If you are the caretaker of any pitted fruit trees, such as plums, peach, or cherry trees, you probably already know that these kinds of trees are much more prone to disease than any other kind of tree. Although the fruits are delicious, growing one of those types of fruit trees can make life quite difficult due to the myriad of health problems that can arise from doing so. This is true for anyone who has ever attempted to cultivate one of those types of fruit trees.
The most common form of this disease is referred to as “Brown Rot,” and you will hear about it the most. After the harvesting season has ended, this type of fungus will attach itself to many of the fruits that have been left behind. It not only makes the fruits that have been used up look revolting, but it also has the potential to spread to the fruits that have been recently harvested, rendering them inedible (unless you enjoy eating fungus). You can avoid this ailment by performing routine tree maintenance tasks, such as pruning, which promotes healthy circulation of air. The brown rot is primarily brought on by accumulations of moisture, as its name suggests. Additionally, once you have finished picking for the season, you need to get rid of any extra fruits that are still hanging from the tree or lying on the ground.
On the branches of trees, a cytospora canker looks like a disgusting dark and soft area. In addition to a sizable callus, gum can be seen protruding through the bark. In most cases, the cankers on the tree were caused by a pathogen that entered the tree through older wounds. Cankers will have a more difficult time becoming noticeable within your tree if you remove all of the sprouts that appear in the late summer and prune them. When you prune, you should never use wound dressings; instead, you should always let the wounds heal on their own naturally. Wound dressings can be purchased at gardening supply stores. My experience has shown that these are typically not very helpful in any given circumstance and only serve to make the tree appear artificial and unnatural.
Those who plant plum trees run the risk of having to deal with a disease known as Black Knot. Rough tumors or growths on the branches of the tree are visible evidence of black not, one of the symptoms of the disease. In the event that you come across any of these, you need to immediately prune the branch they are attached to. If you typically use branches as mulch, you shouldn’t use them for this project. If the tree is within a certain distance of another infected one, the disease has a good chance of spreading again.
The “Cherry Leaf Spot” is something that almost everyone who has ever cared for a cherry tree has dealt with at some point. It manifests itself most frequently when there is an accumulation of old, decaying leaves on the ground. It shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid contracting this disease. You just need to be reasonably diligent about raking up all of the leaves that fall from your tree. That’s all there is to it. If you have already noticed symptoms of the disease, you need to throw away all of the leaves that you have raked. In that case, you can use them as mulch if you like.
When your fruits reach the point where they are ready to be picked, you should make it a point to finish picking them within two weeks at the absolute most. It is in your best interest to go outside on a daily basis and pick all of the newly ripened fruits, as well as any fruits that have already fallen off the tree or are showing signs of beginning to rot on the tree. If you do this, you will prevent bees and wasps from becoming overly reliant on your tree for sustenance and stop them from becoming dependent.
Growers of fruit trees are constantly challenged by the presence of a wide variety of diseases and pests. On the other hand, if you take the appropriate safety measures, you should be able to avoid the vast majority of these problems. You should also look for diseases that have been affecting your area recently and make an effort to prevent those, as well as any other diseases that you find.
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