Sooty fungus is a type of mold that develops on the basis of nectar, plant sap released from wood or the sweet secretions of aphids, ants, and scale insects. Areas that are contaminated appear as if they are covered in a layer of soot. It chooses tree bark, branches, leaves and fruits as a place of parasitism.
Causes of sooty fungus
The propagation of sooty fungus is a fairly rapid process, as a result of which it covers part of the surface of the tree bark with a black coating, clogging its microscopic holes.
It affects fruit trees for the following reasons:
- the presence of leaf-eating and sucking insects on them (aphids, ants, copperheads, mealybugs);
- wood wounds that were not promptly treated with garden varnish;
- One of the reasons is tree pruning, which was done incorrectly. It needs to be carried out regularly and make sure that the crown is not very thick, as diseases begin to develop due to shading of the plant.
The peak development of sooty fungus occurs in the summer (July and August), since hot and dry weather has a beneficial effect on its reproduction.
Signs of sooty fungus
One of the initial signs indicating the formation of this disease on fruit trees is the presence of ants running along the trunk of the plant.The infected area begins to become covered with a black coating, which is characterized by areas that differ from each other in size and shape, as well as the fact that it is easily erased.
Infected fruits are small in size, unmarketable, and they also lose their shelf life. The leaves that are most affected dry out and fall off faster than others.
Treatment of sooty fungus
If sooty fungus is detected on a tree, treatment procedures should be started immediately. First you need to determine the cause of its development and get rid of the pests that contribute to its reproduction. The treatment process consists of the following stages:
- The branches that are most exposed to infection should be pruned regardless of the season and burned.
- The affected areas of the trunk must be thoroughly cleaned and sprayed. For this you can use:
- Bordeaux mixture - 1% solution;
- copper sulfate - 5%;
- caustic soda solution;
- a solution of laundry soap and copper sulfate;
- drugs "Fitosporin" or "Fitover".
It is important to remember that these methods can be applied if there are more than 15 days left before harvest. If sooty fungus appears due to insects, then the trees should be treated with preparations that prevent their appearance.
- After the harvest is harvested, the trees need to be treated again so that the plants can prepare for winter.
After these steps, careful attention should be paid to pruning trees in the fall. The branches need to be thinned out, making sure that no affected areas remain on the tree, and fallen leaves should be burned. You also need to whiten the trunks for the winter.
Treatment of sooty fungus on fruit trees while preserving them is possible, but quite labor-intensive. To prevent its development, you should properly care for your plants throughout the year. All care measures must be carried out in a timely manner, and in such a situation various diseases will not develop on healthy trees.
