworm.The parasite pupates, leaves only veins on the leaf and passes on to the fruit.
• Glued leaves with brown drops, noticeable upon closer inspection, speak of the invasion of the copperhead. Insects attack the tree, as a rule, in early spring, sticking together the buds and buds.
• Curl can also cause leaves to become stained, swollen and deformed.
• Narrow they become due to small leaves, they even gather in unobtrusive sockets.

Leaves are often affected in June, but problems can be felt earlier.

The principles of combating leaf diseases in an apple tree should be known to every gardener.

1. Spraying for diseases on a bare tree. Bordeaux mixture (three percent solution), "Horus", "Urea", "Pharma-iodine", iron vitriol are suitable for treatment.
2. Spraying over a green cone. A one-percent solution of Bordeaux mixture will protect from diseases, and "Tanrek", "Decis Profi", "Inta-vir" will protect against attacks of pests.
3. By the rosebud. If at this time pests have become more active, "Iskra", "Fitoverm" and "Inta-vir" will help to get rid of them.
4. On the ovaries. Rescue from leaf diseases "Khom", "Horus", "Abiga-PIK", "Skor", iron vitriol, urea. "Iskra", "Tanrek" and "Fufanon" will help against pests.

For spraying, strictly one remedy for diseases and one for pests is taken, no more. The dosage recommendations prescribed on the packaging are strictly followed.

Prevention measures are easy to implement, one problem is that they are often forgotten, and after all, it is time to start prevention even before the season starts.

What experts recommend as a prevention of apple leaf diseases:

• selection of varieties that are maximally resistant to disease;
• sparse planting of apple trees - from tree to tree should be at least 5 meters;
• fallen leaves in the fall must be collected and burned;
• it is imperative to dig up the near-trunk circles;
• dried branches should be cut out, capturing healthy tissues by 7 cm;
• the cut is certainly disinfected with a 1% solution of copper sulfate;
• garden tools are disinfected in any available way before work;
• prevention of mechanical damage to the trunk and branches - they open the way for infection;
• whitewashing of boles, as well as skeletal branches.

A clear analysis will make it clear what the owner of the garden is doing wrong, where he missed the first warning signs. Fortunately, there are many drugs that can cope with most problems. But, perhaps, it is necessary to revise the rules of agricultural technology, the need for watering, the feeding regime.