Apple tree diseases (with photos) and their treatment

It's important to know apple tree diseases and their treatments from photos so you can immediately spot anything amiss in your daily gardening. It's important to point out that certain apple tree diseases are common to many other fruit and vegetable crops, even houseplants (for example, powdery mildew).

However, apple trees, while quite capricious yet common, can also be susceptible to their own unique pests. In this article, we'll look at the main pests of beautiful apple trees, as well as the main methods for controlling them. Remember, timely prevention is as important as treatment.

Apple tree diseases and their treatment in pictures

Powdery mildew

This fungal disease, a disease common to many plants. It attacks parts of the tree. Powdery mildew initially appears as a white coating, hence its name. The coating then turns brown, developing black spots. Apple tree leaves turn yellow and dry out, and the blossoms fail to form fruit.

How to fight:

• When the apple tree first begins to leaf out in spring, it needs to be treated. The best options are "Topaz" or "Skor." Dilute just 2 ml of the product per ten liters of water;
• Once the apple tree has finished blooming, you can apply additional treatment with "Hom." In this case, dilute 40 ml of the product in 10 liters of water;
• The apples have already been picked, which means the tree needs to be sprayed again with "Hom," and then additionally with a one-percent solution of Bordeaux mixture. Then, spray the tree with a solution of copper sulfate and laundry soap;

Scab

Another fungal disease that affects both apple and pear trees equally often (powdery mildew is extremely rare on pears, although it can occur). A brown coating will be visible on the apple tree's leaves. Affected leaves dry up and fall off. The fruit itself stops growing and becomes covered with black cracks and spots. Because of its appearance, this apple disease is often called "black cancer." It requires mandatory treatment.

How to fight:

• The first treatment is carried out in the spring, when the leaves are just beginning to unfurl. Topaz can be used at a dilution of just 2 ml per 10 liters of water;
• After the tree has finished flowering, you can treat it with either the “Hom” preparation or the “Colloidal Sulfur” preparation;

Cytosporosis

Another fungal infection common to these trees. It most often attacks the bark, often so severely that the trunk dries out. It appears as dark, rapidly expanding ulcers. It can kill not only young trees but also older ones. This disease often develops due to frost, poor care, or overly wet (or overly dry) soil.

How to fight:

• In the spring, when the buds are just beginning to swell, spray with "Hom." However, it's important that the air temperature by this time has already warmed up to 15 degrees Celsius;
• Before the tree begins to bloom, it is necessary to spray it using copper sulfate;
• The third option is to spray the tree with the "Hom" preparation. This should be done after the apple tree has finished blooming;
• Then, treatment is carried out in the fall. Phosphorus and potassium are applied to prepare the tree for winter;
• In November, it's recommended to whitewash not only the trunk but also the large branches. It's also recommended to repeat the whitewashing in early March;

Important! When treating this apple tree disease in the fall, you need to mix a special whitewashing solution. Take one kilogram of lime, four kilograms of clay, and three kilograms of cow parsley. Dissolve all of this in ten liters of water, add two tablespoons of copper sulfate and office glue. Also add 40 grams of soap and a tablet of a wound healing preparation (heteroauxin).

Fruit rot

The apples will develop unsightly brown spots. These quickly spread, affecting the entire fruit, causing the flesh to also turn brown and become uneatable. A significant portion of the fruit will fall off, although many remain on the tree.

How to fight:

• Collect diseased fruit from the tree and remove them from the garden. The best method is to bury the affected apples;
• Use the drug "Hom" for treatment during the blossoming of leaves, and then do another treatment after the tree finishes flowering;

Bacterial burn

The disease is viral in nature and quite serious. It begins in July, when annual shoots dry up and the leaves turn black. Regardless of the tree's age, if left untreated, it will die within two years. The disease is transmitted to seedlings, so vegetative propagation from a diseased tree will be unsuccessful.

How to fight:

• Buy only healthy apple tree seedlings;
• Fight tree pests that suck sap and gnaw bark;
• After cutting and grafting, be sure to wash garden tools;
• Affected leaves must be burned promptly;
• It is necessary to disinfect the soil using a solution of copper sulfate;

Yes, apple tree diseases are varied, and their treatments may vary. But despite these varied symptoms, as can be seen in the photos, caring for your trees and taking preventative measures will help you have a healthy and delicious harvest every year.