Why does mountain ash turn yellow in summer and what to do?

The following phenomenon can often be observed: rowan begins to turn yellow in the midst of summer. Why this happens and what to do about it, we will tell in this article.

There are many reasons why a plant such as mountain ash turns yellow in the first months of summer: in June or July.

So, yellow leaves can often be seen from the bottom of the tree, indicating an imbalance in soil nutrition. As a rule, if the mountain ash lacks nitrogen fertilizers, then in this case its foliage begins to change color to light green, gradually turning yellow. But with a lack of potassium, a red rim begins to appear in the foliage, which dries over time. This phenomenon is called edge leaf burn.

With magnesium starvation, which is typical for the most part for sandy and sandy loam soils, rowan foliage also changes its color. It becomes covered with yellow and reddish spots, which is especially active when the tree is watered abundantly or during rainy periods. But if a tree has problems with leaves that are located at its very top, then there will already be other reasons.

So, if the top foliage turns pale yellow right in the midst of summer days, then this indicates a disease such as chlorosis. This disease can be caused by a lack of iron salts in the soil, freezing of the root system, oxygen starvation, waterlogging and more.

If the trees turn yellow from above, then it may be to blame harmful insects, in particular aphids and ticks, as well as fungal and viral diseases that often cause this problem. It is recommended that the plant be protected from them in advance.

Treatment for rowan yellowness can be very different, depending on what caused it.

So, with chlorosis, if it appears insignificantly, the tree should be sprayed with a 2% solution of ferrous sulfate. However, this method of struggle against calcareous chlorosis is unlikely to be suitable: in this case, it is possible that the site is, in principle, not suitable for growing fruit and berry crops on it, especially when it comes to alkaline soils.

But it is impossible to get rid of such a disease as a viral ring mosaic, since the virus penetrates into the very cells of the plant. The tree will eventually have to be uprooted. However, the occurrence of this disease can be prevented by treatment with a special tool "Alirin".

Often, yellowness is caused by such a fungal disease as rust, which is also accompanied by reddish spots. It often occurs if a juniper is grown near the mountain ash. To get rid of this disease, it is recommended to resort to chemical fungicidal agents or to preparations that contain a large amount of sulfur.

Separately, it should be said about the fight against aphids and ticks, without which the treatment of yellowness is likely to be meaningless. First, these insects suck out nutrients from the foliage of plants, which causes a color change. Secondly, these parasites are also carriers of the fungus, which, in turn, can also cause the yellowing of mountain ash.

You can fight these parasites with the help of chemicals and folk remedies.

Industrial means, as a rule, are used only in neglected cases, because they are distinguished by their toxicity, and therefore not every summer resident wants to use them. The most popular among such products are the drugs Biotlin, Karbofos and Aktellik.

But they resort to the help of folk remedies much more often, because they are non-toxic, easy to manufacture and, moreover, economical. They are unlikely to help get rid of hordes of pests, but for prevention and in isolated cases of the appearance of parasites, they may well come in handy. The most effective folk solutions include onion and garlic infusions, as well as celandine infusions. Solutions with ammonia and tar soap are also popular.

In order to prevent the yellowness of mountain ash or to eliminate the causes of its appearance in time, we recommend that you follow preventive measures.

• To begin with, you need to often examine the tree for any problems: symptoms of fungus or the appearance of parasites. This will help protect the tree and prevent the situation from starting.
• The plant should also be provided with proper care: water it on time, avoiding drought or excess moisture, as well as making various kinds of top dressing that will strengthen the mountain ash's immunity and make it more resistant to attacks from parasites and diseases.
• In addition, we recommend getting rid of old foliage at the site at the end of the season, because fungus or parasitic insects can successfully winter under it.