Why does "rust" appear on the leaves of fruit trees and how to deal with it

Rusty spots on the leaves of garden fruit trees are quite common. They are provoked by a fungal disease that affects the entire plant.

Signs of rust appear in late spring or early summer when the leaves are actively blooming on the trees. First, small yellow-green dots of various sizes form, then they turn bright red and grow over the entire surface. These rust spots draw moisture from all the vegetative parts of the tree, which leads to their drying out and death.

When rust appears, treatment must be started immediately, otherwise, the tree will stop bearing fruit and eventually die. All plants growing with an infected tree are at risk of this disease. The rust pathogen can persist on plant debris not removed from the garden for up to 8 years.

Read also: How to organize space in a small garden

How to treat rust-affected trees?

Treatment is carried out in stages. It is carried out three times a year: before budding, during the period of bud formation or after flowering, and 14 days after the second treatment.

Experienced gardeners advise using Bordeaux liquid (2%) to spray the crown at the beginning of the growing season. During the period of bud formation, repeat the procedure, reducing the concentration of the substance to 1%. The last spraying of the crown should be carried out when the fruits are in the filling stage.

For the second time, the garden should be treated with copper sulfate (1%), and copper chloride, and for the third time, the trees are treated with Kuprosil or Bordeaux liquid (1%).

After treatment, it is necessary to increase the immunity of the trees. To do this, you should use fertilizers and preparations, which you can find in more detail in garden centers or in specialized stores.

And to prevent the recurrence of rust infection, it is necessary to completely destroy the spores of this fungus. To this end, the entire garden is treated with antifungal drugs, and cleaned of weeds, and wormwood is planted near the trees, which suppresses the development of infection.

As a reminder, UAportal has already written about how to grow tulips in egg trays.

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