Why does rust appear on the apple tree and what to do?

Apple trees can be affected by various diseases. Rust often appears on them. To eradicate it, prevent the spread of the disease, the necessary treatments should be carried out in a timely manner.

Rust on apple trees is a common fungal disease. Initially, it occurs on the leaf blades of plants, and then gradually passes to the fruits. Fruits become small and poorly stored. Rust interferes with the ability of leaves to photosynthesize. Young shoots are also severely damaged. If you do not start timely treatment of fruit trees, they will soon die.

There are various reasons for the appearance of this disease on fruit trees. So, it often occurs when there is a severe lack of essential nutrients, including potassium, phosphorus, manganese, iron and magnesium. It can also occur in cases of improper fit. Remember that apple trees cannot be planted next to conifers, because the latter are often carriers of harmful fungi. In addition, harmful insects can also act as carriers.

When an apple tree is affected by such a fungal infection, small yellow-green spots can be observed on the surface of the leaf plates. Over time, they become larger, they begin to cover the entire surface. Apples are getting much smaller. Later, the leaves darken, acquiring a brown color. Brown spots will also begin to appear on the fruit. The infection will suck out all the juices from the aerial part of the vegetation.

In addition to leaves, shoots, ovaries, and buds are also affected. With a strong spread, the disease can also spread to the tree trunk. On the underside of the leaves, small growths can also form, which are filled with spores. Over time, they open up. If you do not start treatment, then the plant will quickly stop growing, developing, bearing fruit. After a while, it will die.

Currently, there are a large number of different methods that allow you to treat an apple tree for rust. Let's take a closer look at some of them.

With a small area of ​​spread of the disease, all damaged plants can be cut and disposed of as much as possible. Colonies do not settle on the crop, but due to strong winds, spores can get on fruit trees and shrubs. Most often, conifers, including junipers, are the main carriers of such fungal infections, so if they grow next to apple trees, they should be transplanted. If the plant is too badly affected, then you will have to completely remove it. It is recommended to burn all cut and cut parts so as not to cause further spread of the disease.

When the source of infection itself has been destroyed, all other plants, branches and leaf blades should be carefully examined. If characteristic rusty spots are found, the green parts are immediately cut off.In addition, it is better to remove all weeds from the site, except for wormwood, since it can significantly slow down the spread of the harmful fungus. Places under fruit trees, as well as areas where coniferous shrubs and weeds grew, should also be carefully processed. First, they are deeply dug up, then treated with special compounds (ammonium nitrate, copper sulfate). In some cases, to prevent the appearance or development of rust, it is necessary to reduce watering, to process the too thickened crown of fruit trees.

If the trees were affected in the fall, then you should immediately remove all fallen leaves from the site, as they may contain harmful microorganisms that contribute to the appearance and spread of fungal diseases. The leaves should be burned immediately.

The most effective treatments for this disease are chemical treatments. So, special systemic fungicides are often used, which penetrate first into the structure of plant tissues, and then into cells, destroying the infection. The funds contain weak poisons that have a negative effect exclusively on harmful organisms.

Let's highlight some of the most common fungicides.

• Strobe. This drug is in the form of small granules. The composition is completely safe for humans, animals and the plant itself. It can be applied even during the flowering period. This fungicide should be used in cool, calm weather. It allows not only to eradicate the disease, but also has a preventive effect.
• "Topaz". This fungicide for fruit plants can be produced in the form of a powdery substance or a ready-made solution. To spray one adult apple tree, you will need about 2 liters of the diluted composition. Treatments with this agent should be carried out once every 2 weeks. Moreover, they can be performed only in calm and dry weather. The components of the product will be absorbed into the leaves and branches of the affected plant for a couple of hours, without causing any harm to the culture itself. It should be noted that the wind and atmospheric precipitation after this time will not be able to reduce the efficiency of the solution.
• "Vectra". This fungicide is considered the most powerful and effective. It contains a special component, bromuconazole. The composition can be used no more than 3 times in 1 season. This type of drug should be used in cases where the leaves have a large number of large brown spots. For spraying an adult tree, you will need from 10 to 15 liters of ready-made solution, for young vegetation, 2 liters will be enough.

Also, various preparations containing copper are often used to combat rust. It is worth remembering that they are all poisonous, so they can be used only with severe damage, when other means no longer help.

• Blue Bordeaux. This drug is sold in granules that can dissolve as quickly as possible. The tool can be used in all weather conditions. Blue Bordeaux can kill entire colonies of harmful fungal spores. The vegetation should be sprayed with such a composition as carefully as possible so that burns do not appear on it.
• Bordeaux liquid. Such a remedy can be called more gentle, but at the same time just as effective. For processing, a simple 1% solution is most often used. More saturated formulations can lead to burns on the leaf blades.It is recommended to apply Bordeaux liquid treatment in warm and dry weather.
• Abiga Peak. The product contains a fairly large percentage of copper. Only already affected leaves and branches can be treated with the product, because it belongs to the formulations of contact action. This substance will not be absorbed into plant tissues. Spraying with the product can only be done in calm and dry weather.
• "Champion". A drug of this type can be used both as a therapeutic and as a prophylactic agent. "Champion" is best used only at the initial stage of fungal infection. The composition spreads over the entire surface of the leaves of the affected tree, affecting the fungal spores. Over time, they begin to die, and the further development and spread of the disease stop. Treatment with this agent can only be carried out in dry and calm weather. To prepare 10 liters of solution, only 60 g of the substance will be needed.
• "Cuproxat". This copper-nitrogen formulation is available as a strong concentrate. For processing, it will be necessary to prepare a solution of 0.25%. Often, the composition is also used for watering the root area of ​​the soil under the trees.

Preparations that contain sulfur are effective against rust. They are considered less aggressive than previous options. Among such compositions, several are worth highlighting.

• Cumulus. The product has a high sulfur content. It is sold as a powder. The particles dissolve rather quickly in water. The packages indicate the proportions for preparing the solution, depending on the degree of damage to the plant.
• Colloidal sulfur. This substance is also sold in powder form. To prepare the solution, mix 5 liters of water and 40 g of the drug. Colloidal sulfur has an exclusively contact effect on fungal spores. This composition cannot be used during the flowering period.

Next, we highlight some effective biological compounds that are also used to treat apple trees from rust. All of them are absolutely safe for vegetation, animals and people. They contain beneficial bacteria.

• Planriz. The composition not only makes it easy to fight rust, but also promotes the growth of young plants. To prepare 10 liters of a medicinal solution, you will need 50 ml of the substance. With the help of such a liquid, spraying of leaves, branches, soil is carried out.
• Fitosporin-M. This tool is absolutely harmless and effective, therefore it is very popular among gardeners. To prepare a spray solution, you need to mix 10 liters of water and 15 ml of the medicinal substance. Processing can also be carried out during the flowering period.
• "Phytodoctor". This type of drug is suitable for processing almost all fruit crops. It allows you to easily destroy all fungal infections. To prepare a spray solution, you need to mix 10 liters of liquid and 30 g of the substance. The time interval between treatments with such a composition should be at least 2 weeks. During the flowering period, as well as a couple of weeks before harvesting, the product cannot be used.

To prevent rust from appearing on fruit trees, there are some important preventive measures to keep in mind.

• Be sure to keep a distance when planting different plants, especially conifers.
• Do not forget to regularly prune and shape the crown. Periodically, you need to carefully dig the ground around the trees to keep the tree trunk clean.
• It is better to carry out regular preventive spraying with various fungicidal agents. Fertilizers are also of great importance. Their timely application can also prevent the appearance of rust.

Remember that apple trees are best planted next to wormwood. Its aromatic oils have a negative effect on the development of fungal infections. Many experienced gardeners recommend using a variety of folk tinctures (with garlic, onion husks, wood ash, iodine) to treat healthy trees. They can significantly increase the immunity of plants, prevent the emergence and development of infections.

In case of infection, you can use both professional chemicals and homemade folk remedies. This combination provides the most effective result.