Every gardener knows what scab is. If greenish or brown spots appear on young leaves, bark and fruits, on which cracks subsequently appear, it means that the fungus Venturia inaequalis has settled on the tree. Apple and pear trees suffer greatly from a pathogenic fungus. It actively reproduces in high humidity: rainy summers, plenty of dew or fog. Curing a tree from scab is a difficult but doable task. We present the TOP 5 methods.
Crown trimming
Pruning is a radical method, of course, but effective. To do this, after harvesting, all affected branches are pruned, fallen leaves and rotten apples and pears are removed from the root circle, and bark with signs of infection is cleaned off. All garbage is burned or buried away from the orchard. If this is not done, the fungus will infect the plant again. In addition, in the spring the trunk must be whitened so that the scab that has overwintered in the soil does not end up on the bark again.
Spraying with potassium permanganate
Potassium permanganate helps well in the fight against scab of apples and pears, in addition, it is harmless to the fruit. Trees are treated in this way 3-4 times per season. Spray the bark and soil around the trunk generously. In the spring, when the buds just appear, the solution is made slightly pink, and in later processing it becomes rich pink.
Treatment with Bordeaux mixture
Bordeaux mixture is quite effective against scab. All thanks to the presence of potassium in its composition.Several treatments are carried out per season, with a very advanced disease up to 7 times. Spray the tree crown, trunk and soil. The first treatment with a 4% solution of Bordeaux mixture is carried out until the buds appear, subsequent treatments with a 1% solution at each new phase of the plant.
Use of fungicides
If folk remedies do not help, you should use professional preparations - fungicides. The principle of treatment is the same for all - it is spraying the entire tree several times a season. Proven means in the fight against fungus are “Zato”, “Khom”, “Skor”, “Kuprikol”, “Tsikhom” and others.
Watering with fertilizer
In order to get rid of scab, agronomists advise watering the tree twice a year with a complex fertilizer, for example “Baikal EM-1”. To do this, fertilizer is diluted in a bucket of water and the root circle is watered abundantly. There is no need to loosen the soil; you can mulch it with sawdust.
It is worth remembering that apple and pear scab have different pathogens, so the fungus does not pass from one type to another. But between species of apple or pear trees, scab spreads very quickly.
