Apricot diseases and pests: how to recognize and fight?

Apricot grows quickly, easily recovers after pruning and damage to branches, is undemanding to soil, blooms beautifully, exudes a honey aroma and bears fruit early. And everything would be fine if it were not for diseases and pests of apricots.

For the middle zone, apricot is not a very typical crop, which means that even a slight deviation from the rules of agricultural technology can lead to very disastrous consequences. That is why it is very important to pay as much attention as possible not only to pruning and fertilizing, but also to the fight against diseases and pests.

Common apricot diseases and their symptoms

Many diseases can be caused by severe frosts or drought, or improper care.

Non-communicable diseases:

• moniliosis;
• comedy;
• frostbite;
• bacterial burn;
• apoplexy;
• gommosis.

The listed diseases arise due to low or very high temperatures, disturbances in feeding, and an increase in the concentration of harmful substances in the soil and air.

Infectious diseases include diseases that affect plants from the inside, provoked by fungi, bacteria, viruses:

• phytopathogenic fungi without chlorophyll, feeding on the organic matter of the plants on which they live;
• Waltz's fungus, moniliosis and clasterosporiasis cause felt (fluffy) plaque mold;
• ring and plum pox;
• ribbon mosaic;
• bacterial spot;
• fruit rot;
• gnomoniasis;
• scab;
• verticillium;
• fusarium;
• cytosporosis

Depending on the type of distribution, diseases are divided into local, when only part of the tree is affected, or general, spreading throughout the entire plant. If the infection covers the entire apricot, it dies. Non-communicable diseases are usually included in the general group, while infectious diseases are found in both categories.

Symptoms characteristic of the disease:

• change in color of leaves, bark, shoots;
• raids;
• mummification (infected parts turn black and dry out);
• pustules with spores of pathogenic bacteria (look like “rust”);
• necrosis, manifested in leaf spots (they become covered with holes);
• rot;
• deformation (“pockets” of fruits, curling of leaves);
• growths, tumors (thickening of individual areas);
• wilting (usually due to moisture deficiency, but turgor can be viral when the leaves curl after flowering);
• ulcerations (depressions).

Diseases go through two phases of development - acute and chronic. Acute is characterized by the appearance of symptoms. In the chronic phase there are no signs of the disease. Treatment depends on the type of disease, its stage, and manifestations.

Leaves turn yellow and fall off in early summer

The infection of apricots by fungal diseases often leads to their crown turning yellow and shedding its leaves. Knowing the symptoms and causes of infections typical of apricot, you can not only recognize and treat them in a timely manner, but also prevent the development of most of them.

Apricot chlorosis

The lack of chlorophyll in the leaves, resulting from apricot disease with chlorosis, significantly affects the process of photosynthesis.

The disease is non-infectious in nature and is caused by a whole range of reasons:

• deficiency of microelements, primarily iron, necessary for the formation of chlorophyll;
• damage to the root system as a result of freezing;
• lack of drainage with constant waterlogging of the soil, which leads to oxygen starvation;
• alkalization of the soil when adding too much lime or nitrogen.

Chlorosis is manifested by the blanching of foliage, its falling, and the death of new bark on the branches and trunk.

Spraying with a solution of iron sulfate will help cope with minor manifestations of chlorosis in apricots. If the disease is caused by soil depletion or alkalization, the application of appropriate fertilizers - ammonium nitrate or rotted manure - will help correct the situation.

We recommend that you read the article on proper feeding of apricots depending on the season and age.

Gnomoniasis or brown spot

Signs of infection appear on the leaves in early June as barely noticeable spots, gradually covering the entire leaf blade and causing it to curl and wilt. In mid-summer, on the reverse side of the affected leaves, you can see a cluster of black dots - fungal spores.

On fruits, brown spot appears as dry brown spots that gradually increase in size. Their appearance leads to the fall of unripe fruits and a change in shape in more ripe ones. Trees weakened by the disease produce fewer fruit buds and shoots and freeze slightly in winter.

A good way of prevention is to grow varieties resistant to gnomoniasis.

Coccomycosis

Apricot infection with coccomycosis is indicated by the appearance of red-brown spots on the leaves in May-June, which gradually increases. Pinkish or grayish pustules with spores form on the reverse side of the leaf. In case of severe damage, petioles, young shoots and fruits with stalks are also covered with spotting.

Diseased leaves curl and fall prematurely. Infected fruits remain underdeveloped, their pulp acquires a watery taste, and the commercial quality of such fruits is very low.

For methods of treatment and prevention of coccomycosis, see the video below:

Verticillium

The disease is fungal in nature, its pathogens live in the soil. Affecting the root system of apricot, verticillium causes sudden drying out of the foliage, which starts from the lower branches and gradually rises, reaching the upper part of the crown. The inflorescences wither and the fruits rot.

If signs of verticillium are detected, it is recommended to treat the tree with Topsin-M or Fundazol, otherwise the apricot will die.

Scab

Stone fruit scab is a disease that often occurs in apricots. This is a fungal pathology and is easily determined. Plants are affected by a parasite that spreads quickly. As a result, the leaves become stained and fall off. Then the infection spreads to the shoots and fruits, which become covered with a gray coating. The best method of prevention is the correct choice of seedlings; pesticide treatment is carried out later.

Symptoms of the disease and causes of infection

First, the leaves become deformed. Round marks appear on them, with fuzzy boundaries, randomly scattered on the reverse side. Gradually, the spots turn brown and become harder. The infection spreads to the entire organ, affecting the veins and stem. If the damage to the leaves is severe, they wither, dry out, and fall to the ground. Then the infection spreads to the shoots.

Late symptoms appear as hard brown or gray spots on unripe fruit. Gradually, the affected area increases, a velvety coating of different colors appears - from black to olive. Infected fruits burst and the pulp is destroyed. Apricots lose their visual appeal and taste. In case of severe infection, the trunk and root system suffer from scab.

The causes of deformation can be insects (for more details, see the article “Apricot Pests”), which become more active when there is excessive humidity or during periods of sudden temperature fluctuations (in the off-season). During these periods, the tree experiences stress, which further weakens the plant, making it susceptible to infections.

Scab causative agent

The causative agent of stone fruit scab is a pathogenic fungus that overwinters on fallen leaves. Pests are small dark colored balls. In the spring, spores are released from them, then disperse throughout the garden, infecting plants. The most favorable period for pests is rainy weather or a climate with high humidity.

Treatment

When scab appears, green spaces are sprayed with fungicides - Topsin-M (0.1%), Kaptan-50 (0.3%). Initially they are processed before flowering, and a second time after it. Then spraying is carried out at intervals of 10-14 days. If the disease progresses, up to 6 procedures per month can be performed.

Fighting scab with traditional methods

Chemical treatment is not always required. You can use folk remedies. For example, when scab occurs, the trunk, its crown and the ground around it are watered with mustard solution (40 g of powder is dissolved in 5 liters of water). In spring and summer, plants are sprayed with potassium permanganate. The solution should be pink. However, you can’t make it too bright - the liquid can burn the flowers and leaves. Therefore, preference is given to mustard solution.

Prevention

Prevention saves you from the appearance of scab, but if the disease has already appeared, then measures are aimed at preventing the further spread of the pathology:

• ensure careful watering, without waterlogging the soil;
• trim dry, damaged branches in a timely manner;
• pull out weeds and burn fallen leaves.
• in the tree trunk circle you need to periodically loosen the soil;
• regularly inspect the shoots and crown for the presence of fungus;
• spraying is carried out with one percent Bordeaux or gray-lime solution, copper sulfate (3%);
• fumigation with smoke from sawdust.

The saved harvest must be processed immediately, since spores remain on the surface of the fruit and the pathological process will continue. If even one diseased tree is found, the entire garden must be sprayed.

What to do if the leaves of an apricot tree wither and dry out

If the apricot begins to lose its leaves and dry out, this is a clear sign of fungal damage to the plant. Let's look at the main ones.

Fruits rot and branches dry out - moniliosis

The fungus infects the crop through flower pistils and is one of the most common apricot diseases. Its spores are carried by insects, rain and wind, and the establishment of cool, rainy weather during the flowering period contributes to infection.

In spring, it manifests itself as a monilial burn, leading to the flower ovary and leaves drying out - as if the plant had been burned. Secondary moniliosis affects the fruits - they rot, a gray fringe forms on the surface, which is why this disease is also called gray rot.

We have a separate article about the symptoms and treatment of the disease - click here.

Leaves and fruits are speckled - scab

Being an infectious disease, scab affects the branches, fruits and leaves of the apricot, and if it spreads strongly, it also affects its trunk and roots. It can be identified by brown spots on still green fruits or brown formations on the back side of the leaf blade. If young branches are infected, then many brown ulcers appear on the shoots, they grow and develop poorly.

Scab leads to water imbalance and partial loss of yield. The remaining fruits have an ugly shape and spoiled presentation.

Cytosporosis

The disease is of fungal origin and is manifested by the appearance of many brown tubercles resembling goose bumps on the apricot trunk and branches.

Cytosporosis affects both young and old trees. Infection occurs as a result of infection of the crop through cracks in the bark by fungal spores. This leads to foliage withering and dying, branches to dry out, and if wood is infected, to the death of the entire tree.

The pathological process develops throughout the growing season and lasts from 1 year to several years; it is best seen during the period of flowering and leaf blossoming. The most susceptible to cytosporiosis are weakened trees growing on soils depleted of minerals. Wild zherdeli apricots are resistant to it.

Apoplexy

Drying of apricot branches as a result of apoplexy is accompanied by gum formation, the formation of ulcers, the appearance of a large number of fatty shoots, and discoloration of the leaves.

The reason that causes its development is metabolic disorders. Affected trees have flowers, fruits and leaves wither, and weakened trees are susceptible to attack by bark beetles, infection with clasterosporiosis, and other fungal diseases. Being weakened and not prepared for winter, such plants often die from freezing.

Branches affected by apoplexy are subject to sanitary pruning, followed by treatment of the sections with copper sulfate and garden pitch.

Bacterial cancer

The disease, caused by gram-negative strains, affects the leaves, shoots, and inflorescences of apricot, and ultimately leads to the death of the tree. Typical symptoms include:

1. The buds either do not develop at all or form small, quickly drying leaves.
2. By affecting branches, bacteriosis causes the formation of ulcers, leading to the death of the bark and destruction of phloem tissue (as a result, drying out).

Infection with bacterial canker occurs through damage caused by bark beetles and other insects; the source of the disease is old trees affected by the disease, and the carriers are garden tools, wind, and insects. Young trees infected with bacteriosis die within 1-3 years. In old trees, the disease can become chronic, greatly reducing yield.

To prevent bacterial cancer, it is necessary to:

• grow and graft varieties resistant to this disease
• in the spring, add zinc sulfate to the soil in the amount of 10-15 g per 1 hectare;

If the apricot has been affected by bacterial cancer, you need to take measures to treat it as soon as possible:

1. Spray the trees with a 3% solution of zinc sulfate during bud break.
2. the affected branches are cut 15-20 cm below the lesion site and then burned. To disinfect the cut area, treat it with a solution of copper sulfate 3% or iron sulfate 5%, then the cut is covered with paint or garden varnish.

If the tree is completely dead, you cannot immediately plant fruit crops in this place, since the remains of the apricot roots will carry a bacterial canker infection for many years. To disinfect the soil, bleach is added to it for several years at a rate of 100 g/sq.m, as well as nematicides.

Gum treatment

Gum is a resinous substance that appears in cracks of apricot trunks and branches as a response to damage.

Gum discharge or gommosis is a non-infectious disease. Its appearance indicates damage to the cortex as a result of:

• sunburn;
• freezing of branches;
• pruning carried out in late spring;
• rodent activity;
• presence of mosses and lichens.

It is recommended to remove the gum that appears with a wooden scraper, and disinfect the place of formation with copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture, and treat the top with garden varnish.

Fusarium

Apricots are most susceptible to fusarium drying out in the flowering phase (this is especially true for weakened trees, as well as those with mechanical damage). The establishment of hot, humid weather during this period contributes to the spread of the disease.

The pathogen lives in soil and plant debris. When infected, fusarium causes blockage of blood vessels, manifesting itself as brown-gray dull spots on leaves and fruits, leading to wrinkling of the peel and drying out of the pulp.

As a treatment, you can treat the affected plant with Fundazol, Vitaros, Topsin-M or Bentanol. An advanced disease cannot be treated; the tree must be destroyed to avoid infecting other crops.

Mushroom Valsa

A fungal disease that occurs as a result of incorrect or untimely pruning. Spores that penetrate untreated wounds cause nodular, orange-yellow cankers, causing leaves to wither and turn yellow and branches to dry out.

To prevent the disease, it is recommended to treat the sections after pruning with garden varnish. In case of damage, a fungicidal spray is used in several approaches at intervals of 7-10 days.

Cytosporosis

Cytosporosis is damage to the bark by a fungus. Appears as small black dots. The fungus gets activated when it gets inside the plant. As a result, depressed, non-healing wounds are formed. Every year they become deeper. Gradually, the process of drying out the bark begins, followed by its death. The fungus can enter through cracks that appeared after frost or as a result of mechanical injuries.

The tree's reaction to the disease is the release of gum, which begins to clog the blood vessels. At the site of parasite penetration, necrosis and fungal mycelium develop. As the pathology develops, it causes weakening of the apricot and thinning of the crown. The branches are stunted, dry out, and the leaves become smaller.

Apricots are more susceptible to cytosporosis than other trees. Its characteristic symptoms are wilting of foliage, drying of branches, and the trunk as a whole. Cytosporosis mainly develops in the spring, after flowering. Shoots and branches begin to wither and dry out. Brown streaks appear, the bark becomes brown, with many cracks in which gum accumulates. Gradually, the trunk and branches become covered with black tubercles. The next year they turn into growths that grow deeper.

Cytosporosis can be treated only at an early stage. All affected branches are removed. In this case, another 10 cm of the healthy part is cut off from the damaged area. The same procedure must be carried out in the spring. The wounds are covered with garden varnish, and the hollows are cemented. Before this procedure, all damage is disinfected with copper sulfate. In the fall, fertilizing is applied to the tree (watering with solutions) with the addition of potassium and phosphorus.

Disease Prevention

To protect the capricious apricot from parasites and various ailments, it needs to be provided with comprehensive care, which includes a number of measures - agrotechnical, protective, biological and chemical:

Find out how and what you can graft an apricot on.

• timely and thorough pruning of shoots in spring and autumn;
• not allowing the crown to become dense;
• mandatory preventive spraying of the tree in the spring, before the bud break phase, with fungicides;
• caring for the tree trunk: destroying weeds, loosening and mulching the soil;
• control of soil moisture and dosages of applied fertilizers;
• maintaining a comfortable neighborhood. Apricots should not be planted close to tobacco, strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes and other nightshade crops;
• carefully covering the tree for the winter, avoiding sudden changes in air temperature;
• systematic visual inspection of the culture to identify symptoms of disease or the presence of parasites;
• timely removal and destruction of affected tissues: leaves, fruits, branches;
• strict adherence to instructions for treating a specific illness if it occurs.

Preventive treatment of an apricot orchard against diseases and parasites is an integral part of plant care. To get a decent harvest of tasty and aesthetically attractive apricots, you need to be extremely attentive to the trees and provide them with proper care.

Did you know? Türkiye is considered the leader in apricot cultivation today.
Second place belongs to Iran, and Uzbekistan takes an honorable third place. Timely identification of pests or the first signs of illness will not only preserve good fruiting in plants, but may also save them from death.

Apricot leaf diseases and their treatment

There are a number of diseases that affect the leaves. Let's look at them in the following table.

In all of these cases, the affected areas of the tree are removed. Branches with diseased foliage are pruned. Afterwards, additional treatment with solutions is carried out.

If the leaves curl, we look for the culprits

A change in the color of the leaf plate, its curling and drying out indicates that the apricot is infested with aphids, leafworms and other pests. Carrying out preventive measures is one of the reliable ways to protect a plant from harmful insects.

Aphids - how to deal with the pest

Apricot is affected by aphids in spring and early summer. Insects suck the juices from young shoots, inflorescences and leaves, causing their deformation and death. In addition, they are carriers of viruses and fungi that cause weakening of the tree and reduced fruiting.

Often the cause of aphids on apricots is ants, which transfer them to healthy plants. Therefore, before fighting it, it is necessary to remove anthills from the area, and only then carry out the treatment. To do this, you can use folk remedies (for example, a solution of laundry soap and ammonia in water) or industrial insecticides such as Fitoverm and Fufanon no later than 1-1.5 months. before harvest.

See the video below for more details about aphids and how to combat them.

leaf roller

Leafworm butterfly caterpillars, having appeared in the spring, actively devour foliage and buds on apricot trees. Already in the summer they pupate, wrapped in leaves (which is why they curl), and after a while turn into butterflies.

To combat leafworm, trees can be treated with garlic solution or the preparations “Inta-vir”, “Entobacterin”.

Curly

A fungal disease manifested by curvature of runs, deformation of foliage, shortening of internodes. The affected leaves thicken due to the appearance on both sides of the leaf plate of a waxy coating with spores of the causative fungus. Over time, they lose color and fall off.

To combat leaf curl, copper-containing preparations are used, as well as “Profit” and “Rodomil Gold”, which contain mancozeb, an active ingredient against leaf curl. Preventive spraying with this drug is carried out during the period of swelling of the buds, before the leaves bloom.

Expert commentary. The disease often affects peach, but there is a point of view that curl on apricots does not occur in principle, and the above photos are a consequence of another fungal infection.

Lack of mineral elements

A deficiency of mineral elements in the soil leads to metabolic disorders in apricot trees, causing a slowdown in development, changes in the color, size and shape of foliage, fruits, and inflorescences, increasing the overall susceptibility of the plant to infectious diseases.

1. Experiencing a lack of nitrogen, the apricot crown loses color, forms few flower buds, and its shoots weaken.
2. Phosphorus deficiency causes foliage to shrink and fall off.
3. Potassium deficiency affects fruit ripening and poor shoot growth.
4. Calcium deficiency promotes gum formation.

If such symptoms are detected and to prevent their occurrence, it is recommended to feed the trees with fertilizers applied according to the calendar.

We recommend that you read the article on how to properly feed apricots at different times of the year.

Apricot bark diseases

The bark is also susceptible to disease. If it is infected by the Valsa mushroom, then orange ulcers and growths appear on the trunk and branches. They disrupt the normal circulation of juice. The fungus enters through cracks and wounds. Fungicides are used for treatment. The affected areas of the bark are regularly removed; it is important not to over-moisten the soil.

Gum discharge - “amber tears” appear in cracks. Damage to the bark can be caused by frostbite, lichens and mosses, and ultraviolet burns. Sometimes the appearance of gum is a consequence of the activity of rodents and pests. Gum discharge can be caused by mechanical damage due to improper care. During treatment, the bark is removed down to living wood. When it dries, it is treated with antifungal solutions, then covered with garden varnish.

The main reasons for leaf wilting

The question of why apricot leaves wither is difficult to answer unequivocally. The causes may be tree diseases or negative environmental influences. The most common reasons why apricots dry out include:

Why do apricot leaves wither?

There are many reasons why an apricot can dry out. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully study the accompanying symptoms before starting treatment.

Another common reason why leaves on apricots dry out is unfavorable weather conditions. For central Russia in mid-summer, an increase in air temperature is typical. In the absence of timely watering, the plant may dry out and shed its leaves.

Common causes: pests, improper watering and lack of fertilizing

Important! In some cases, it is impossible to save the tree. The infected crop is completely removed from the garden plot and burned. It is also necessary to uproot the roots. After such procedures, stone fruit trees are not planted for 4 years.

Apricot root diseases

It is more difficult to determine root diseases than pathologies of the bark and leaves. One of the signs may be a sharp drying out of greenery, shoots that do not bloom, and the appearance of gray-brown spots. Fungal spores are most often found in the ground, usually penetrating through roots or cracks in the trunk.

To avoid infection, when choosing a seedling, the root system is carefully inspected. It must be developed, healthy, without damage. For treatment and as a preventative measure, fertilizers are applied to the ground, mulching is carried out, and the soil is loosened. Nightshade crops (peppers, eggplants, tomatoes) should not be planted next to apricots. They infect through its roots.

Offshoots may appear around the planting. This also indicates pathologies of the root system or damage to it by rodents. However, there are some varieties where suckers are normal.

Why do apricot leaves fall in May?

The loss of foliage by apricots at the end of spring is an anomaly caused by one of the following factors:

• temperature changes caused by recurrent night frosts;
• prolonged drought;
• fungal disease klyasterosporiosis.

Clusterosporiosis or hole spot

The cause of the development of the disease is infection of the tree with a pathogenic fungus that forms myceliums with spores on the buds and shoots. The establishment of warm, rainy weather contributes to the development of the disease.

Externally, clasterosporiasis is manifested by the appearance of small rounded red, brown or crimson spots on the foliage, which begin to quickly increase, reaching 5 mm. As a result of the death of tissue on the leaf plate, the spots on the apricot gradually turn pale, and in their place holes appear, bordered by a red border.

In addition to leaves, the fungus attacks the bark of young shoots, petioles, flower buds, and fruits:

• The appearance of spots on the bark leads to the formation of cracks and growths;
• infection of flower buds leading to their blackening and falling off;
• The spots that form on the fruits grow, becoming similar to warts; when they fall off, pits remain from which gum flows.

Apricot disease with clasterosporiasis leads to a reduction in photosynthetic activity by the affected leaves, their early drying out and falling off, as a result - to a slowdown in the growth and development of the tree, a reduction in yield, and a deterioration in the quality of the fruit. Particularly dangerous is damage to the shoots, leading to the development of a chronic form of clasterosporiasis, which threatens the death of the entire tree.

As a preventative measure, it is recommended to plant disease-resistant varieties, as well as:

• spray the trees with Bordeaux mixture immediately after flowering, repeating the procedure after 3 weeks;
• carry out early spring treatment of branches with copper sulfate.

Adverse weather conditions

May frosts and persistent drought are factors in the early loss of leaves and inflorescences. To protect flowering trees from frost, the following are used:

1. Fine-drip sprinkling - it is carried out all night and ends only an hour before sunrise. The method will be ineffective in strong gusts of wind and temperatures below -5°C.
2. Smoke screen - after sunset, fires are lit in the garden with the addition of green grass or damp rags (to create more smoke) and maintained until the morning.

If apricots cannot be protected from frost, the flowers die, turning brown, and only the fruits that have set and the blossoming leaves wither.

To help the tree recover, it is recommended to add mineral fertilizers or organic matter to the soil.

When hot weather sets in and there is a long absence of rain, the problem of apricots losing leaves can be solved by abundant watering.

For information on how, when and what to water, see a separate article.

Other apricot diseases and methods of their treatment

Common illnesses include frostbite. The reason for the weakening may be a dense crown. Therefore, it is important to thin out to ensure access of sunlight to branches and greenery. Also, branches should not be allowed to touch or intertwine with other trees. Otherwise, the plant weakens, not receiving enough sunlight and may freeze in winter.

In case of frostbite, the bark is palpated and the lagging areas are removed (they look brown). The edges are covered with garden varnish. The wounds will gradually heal on their own.

Many diseases are caused by insects and microorganisms. Detailed information can be found in the article “Pests of Apricots”.

Apricot protection from pests

Apricots, like other fruit plants, can be attacked by various insects - codling moths, leaf rollers, aphids, and mites. In addition to insects, rodents - mice, hares - cause great harm to plants.

How to save an apricot if mice have eaten the bark

First you need to determine the scale of the damage, and then choose an option of action, of which there are very few.

• If the bark is gnawed completely and deeply, then most likely nothing can be done. You can try cutting the trunk almost to the ground. If you're lucky, a new shoot will grow from the root, which will become a new tree.
• If the bark is gnawed in a circle to a small height, there are two methods: Bridge grafting.
• Bark transplantation.

The cambium is the layer between the bark and the wood that conducts sap.

What cambium is is easier to show than to tell

How to graft with a bridge

Step-by-step instruction.

1. Preparation of cuttings. Of course, it is better to prepare them in the fall, but then rodent attacks were not yet known. Therefore, most likely, they will have to be cut in the spring, as soon as the trouble becomes known, before the sap begins to flow. The type of donor tree does not matter. The length of the cuttings should be 10–15 cm greater than the length of the damaged area, the number of buds is also not important, they will still need to be removed. The larger the diameter of the trunk, the more cuttings need to be grafted.
2. T-shaped cuts are made on the tree bark on one and the other side of the wound with a sharp knife.
3. Oblique cuts are made on both sides of the cuttings and inserted into the cuts so that the cambium layers are aligned with each other. The cuttings should be slightly curved in an arc.
4. The grafting sites are lubricated with garden varnish or putty and tightly wrapped with electrical tape, fum tape, etc.
5. The crown is trimmed by 30%.

In this way you can save a tree gnawed by mice

How to transplant bark

Quite an exotic method, but sometimes used. For it you need a donor tree (it should be an apricot, or wild) which you don’t mind sacrificing.

1. A template according to the size of the damage is cut out of a suitable material (thin cardboard, film, etc.).
2. Using a template, a patch is cut out from the bark of the donor tree, which is carefully removed and quickly applied to the wound.
3. The patch is firmly secured with tape, or small nails.
4. Coat the operation area with garden pitch or putty, wrap it with twine and roofing felt.
5. The crown is trimmed.

Apricot root pests

Not many insects prefer to feed on tree roots, but sometimes there are such lovers. Most often, the roots of young seedlings can be damaged by pests, on which the larvae of beetles and weevils, overwintering in the upper layers of soil around the tree trunks, happily feed. If you dig up the soil under trees in late autumn, turning over the layers, the larvae will end up on the surface and die from the cold.

The fight against the Khrushchevs

There are a lot of varieties of Khrushchev. This is a flying beetle ranging in size from 8–12 mm (April beetle) to 35–38 mm (marbled beetle). The most famous and well-known to everyone is the cockchafer. Khrushchev are omnivorous and, if not controlled, can cause great damage to many plants in the garden.

Khrushchev feed on plant roots

Fighting methods:

• Early spring preventive treatment with insecticides (chemical agents to control insects) - Decis, nitrafen, etc.
• Diazinon and preparations based on it are applied to the soil for digging at the end of May-June, when the larvae are still in the top layer of soil. 10–20 g of Bazudin or 5–10 g of 10% Diazonin are used per 1 m2. The drug is effective for 20 days and does not accumulate in plants.
• The drug Marshall is very effective, having a prolonged effect (up to 17 months). But, due to its high toxicity, it should be used carefully and only in critical situations.
• You can place a small, warm, damp pile of humus or compost next to the tree. The larvae will happily settle there - all that remains is to collect and destroy them in time.

Fighting weevils

Weevils are small (4–6 mm) beetles with an elongated proboscis.

The weevil eats young leaves, buds, and ovaries in early spring

There are many varieties of this insect. They can overwinter in bark, fallen leaves, and upper layers of soil. In spring they feed on young leaves, buds, flowers, and fruits. In early and mid-summer, eggs are laid in fruits, from which larvae hatch. Some species of weevils lay eggs in the soil and the hatched larvae actively feed on young roots.

Weevil larvae hatched in the soil and feed on young roots.

How to fight:

• In early spring, when the weevils have come out of their hiding places and settled in the apricot crown, you can collect them by hand. To do this, in the morning, when the air temperature has not risen above +5–7 °C and the beetles are sleeping, a cloth or film is spread under the tree, onto which the insects are carefully shaken off. Then they are destroyed.
• Before the buds swell, the tree is treated with insecticides.
• After flowering, if necessary, it can be treated with drugs such as Fufanon, Actellik, etc. Treatments are stopped 20 days before harvest.
• During egg laying, soil preparations based on diazonin can be used.
• In the fall, fallen leaves are removed and destroyed, damaged bark is cleaned, and with the onset of cold weather, the soil is dug up.

Causes of fruit falling when unripe

There are a large number of reasons why apricots drop green fruits. They can be triggered by various factors.

Lack of moisture

Moisture evaporates in large quantities in the heat, so if you do not regularly water the trees, the still green fruits will begin to crumble. Trees need to be watered every 2 weeks after flowering. If there is a severe drought outside, the amount of watering can be increased. 50-60 liters of water should be used per tree. Also, 2-3 weeks before harvesting the fruits, you need to moisten the soil again.

Nutrient deficiencies

Another reason why apricots do not ripen is a deficiency of minerals in the soil. During the growing season, fertilizing is applied several times. Before and after flowering, potassium and phosphorus are used. You can also water with bird droppings diluted in water or sprinkle the soil with wood ash before watering.

Note! Fruit drop is especially common in old trees. They are less able to tolerate bad weather, heat and other unfavorable factors.

Lack of sunlight

This problem can occur if trees grow close to each other. In this case, you should cut off some of the weak, thin branches on which ovaries do not form for a long time.

Diseases and pests

Another reason why unripe apricots fall off is the appearance of diseases and pests. They need to be dealt with immediately after detection.

Note! A large number of ovaries is not always good. Some of them will still fall off as the tree tries to free itself from excessive load.

General rules for caring for apricots

In order for apricots to grow healthy and produce a lot of fruit, they need to be properly cared for. It is important to carry out sanitary treatments and pruning of dried branches in a timely manner. You also need to feed the trees regularly. Without sufficient nutrients in the soil, no fruit tree will grow well.

Why do green apricots fall off?

Additional Information! When growing apricots in regions with frosty winters and cold early springs, you need to insulate the lower part of the trunk in the fall to prevent the tree from freezing.

It is not advisable to plant trees close to each other. With this arrangement, the fruits will not have enough light, which can lead to shedding of the ovaries.

How to treat a tree

The worst thing is if the reason for the fall of the ovaries lies in the appearance of diseases. Some diseases are contagious and one apricot can infect the entire garden.

Scab

Scab is one of the reasons why apricots turn green. This disease is quite common in most fruit crops, regardless of the growing region. To combat, a weakly concentrated solution of potassium permanganate is used as a folk remedy. “Topsin-M” and “Captain-50” are also effective. To prevent scab, treatments are carried out before flowering. If the disease has already appeared, then spraying is applied once every 14 days until the symptoms disappear.

Gray rot (moniliosis)

The first sign of gray rot is rotting of the fruit. The disease can begin either in June (when apricots are still unripe) or at the end of summer. Therefore, you need to know what to do if apricot fruits fall:

It is advisable to carry out treatments before flowering begins. In addition, it is important to collect rotten fruits and leaves as quickly as possible to prevent the fungus from spreading further throughout the area.

Hole spot

Symptoms of this disease first appear on foliage and fruits. The entire tree must be sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture. A 2% solution of Nitrofen also helps a lot.

What does perforated spotting look like?

Note! Autumn treatments against cluster blight are more effective than spring treatments.

Leaf curl

When the leaves become curled, the tree sheds unripe fruits and leaves. The easiest way to get rid of curl is to remove the affected areas of the tree. But this should be done only in May, when such places are clearly visible. Another way to cope is by treating with a 2% Nitrophen solution. This drug is used until the kidneys begin to swell. During flowering, it is recommended to use Bordeaux mixture.

Cytosporosis

As the disease progresses, the apricot sheds its leaves and fruits. Treatment is carried out in several stages:

It is also worth adding 40-50 grams of zinc or boron to the soil (this amount of substances is taken per tree).

Powdery mildew

The first symptom of powdery mildew is a white coating on all parts of the apricot. Diseased trees need to be sprayed several times with colloidal sulfur. The procedure is carried out immediately after the appearance of white plaque. Treatments are repeated every 10 days.

Symptoms of powdery mildew

Bacterial burn

Damaged areas are cut off and burned. The tree itself is sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. If most of the apricot is damaged, it must be dug up and destroyed.

Apoplexy (shrinkage)

In this case, the only thing that can be done is to water the trees more often and prevent the soil from drying out in the future. To prevent apoplexy, seedlings are planted without transplantation.

Attention! To prevent the apricot from dropping its fruits, the soil underneath must be saturated with water and dissolved potassium.

If the cause of wilting is not established

A problem often arises when a gardener cannot determine what caused the leaves to wilt and dry out. In order to restore the culture, the following recommendations should be followed:

Apricot leaves wither for various reasons.

It is also recommended to treat trees with a solution of copper sulfate to prevent diseases. This procedure will not harm the culture.

Attention! It is very important to choose only healthy seedlings. Planting material that is grown on the site must be carefully inspected. Often infected seedlings cause the disease to appear on other trees.

Yellowing of leaves on apricots ahead of schedule often indicates problems. There are a large number of factors that disrupt the normal development of culture. Timely procedures will not only preserve the health of the tree, but also get a harvest.

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Pests of apricot trees and methods of treatment

It is not uncommon for garden plants to suffer from pests. Most often you can find on apricot trees:

Note! Foliage may turn black or red not due to disease, but due to lack of fertilizer or freezing of the roots.

Weevils are dangerous because they can expose an apricot in a short period of time.

Prevention and recommendations for gardeners

When the apricot has already begun to crumble, it is too late to take preventive measures, so it is better to take care of the health of the trees in advance.

Important! It is also very important to loosen the soil near the trunk. It is best to do this before watering.

The falling of unripe apricot fruits is always a problem. This can often be prevented by carrying out preventative treatments of the crown. But if the fall has already begun, all that remains is to find out the reason and immediately begin to solve it.

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