While growing an apple orchard, gardeners often notice that a white coating appears on the tree trunk. Fungal infection must be urgently disposed of. The tree bark suffers from this disease, which is slowly destroyed by fungi and bacteria. The article will tell you what to do if a lichen appears on an apple tree, how to get rid of it. It is necessary to treat the tree, otherwise it will die.
What is a lichen
It is worth considering a brief description of the disease in order to have a rough idea of \u200b\u200bwhat will have to be removed. Lichen on an apple tree is a kind of symbiosis of fungus and algae. These 2 components positively influence each other. Algae feed on moisture and mineral salts from the fungus, which, in turn, shares the sugar produced during photosynthesis.
Important! Lichens do not have a root system. For this reason, they do not absorb the juice of the tree.
Apple tree covered with lichen, what to do? First of all, you need to figure out how the disease manifests itself, whether it is exactly a lichen. Fungus on apple trees can be of several types:
- scale;
- lamellar;
- scaly;
- bushy.
Lichen on an apple tree
Spots can also be of different colors: silvery, yellow, greenish, blue.
Why are lichens dangerous?
The trunk of the tree is covered, as it were, with scales, which allows the tree to breathe. Moss on the apple tree gradually grows and covers the lentils. This is dangerous for the tree, as the supply of oxygen stops.
In addition, pests live in lichens on an apple tree, which lead to the development of other diseases of fruit trees. All moisture accumulates under fungal growths, which is why pathogenic microorganisms appear, since this is an ideal habitat for them.
Lichen disease of apple trees
Lichens usually appear on diseased trees that have cracked trunks, the crown is poorly ventilated due to excessive density. In the spring there may be no flowering, and in the summer there may not be apples, because the acids contained in the lichen inhibit the development of the fruit tree.
What is the reason for the appearance of lichens
If a soot fungus appears on an apple tree, treatment is carried out immediately. But first you need to understand what is the reason for the development of lichen on the trunk, because not all trees have it. It has long been proven that only weakened trees become infected with a fungal infection, that is, old gardens are at risk.
Note! The paradox is that fungal growths cannot exist in a polluted atmosphere. If lichens appeared on the trees in the garden, then you don’t have to worry, which means that the site is located in an environmentally safe place.
Why did a green coating appear on the trunk of an apple tree? There is an explanation for this. There are only 3 reasons:
- excessive soil moisture;
- lack of sunlight;
- increased acidity of the soil.
Slightly rarer factors:
- flooding of the root system due to the abundance of precipitation or leakage near groundwater;
- lack of preventive measures;
- trees are located very close to each other, which is why they instantly become infected;
- mechanical damage to the cortex;
- bark burns;
- wind carrying fungal spores.
All these factors are fundamental for the development of fungal growth on fruit trees. But the main reason is improper care of the garden.
The fight against lichen on the trunk
Signs of disease of fruit trees
Mold, moss, lichen - all these are harmful microorganisms that have settled on tree trunks for various reasons. In nature, there are up to 25 species of lichens. They can be distinguished by external signs.
The process of infection begins with the reproduction of algae on the bark of a tree (green smudges). This is due to excessive dampness in the garden. First of all, they appear in the shade. A little later, the neoplasm begins to harden and turn into a real lichen.
In addition, mushrooms may appear that are used to eating tree tissues, which brings great harm to the garden. A fungal infection is distinguished by mold and a rusty coating. With a serious lesion, drying areas on the tree trunk are visible.
Ways to treat a fungal infection on an apple tree
What needs to be done to stop the development of moss on an apple tree and how to get rid of it forever? There are 3 main methods for getting rid of lichen from fruit trees: using mechanical healing, processing with folk methods, preparations. But before you start fighting, you need to prepare the garden. First of all, infected branches and those shoots that are no longer productive should be removed. The trees can then be processed as follows:
- Clean the branches with a wooden scraper. A nylon tool will also work. A similar procedure is carried out in the spring, when the bark contains an increased amount of moisture. Due to this, the growths are easier to remove. After that, the treated area should be poured with copper sulphate (3% solution), and smeared with lime on top.
- You can prepare an effective remedy yourself. Take 2 kg of ash, 1 kg of salt, shavings from 2 bars of laundry soap. All components should be combined and mixed. The finished mixture is added to 10 liters of water. The bucket is put on fire, as soon as it boils, remove from the stove and cool. The prepared composition treats the peeled bark.
- In the fight against lichen, copper sulfate has proven itself well. Take 300 g of solution per 10 liters of water. Fruit trees are sprayed with the finished product. After a week, the lichen will dry up and fall off.
Also in garden stores, a lot of ready-made solutions for fungal infections are sold. Already not the first years, fast and phytosporin remain in demand drugs.
Phytosporin from lichen on fruit trees
Preventive measures
To protect the apple tree from fungal infections, you need to regularly monitor the condition of the tree. We must not forget about sanitary care, pruning, processing cuts and damaged bark, and constantly fertilizing.
Important! It is especially important to carry out whitewashing of tree trunks in the spring. You can even whitewash the main branches. This procedure will require lime (2 kg per 10 liters of water). Here you can also add 100 g of copper sulfate.
Other diseases of the apple tree and how to get rid of them
With a fungal infection of a tree, treatment must be started urgently, otherwise it will quickly die. After all, a whole garden can suffer because of one patient. Gardeners know how many diseases there are that affect fruit trees, so they carry out preventive measures every year. But what if you still failed to save the garden? As a rule, gardeners suffer from the same problems from year to year. Main diseases:
- scab;
- rust;
- powdery mildew.
Each disease has its own method of struggle.
apple scab
Scab is somewhat different from the previous disease. When infected, the fruits, leaves and flowers are covered with gray-brown spots. It is considered a dangerous disease of fruit trees. Scab can overwinter in fallen leaves and throw out spores in spring when the weather is wet.
Important! Mass infection occurs in the first half of summer after heavy rains.
First, oily spots appear on the leaves, after which they are converted into a brown coating. Infected leaves wither and fall off. As a result, the fruits shrivel and do not pour. The apple can even deform to one side.
apple scab
You can get rid of scab as follows:
- In the spring, even before the first leaves appear, you need to spray the ground and fruit trees with chemicals. For these purposes, copper sulfate, nitrafen (300 g of solution per 10 l of water), DNOC (1% solution) are excellent.
- At the end of April, the garden should be treated with Bordeaux liquid, cuproxate or copper chlorine.
- During the period of bud formation and after, Bordeaux liquid of a 1% solution is used.
- 3 weeks after the flowering of the tree, the apple tree is sprayed with phthalan, captan, cineb compositions.
Note! As a preventive measure, you need to immediately get rid of fallen leaves and plow the ground.
Rust
If the leaves of the apple tree are covered with brown large spots, the bark on the tree is cracking as if after burns, the apples are wrinkled and covered with sores, then this indicates that it was struck by rust. This is a fungal disease that affects the apple tree completely: from roots to crown. If no measures are taken, then over time the affected branches will dry out, and then the whole tree will completely dry out. Therefore, treatment should not be delayed. Start in early spring:
- You should start by cutting off the affected branches, which are removed 10 cm from the healthy part.
- Sections should be disinfected with copper sulfate (5%), and then covered with garden pitch.
- Next, the tree should be treated with Bordeaux liquid (1%). 3 sprays per season will be enough.
Important! If juniper grows in the garden next to apple trees, then it needs to be planted at a greater distance, since it is he who is the causative agent of rust.
powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is another common fruit tree disease. It is caused by a fungus that overwinters in the buds of affected shoots. A characteristic sign of the disease is a dense silvery coating on the shoots. If treatment is not started in time, this will lead to the drying of inflorescences and leaves, to shedding of ovaries.
The main ways to get rid of powdery mildew:
- Throughout the growing season, you need to cut off the affected shoots.
- After the end of the flowering period, the apple tree is sprayed with hom.
- After harvesting, the trees must be treated with copper or iron sulphate. Alternatively, a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture is suitable.
- After processing, all fallen leaves are collected and burned.
What causes diseases of fruit trees and how to deal with them
Diseases on fruit trees have a different character:
- fungal;
- bacterial;
- cancerous.
Treatment depends on the degree of infection and the nature of the disease. The first thing to do is to destroy the damaged areas: leaves, branches, bark. This will help stop the spread of the infection.
powdery mildew
You can cure fungal diseases by spraying the crown of the tree and the trunk circle. For these purposes, chemical and organic agents are perfect. The most requested are:
- copper sulfate (2 tablespoons of copper sulfate + 1 tablespoon of liquid soap + 12 liters of water);
- colloidal sulfur (80 g of sulfur + 10 l of water);
- Bordeaux liquid (300 g of copper sulfate + 300 g of lime + 10 l of water).
At the initial stage of infection development, trees are sprayed. In summer, a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture will be required, and in spring and autumn - 3%. Infections of a bacterial and cancerous nature are very difficult to cure.
Important! It is always necessary to process tools before and after work, otherwise the risk of infection of a healthy tree increases.
Another serious disease is cytosporosis. During infection, the bark of the tree is affected. The disease progresses rapidly. Cytosporosis occurs as a result of poor care and improper watering.
As a preventive measure, the crown of trees is sprayed with copper sulphate. You can also stop the disease: you need to cut off all the affected areas, and clean the bark. This is a dangerous disease that destroys the tree from the inside.
Moniliosis apple tree
Moniliosis appears during the ripening of the crop and affects the fruits. The disease is very easy to recognize. The fruits are covered with brown spots. The affected apples are removed, the trunk circle is dug up.
Bacterial burn can affect all organs of trees. This is especially true of young shoots and leaves. If you do not treat the plant, then after a month it completely dies.
The root system can also become infected. Root cancer falls through wounds and cracks. As a result, the root system ceases to develop normally. Cancer treatment is very difficult. All growths on the roots must be cut and processed in blue vitriol.
Garden pests that affect fruit trees must be urgently disposed of in order to prevent infection of a healthy garden. Treatment of lichens is necessary, because they prevent the tree from developing normally and other pests of fruit trees remain under them.
The fact is that pests feel great under the cover of lichen. In addition, it is more difficult for the tree bark to breathe through the lichen, which leads to a weakening of the plant, albeit insignificant. Lichen is also the optimal place for the development of fungal spores. Therefore, the fight against lichens is still mandatory rather than recommendatory.
Although the positive thing about the appearance of lichens on your site is that it indicates an excellent ecology. Lichen will not appear in a heavily polluted area. Did you see a lichen? Rest assured that the air in your area is crystal clear and rich in oxygen.
How to deal with lichens on trees
Lichen control methods there are several. The most effective of them are listed below.
In the first case, you will need a wooden scraper. Metal fixtures are highly discouraged, as they damage the integrity of the wood too much. To remove moss and lichens begin with the onset of spring. At this time, the moss is maximally saturated with moisture coming into it straight from the tree bark. Which makes it much easier to remove. Before cleaning, spread a tarp around the trunk circle of the tree so that any cleaned lichens fall off the ground. Then proceed to the cleaning itself. Start with damaged areas of the cortex. With it, you will remove all pests, simultaneously getting rid of their larvae and pupae. Scrape off the bark. Until healthy wood appears. All cleaned areas should be treated with a 35% copper sulphate solution or covered with lime mortar when completed. The soil in the trunk circles should be treated with urea. This is not required, but extremely helpful. Enough matchbox substance for a bucket of water.
Whitewash. Good in the fight against lichens and preventive whitewashing of trees in autumn. This, by the way, is another argument in its favor. In late autumn, lichen is most easily propagated on tree trunks. Therefore, skeletal branches and tree boles should be carefully spaced. If there are too many trees on your site, and you are limited in time, try to whitewash at least the peeled trees, as well as neighboring plants. It is advisable to repeat whitewashing at the end of the winter season.
- To prepare a whitewash solution, take 10 liters of water, 2-3 kg of lime, mullein and up to 0.15 kg of copper sulfate. The latter, by the way, can be replaced with table salt with the same success. If you don't have time to mess around with whitewash, purchase ready-made mix from a garden supply store.
inkstone. Fights well with lichens inkstone. To prepare a working solution, dilute 0.3-0.5 kg of the substance in 10 liters of water. Processing is carried out exclusively in the spring, when the kidneys are still in a dormant state. The preparation of the solution is carried out according to a special technology: to begin with, the dry preparation is thoroughly mixed in a small amount of hot water. After its complete dissolution, the solution is brought to the final volume with cold water.
Salt. If the damage to tree trunks by lichen is not too strong, you can use lightweight cleaning. Take salt in an amount of 1 kg, wood ash - 2 kg, 2 pieces of crushed laundry soap and 10 liters of heated water. Mix all the ingredients and bring the resulting solution to a boil. Then let it cool down, after which you can safely proceed to the processing of peeled tree trunks.
Preparations. With the periodic reappearance of lichens on trees, it makes sense in the preventive treatment of tree trunks with antifungal drugs. They are bred in strict accordance with the attached instructions. Application on trees is allowed only in spring.
To restore the original beauty of your garden, lichen control on fruit trees is essential. In addition, the appearance of lichen is a signal of serious problems for trees in the garden, and should not be left unattended.
If you notice a green coating on the trees in the garden, you should not fall into despair, but there is no reason to relax either. Lichen does not cause much harm to plants, but it can spoil the aesthetic impression of contemplating the landscape. The fungi that make up the growths on the trees will not disappear on their own, they can exist even in conditions that are disastrous for other plant species.
And the lichen itself, left to grow and develop freely, from the bottom of the tree gradually spreads higher and higher, closer to the sun. As a result, in especially neglected cases, the entire bark is covered with it from top to bottom, it becomes much more difficult to deal with the problem. A dense cover of green algae reliably blocks the access of oxygen to the surface of the bark. As a result, the bark coarsens and cracks, pathogenic bacteria and fungi settle in the cracks, and pests find a safe haven and shelter in them.
The yield of neglected fruit trees decreases from year to year, and if the fight against the cause and effect of the disease is delayed, the tree dies.
Fortunately, for gardeners who care about their trees, there are a number of ways to successfully combat unwanted garden decoration.
Mechanical restoration
Cleaning lichens from the bark of fruit trees leads to an improvement in their general condition, up to rejuvenation of the bark, and an increase in fruit yield.
The good old mechanical method is quite laborious, but also effective. The first step is to prepare a suitable tool for the most accurate cleansing of the bark from lichen. Pointed wood chips, kitchen wooden spatulas, nylon brushes are perfect for this.
In no case do not use metal products for this purpose: brushes, spatulas, knives, etc.
It is advisable to perform the cleaning procedure after rain, when the lichens soften.
The entire ground near the trunk is covered with plastic wrap. The lichen is removed carefully and carefully, trying not to damage the bark. The bark is the skin of trees, their main protection, scratches and cracks on it are a direct road to infections and diseases. All scraped material is disposed of (burned, buried in a wasteland) so that the lichen does not grow in a new place. The earth around the trunk is treated with a solution of urea (1 matchbox per 10 liters of water).
Chemistry at the service of gardeners
At the end of the cleaning procedure, the released surfaces must be treated with a special disinfectant solution in order to destroy the remaining lichens on the bark. This will make it impossible to resume their growth.
Their complete destruction is carried out by treating the purified bark with a 5% solution of ferrous sulfate (100 g per 2 liters of water). Dry powder is dissolved in a small amount of hot water, topped up with cold water to the desired volume.
After the first heavy rain, the lichen falls off the bark on its own.
If the growths have just appeared and did not have time to completely cover the trunk and branches on fruit trees, when dealing with them, a cleaning agent is used, consisting of 0.5 kg of salt, 1 kg of wood ash, 1 piece of grated laundry soap. All ingredients are mixed, 5 liters of hot water are poured. The mixture is brought to a boil, cooled and used to treat the affected areas of the trunk and branches on the trees.
Many gardeners use proven folk methods to fight diseases of fruit trees. The peeled bark is treated with a decoction of slaked lime and sulfur. Dissolve 0.6 kg of slaked lime in 0.5 l of hot water, bring to a boil, add 0.4 kg of sulfur, add 1.5 l of water, stir and boil for 15 minutes, cool and cork in a bottle for long-term storage.
Before spraying, dilute 0.1 l of the finished broth in 5 l of water. It should be noted that the drug is harmful not only to pests and fungi, but also to humans. Protect your hands with rubber gloves and goggles before you start working with the decoction. Do not allow the drug to come into contact with exposed parts of the body.
Prevention
The fight against lichens in the garden may not be necessary with timely preventive measures taken. Prevention is carried out in the old grandfather way - ordinary whitewashing.
3 kg of lime, 1 kg of clay, 1 kg of mullein and 150 g of copper sulfate are dissolved in 10 liters of water. The resulting solution whitens the trunk and branches on the trees.
For young trees, whitewashing the bark is not necessary, it can even be harmful. A dense layer of lime clogs the pores, disrupts gas exchange, and prevents the timely thickening of the bole.
Be sure to protect your hands, eyes and other body parts before working. The ideal option is long-sleeved clothing, rubber gloves, goggles. Lime mortar is an aggressive alkaline environment, it can cause burns and wounds when it comes into contact with open areas of the body. If this fails, immediately flush the affected area with clean water.
On the nature of green "decorations"
Due to their unusual structure, plants belonging to the lichen family do not feed on sap or tree tissues, but take liquid from the environment and are able to absorb moisture even from fog. To saturate them with microelements, a little rain and even dust settling on the surface of algae is enough.
In unfavorable conditions, during severe droughts or when the atmosphere is polluted with harmful emissions, lichens dry out and, as it were, are preserved, and come to life again with the first rain. The owner of the garden, in which signs of the appearance of lichens have appeared, can be comforted by the fact that he lives in an ecologically clean region.
What are mushroom growths talking about?
The appearance of lichens on fruit trees is the first sign of their poor health, they signal that they have certain problems:
Lichen perfectly takes root in the loose bark of a weakened tree. In such a nutrient medium, its first colonies appear. Green spots on branches and trunks are a symptom of a plant disease; at their first appearance, the gardener should pay attention to the general condition tree /5 - 10 votes
We are all good gardeners, of which I have no doubt. Problems with garden trees are familiar firsthand, but I think not everyone knows how to get rid of them correctly. Today we will consider the problem of lichens on fruit trees. We will learn how to fight and some preventive measures.
Do not confuse lichens with the ubiquitous mold - this is just one of the varieties of the huge mushroom kingdom. Interestingly, they do not have roots, and they absorb the moisture necessary for life with the entire surface. They feed simply - rain or melt water and elements contained in microscopic dust particles.
Life expectancy in some cases exceeds a hundred years! Even the most unfavorable conditions will not destroy the body - it will simply fall asleep until better times, stopping growth. After awakening, the growth will continue to develop with renewed vigor, because you need to catch up!
They settle on weak or old trees, start young seedlings, then even on them you will soon find unpleasant green or gray growth. You can get acquainted with some types of fungal organism in the photo.
Some of the top reasons for growth are:
- freezing;
- cracked bark;
- dense unventilated crown.
If you do not carry out timely treatment, the shoots will settle under the layer, and the weak infected branches will soon dry out.
Treatment with copper sulphate
Copper sulfate proved to be excellent in the fight against lichens. Before processing, be sure to arm yourself with a tin scraper and carefully scrape off all the growth, being careful not to damage healthy tissue. At the same time, the old bark will be removed, giving the tree a well-groomed and neat appearance. First, cover the ground around the trunk with polyethylene, and after processing, burn everything immediately.
If the lichens are not completely removed, after a few days they should fall off on their own. It remains only to carry out a control check and remove the remnants, which will be quite a bit.
I want to warn you - it is categorically not recommended to carry out processing in summer or winter. You can damage the wood with a scraper or solutions, which will have a very deplorable effect on the crop. When the damage is severe, even a tree weakened by fungal organisms will die.
soap solution
The garden is young, there are very few lichens, then you can get rid of them with a simple solution prepared by yourself. You will need:
- kilogram package of salt;
- a couple of bars of laundry dark soap (the blacker the better);
- 4 liter cans of wood ash.
Rub the soap or cut into small chips, mix with other ingredients and pour a bucket of hot water. Put the soap mixture on the fire and boil for a few minutes. The cooled solution is generously applied to the tree. Processing can be carried out every week, until the complete disappearance of fungal organisms.
Completion of processing
You already know how to deal with an unpleasant-looking growth, now I’ll tell you what to do to prevent its reappearance. Only whitewashing will help here. Usually I use lime, this method of protecting my favorite trees has never let me down.
A bucket of water will need 2 kg (maybe a little more) of lime. When preparing the solution, do not stand close, because the splashes can burn your hands or even your face. Try to carry out work in protective clothing and gloves. Apply a thick layer of white mixture to each tree, at least a meter high. You can whiten the trunks several times a year, successfully prevents the appearance of lichens.
If you don’t want to make life difficult for yourself, purchase a ready-made mixture for whitewashing garden trees in the store. I tried to use such a solution, I just added a little clay to it, so the liquid mixture keeps better on the trunks and does not fall off.
Preventive work
The main condition that guarantees the complete absence of shoots is regular pruning. You can notice that the crowns are too thick, the sun's rays and fresh air hardly make their way through them, an unpleasant gray growth is certainly present on all trunks without exception.
Ruthlessly cut off excess branches, pay special attention to old ones or those that are intertwined in crowns. If you periodically walk around the garden and remove everything superfluous, you can be sure that lichens will not appear there.
It will help to prevent the appearance of fungal organisms by treating the garden with milk of lime. Of course, this only applies to cases where the trees are low. Preparing the mixture is simple - dissolve a kilogram pack of lime in a bucket of cold water. Prepare for the fact that you will have to go to the garden after every rain, otherwise the work will go down the drain.
I think you already know that it is not easy to deal with lichens, but if you get down to work energetically, then soon the garden will be clean and healthy, delighting with the harvest every year. Be sure to watch a useful video, it will certainly help to cope with the growth that is ugly and dangerous for trees. See you soon, dear friends!
