Rusty spots on honeysuckle leaves signal a dangerous disease that must be combated when the first signs appear - yellow-orange, red-brown, brown tubercles filled with pathogen spores. The appearance of “rust” on foliage is associated with fungal infections that gradually destroy the bush.
What causes plant disease
The infection reaches the foliage through vectors - garden inhabitants of flora and fauna due to climatic and weather conditions. The formation of rust marks is influenced by unkempt garden plots, thickets of weeds and unmown grass, as well as the remains of last year’s leaves in which perennial pathogens overwinter.
The sources of threat in the form of “rust” on honeysuckle bushes are justified by the following reasons:
- proximity to coniferous trees and shrubs - the main “hosts” of rust fungus;
- invasion of insect pests that deplete the plant system and make it vulnerable to disease;
- weather phenomena - an abundance of precipitation during the growing season, winds, as well as “climatic swings” throughout the season, when sharp cold snaps are replaced by rapid warmings.
How to prevent rusty leaves from appearing on honeysuckle bushes
The fight against gardeners’ main enemy, “rust,” includes simple preventative care techniques, such as:
- regular weed control and thorough cleaning of the garden for the winter;
- treating bushes with biological preparations at least three times a season - before, at the height of, and at the end of the growing season;
- soil improvement;
- annual sanitary pruning of branches.
Helping a sick plant
Having discovered fungal infections on honeysuckle leaves, diseased shoots are cut off and burned. This way the disputes will not spread to other garden crops. If the disease is detected before flowering, then treatment with a fungicide is allowed. Later, it is prohibited to use chemicals on fruit trees and shrubs.
To avoid sunburn of foliage, treatment is carried out early in the morning or in the evening. To ensure that the plant and soil absorb the drug, spraying is done in dry weather, 2–3 days before the predicted precipitation.
Limited territory, proximity to a forest or neighbors' property - these factors are difficult to influence in order to protect crops from infection by rust fungus. Comprehensive prevention and attention to the condition of the foliage of garden plants will minimize the appearance of “rust” and will have a beneficial effect on the harvest.
