Why do sea buckthorn leaves turn yellow and what to do about it?

When growing sea buckthorn, many gardeners are faced with the problem of premature yellowing of the foliage. From the material in this article, you will learn what this may be due to, as well as how to fix the problem.

If sea buckthorn leaves turn yellow and fall in the middle of summer, this indicates negative changes in the growth and development of the plant. This situation is by no means a dead end. The tree does not belong to capricious crops. There may be several reasons for the unpleasant phenomenon. Basically, they are associated with diseases, pests, violation of mineral metabolism.

Sea buckthorn needs nitrogenous compounds for chlorophyll synthesis. If there is enough element in the soil, active growth of the leaf mass is ensured. Along with this, nitrogen deficiency leads to a slowdown in the growth of phytomass. Sea buckthorn leaf plates begin to lose their green color in June and July. Often a concomitant factor is the inability to assimilate nitro compounds.

One of the most common reasons why sea buckthorn turns yellow is fungal infection called wilt or verticillosis. Because of it, the vessels of the conducting tissues are clogged. As a result, the foliage of the tree withers, turns yellow, and then falls off. It is not difficult to find the cause: concomitant factors of the disease are lethargy of the fruit, swelling appearing on the trunk, the appearance of cracks in the bark.

The third reason for sea buckthorn leaves falling off is attack on a tree by dangerous harmful insects. Pest females, flying to trees, lay eggs in the buds. Each clutch contains 5-12 pieces. In spring, when the buds open, the larvae spread over the leaves. They move to the bottom of the foliage, feeding on sap.

Because of this, the affected leaves begin to turn yellow, and then dry.

Scab - a disease caused by an attack on a tree by a microscopic pathogenic fungus... In addition to foliage, it infects trunks and fruits. At the initial stage, the foliage is covered with spots of a brownish-yellow hue. Then they turn yellow, turn black, dry out, the ovaries are mummified. The tree needs global processing. Otherwise, the causative agents of the disease will calmly overwinter in fallen leaves and shriveled fruits.

In the spring, they will deal with the destruction of the sea buckthorn with renewed vigor. This is especially dangerous if wet weather prevails in the region.

With fusarium wilting, the green mass of the tree dries up in July-August. Along with the yellowing of the leaf plates, the wilting of individual branches is noted. Fusarium is one of the most dangerous diseases. With him, the leaves not only turn yellow, but also fall off. Premature yellowing of fruits occurs. Usually, a diseased plant does not recover, but dies in the next season.

The solution to the problem depends on its cause. First of all, a visual examination is necessary, which will give a more detailed assessment, exclude a disease or indicate a lack of fertilizers. If it is not possible to determine the cause, this may indicate mechanical damage to the roots or parts of the plant.

If it is revealed that the leaves on the tree have turned yellow due to nitrogen starvation, the irrigation regime is analyzed and fertilizer is selected. Top dressing is applied during the growing season. Top dressing can be different. If the method of soil fertilization is chosen, ammonium nitrate (20 g per bucket of water) or urea (120 g per bucket of water) is added to it.

You can also spray the plant with a urea solution (30 g per 10 liters). If before that compost or rotted manure was introduced under the tree, the amount of top dressing is reduced by 2 times to avoid overfeeding. A preventive measure will be the autumn treatment of the near-stem circle with urea in the amount of 100 g. It is better to do this after the harvest has been harvested.

If the sea buckthorn turned yellow in the summer due to verticillosis, it is urgent to get rid of the affected parts of the plant. Stems and shoots must be ruthlessly removed and burned. They are not subject to treatment. After that, they are engaged in sanitary pruning, thinning the plants. At the final stage of processing, the green mass is sprayed with a fungicidal preparation.

A preventive autumn and spring measure will be the use of Bordeaux liquid... If it is impossible to save the tree, it is urgent to uproot it and burn it. New trees must not be planted on this site for several years. This is due to the ability of the fungus to survive for up to 5 years in the soil, plant debris and seeds.

If the tree dries out due to copper, you need to use the drug "Karbofos" (30 g per bucket of water) or colloidal sulfur (0.1 kg per 10 liters). The insecticide is used in spring, in May, as soon as young leaves appear. An alternative solution can be the drug Confidor. If the plant has been attacked by sea buckthorn aphids and turns yellow for this reason, an insecticide treatment is carried out.

The tree should be sprayed with any suitable insecticidal agent. It is bred according to the instructions on the package. The insecticide should always be ready. For processing, you can also use an ash infusion or broth. To do this, take ash, tobacco, onion husks, tomato and potato tops, dandelion leaves. A solution of tar soap and water (30 g per bucket) is added to them.

If the yellowing of the leaves is caused by scab, after the destruction of the affected parts, the tree is sprayed with a soap-copper solution. Dilute copper sulfate (10 g), washing powder (2 tablespoons) in a bucket of water. You can treat the sea buckthorn once with the preparation "Akvisil". It is dissolved in a bucket of water in the amount of 30 g.

The best prevention of the problem is to ensure the rules of agricultural technology. It is necessary to monitor the correct cultivation and care of horticultural crops.

• To reduce the risk of fusarium disease on a tree, several recommendations must be followed. Initially, you cannot plant a plant on an area where strawberries were previously grown. This culture has the same type of disease.
• Planting one-year-old seedlings should be spaced at an interval of at least 2 m... When planting in the ground, you need to add humus with sand. If in the course of development and growth it was not possible to avoid the disease, you must mercilessly get rid of the infected shoots.
• It is important to pull out the weeds along with the root shoots, loosen the soil and carry out preventive spraying in a timely manner. It is necessary to create favorable environmental conditions.
• Timely determination of the cause and the measures taken will allow the sea buckthorn to return to normal. However, if the reason for the poor condition of the leaves and the tree is a cold and rainy summer, it is more difficult to help the tree.All that can be done in this situation is to follow the rules of agricultural technology, avoiding mistakes. A minimum amount of root fertilizer should be applied.
• The key rules are choosing the right planting site, deepening the roots, loosening and weeding. A small crop and pale yellowish foliage are characteristic when planting seedlings in the shade.
• The plant is light-requiring, a place for it must be selected well-lit. The deepening of the roots should not be superficial. This leads to drying out on hot days, yellowing and wilting.
• In addition, you need to monitor the moisture level.... With excessive dampness, a favorable environment is created for the formation of a fungus that destroys trees.
• Sometimes a simple thinning of the plants is sufficient. If they are already large, it is worth pruning the branches. Spraying should be done in spring and autumn. You also need not to be lazy and constantly check the foliage for the detection of pests.