Every gardener is pleased to see a beautiful blooming apple tree on his plot. You can immediately understand that the variety was chosen correctly, the soil is good, and fertilizing is only beneficial. But it becomes sad if the leaves curl on the apple tree. There are, of course, a number of reasons for such changes that caused these changes. To prevent such problems from happening, you need to properly carry out prevention and care of the plant. In the fight against leaf curl, it is best to give preference to biological products that have a safer composition.
The leaves curl on the apple tree: the main reasons why apple tree leaves curl
There is a wide range of reasons why the foliage of apple trees curls. The main and most common causes are considered to be the negative impact of red gall aphids, scab or, for example, powdery sundew, which develop in a waterlogged climate. Plants that receive few nutrients can suffer from leaf curling, so the gardener will have to periodically fertilize the apple tree. Drought also negatively affects the plant, so frequent and abundant watering will be beneficial.
Why do apple tree leaves curl? Cause: red gall aphid
Red gall aphid on an apple tree
This enemy quickly eats such varietal varieties of apple trees as Renet Golden Kursk, Antonovka, Cinnamon Striped. It is not entirely clear why aphids attack the plant. It can be assumed that the varieties have a small leaf thickness.
To defeat the apple tree enemy, you do not need to immediately take chemicals, since there is a high probability of destroying beneficial insects. To partially destroy aphids and ants, you need to install an adhesive belt with a height of 1-1.5 meters on the planting area in mid-spring.
Ants are considered the main distributors of red gall aphids. Aphids from their antennae spread a span - a sticky mixture that insects absorb.
The simplest and cheapest option is to use adhesive strips. This allows you to reduce the number of harmful individuals. In addition to aphids, deadly nets can capture leaf-rolling caterpillars, earwigs, cap moths, and the apple flower beetle, which gets caught in clever nets because it is very careless.
To prevent the appearance of an enemy, you need to constantly inspect the apple trees and immediately immediately clean up any peeled bark. Since this is a sweet spot for aphids, they will lay eggs there. In the future, arrogant offspring will be formed.
Sticky tapes are not a 100% guarantee of pest control. To have any results, the Velcro needs to be changed 2 times a week. Hunting belts need to be replaced 3-4 times per season, since new offspring do not appear very often.
The sticky belt should be tightly close to the trunk, since the red gall aphid is small in size and can crawl under the place where the sticky belt does not fit tightly. In order to apply everything well, the bark is initially cleared of old parts.
To prevent aphids from ruling the area, the number of ants must be significantly minimized. Unfortunately, in this case you will have to use strong chemical poisons, such as Kemifos and Nitrafen. You can use traditional methods. Treat anthills with soapy water or cow urine. But it is not a fact that the result will last long.
The leaves on the apple tree are curling, what to do if an aphid attacks
Aphids on an apple tree
This enemy acts actively and quickly. Red gall aphids, for example, can be seen on apple trees by their reddish swellings. Common aphids are carried by the same ants.
The branches and foliage look battered. The pest absorbs sap from young shoots and leaves. Therefore, they become deformed, growth stops, and photosynthesis proceeds extremely poorly.
To defeat aphids, you must first plant apple trees correctly. Trees must be kept at a distance from each other so that the plants receive sufficient oxygen. You can also cut off infected parts of the apple tree and destroy ants.
As a last resort, fungicides can be used, but this is not the safest method for humans. Apples can be eaten 30 days after processing. It is important to remove weeds, which are also considered carriers of aphids.
Attention: If several leaves on a tree are damaged by aphids, then it would seem that there is nothing terrible about it. But the pest can carry a variety of terrible diseases that can destroy the entire crop.
When fighting aphids, you can use liquid soap, pepper or strong poisons.
Diseases
Next, let's talk about apple tree diseases, one of the symptoms of which is curling or curling of leaves.
Powdery mildew (collapses and a white coating appears)
Symptoms of apple tree disease with powdery mildew are as follows:
Leaf buds infected in the fall form shoots in which diffuse development of infection is observed.
- A soft white powdery coating (fungus) is already noticeable on the first young leaves.
- As the leaves continue to bloom and the shoots grow, the plaque becomes more intense and eventually covers all the leaves and the non-lignified part of the shoots.
Affected shoots are distinguished by shortened internodes and narrow curved (twisted) lanceolate-shaped leaves. In addition, the flower organs are severely deformed, which is why ovaries do not form.
- Then, as it develops, the powdery (whitish) coating becomes darker in color.
- Affected leaves become necrotic and fall off.
Thus, the danger of powdery mildew for an apple tree is as follows: a fungal disease inhibits the growth of the plant , suppresses its photosynthetic activity of the leaves, and also destroys the inflorescences, as a result, the yield can decrease by up to 80%. Moreover, hardiness decreases (as in the case of “potassium starvation”) .
Agrotechnical methods for preventing powdery mildew in apple trees are as follows:
- cutting out infected shoots in early spring and summer;
- preventing excessive density of apple and other plantings;
- proper watering;
The fact is that the development of powdery mildew is also facilitated by sharp fluctuations in humidity. The most favorable temperature is +18..+25 with simultaneous high saturation of the air with vaporous moisture.
Note! The fungus does not develop in drops of water, or when the temperature drops.
- proper feeding (in no case should you overfeed the plant with nitrogen fertilizers, otherwise it will become fatty and produce too much foliage);
- growing disease-resistant varieties.
How to treat an apple tree against powdery mildew, the best fungicides (indicated in parentheses are the active substance, method of penetration and action, chemical class):
- Skor (Difenoconazole, contact-systemic fungicide with protective, curative and immunizing effects, class - Triazoles);
- Rayok (Difenoconazole, contact-systemic fungicide with protective, curative and immunizing effects, class - Triazoles);
Skor and Rayok are complete analogues.
- Topaz (Penconazole (Topaz), systemic fungicide of protective action, class - Triazoles);
- Strobi (Kresoxim-methyl, systemic fungicide with protective and curative action, class - Strobilurins);
- Baktofit (Bacillus subtilis strain IPM 215, contact fungicide with protective, curative and immunizing effects, class - Bacterial fungicides + biological pesticides);
- Sporobacterin (Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma viride, strain 4097 , contact-systemic fungicide with protective, curative and immunizing effects, class - Bacterial fungicides + biological pesticides);
- Fitosporin (Bacillus subtilis strain 26 D, systemic fungicide with protective and curative action, class - Bacterial fungicides + biological pesticides).
By the way! The site has detailed articles on how to treat apple trees against diseases and pests in the spring (including powdery mildew) , as well as in the fall (eradication treatment) .
Moniliosis or monilial burn (leaves curl and dry out) and bacterial burn (leaves turn black and dry out)
If the leaves of the apple tree first curled up and then completely dried out (as if they were set on fire), then you should know that this is a monilial burn. This fungal disease also affects fruits: apples begin to rot right on the tree (this phenomenon is called fruit rot ).
Note! The site has detailed material about what apple tree moniliosis is and how to deal with it .
Important! Do not confuse a monilial burn with a bacterial burn. In this case, the leaves not only dry out, but actually turn sharply black .
correct agricultural technology and planting of resistant varieties , as well as preventive spraying with the biological preparation Fitolavin will save you from fire blight .
Scab (oily brown spots on leaves)
Sometimes leaves may curl if the apple tree is affected by scab (oily brown spots appear on the leaf blades). In this case, the fruits also suffer (cracks form on them, which are then covered with a black crust).
Note! The site also has a detailed article about what apple scab is and how to treat it .
Thus, now you know what can cause curling of apple tree leaves, which means you can determine what happened to your fruit tree, how you can quickly help it, how to treat it or feed it.
Powdery sundew
Powdery sundew on an apple tree
Due to the disease, the plant’s foliage begins to curl, among other negative factors. To understand whether an apple tree is infected with a disease, you need to conduct a thorough examination of the plant. First of all, young leaves are susceptible to infection, since they have a large amount of sap in the foliage.
Powdery mildew most often forms in March. If it is discovered that there is a whitish powdery coating on the leaf, then you can begin to fight the problem. Otherwise, the leaves will dry out and curl.
If you plant apple trees very close to each other, there is a high risk that the disease will affect the plants. Powdery sundew occurs in warm and humid climates. The disease can reduce the yield by half, although the sundew looks very harmless.
Treatment must be carried out on time. If the apple trees are severely affected, then the best option would be to use chemicals, for example Topaz, which is used according to the instructions.
The use of traditional methods only slows down the sundew, but does not cure it completely.
As a treatment, you can use Bordeaux solution (1%), Oksikhom, HOM and other drugs. The apple tree is processed 3 weeks before picking the fruits. Bordeaux solution is used as an additional remedy, since it is not potent for complete healing.
To reduce the sundew factor next year, treatment is needed in the autumn. Also in the spring you need to remove the damaged parts of the apple tree and then destroy it with fire.
What to do to defeat diseases and pests
Various diseases, beetles, caterpillars, aphids, fungi and other parasites cause serious damage to the apple tree. They significantly reduce the yield, spoil the appearance of the fruit, the general condition of the tree, and its winter hardiness. The fight against garden pests and diseases has certain features that not all gardeners know about. How to treat a plant to cure it?
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Treating fruit trees with insecticides should be carried out in early spring, before buds appear, at temperatures above 5 degrees Celsius. The entire tree and the trunk circles underneath it are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate or nitrafen - this is necessary to exterminate the insect larvae sleeping in it. As soon as the buds begin to bloom, you should choose one of the supply preparations and treat the apple tree with it against insects or scab. The most common pest control agents are:
- Karbofos is a drug that is used during the vegetative period to exterminate leaf-eating insects (mites, leaf rollers, codling moths, etc.). You should not use Karbofos during pollination, as it affects bees. Dilute the sachet of the drug in 6-8 liters of water, gradually introducing the powder and stirring the solution. Spray the plant with freshly prepared emulsion so that the leaves are evenly covered with it. It is better to choose dry, windless weather for the procedure.
- Fufanon is intended to combat weevils, cherry flies, sawflies, leaf rollers and other parasites. The solution should be diluted with the expectation that one tree will need from 2 to 5 liters of chemicals. It is better to spray the plant in the evening or in the morning, moderately wetting the leaves (the solution should not flow down them). The protective effect of the drug lasts for several days after spraying.
- Pirimix is used for spraying trees to exterminate leaf-eating and sucking insects such as copperhead, aphids, apple moths, and winter moths. To prepare the solution, combine 10-15 ml of Pirimix with 10 liters of water.
- Nitrafen is used against aphids, scab, copperhead, spotting, etc. One tree requires 1 to 3 liters of solution. There is no need to separately treat the soil under the apple tree with Nitrafen; the amount of the chemical that falls on the ground when spraying the leaves and trunk is enough.
Bordeaux mixture for scab
Measures to combat scab and other common diseases include spraying the plant with nitrophen or copper sulfate. This procedure should be carried out before the buds open, in early spring. During the same period, you can spray the plants with a 1% concentration of Bordeaux mixture. How to cook it correctly? Mix the following ingredients in a non-metallic container:
- 100 grams of copper sulfate dissolved in 5 liters of hot water.
- 100 grams of lime dissolved in 5 liters of water.
Slowly pour the vitriol solution into the lime liquid, stir and strain the finished Bordeaux mixture. Treatment of apple trees with it should begin in the spring. Carry out the first procedure on the eve of bud break, and spray the tree a second time after it blooms. To repeat the procedure, you can use the drug Hom (in proportions of 10 liters of water per 40 g of product) or colloidal sulfur (10 liters of water / 80 g of substance).
Top dressing
Adequate nutrition of the apple tree guarantees its health and resistance to pests or diseases, so fertilizer is one of the main aspects of proper agricultural technology. During the first year of the shoot's life, additional feeding with mineral fertilizers is not needed; those you saturated the soil with before planting the tree will suffice. All organic matter and phosphates begin to be added from the second year of the plant’s life; they fertilize the apple tree while digging the tree trunk, laying it to a depth of 12-15 centimeters.
After 3 years of the tree’s life, when its roots go deep, fertilizers are applied to prepared 3-4 wells up to 50 cm deep, located at a distance of one and a half meters from the trunk. Two-thirds of nitrogen fertilizers are used during the budding period, and the rest after the plant blooms. Ammonium nitrate, urea, and humus are used as such fertilizers. It is better to apply them in parts in liquid form to the tree trunk area of the apple tree. The feeding scheme might look something like this:
- The first fertilizer in the period between bud break and the beginning of flowering.
- The second is when the ovary becomes the size of a walnut.
- Third, when the shoots begin to grow.
- The fourth is during leaf fall.
A two-year-old apple tree needs to be fertilized with organic matter; per year it absorbs from 10 to 15 kg of fertilizers, and its portion consists of 70 g of ammonium nitrate, 200 g of simple superphosphate and 70-80 g of potassium sulfate. A 3-4 year old plant consumes 5 kg more organic matter (140 g of potassium, 150 g of nitrate, 250 g of superphosphate). Every year the consumed amount of mineral fertilizers increases.
Spraying with fungicides against powdery mildew
The fight against powdery mildew begins when the first leaves appear on the tree. During this period, apple trees are sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture, treated with ash (300 g of the substance is buried under the tree) or with Topaz, Skor at the rate of 10 liters of water per 2 ml of chemical. After flowering is completed, the tree is treated with oxychloride or Hom (40 grams per 10 liters of water). The last, third treatment is carried out using 1% Bordeaux mixture or a solution of copper sulfate with 20 g of liquid soap.
Scab
Scab on an apple tree
This is a fungus that curls the leaves of apple and pear trees. The disease is transmitted by spores. In humid climates, trees are likely to become infected very quickly. The primary sign of scab is the formation of a brownish-olive coating on the leaves. In addition to the fact that the leaves curl, the fungus spoils the apples, they begin to rot and crack.
To prevent fungus from occurring, preventive measures must be taken. Remove leaves from the area around trees. There may be a fungal infection in this area, which needs to be cut out and the spoiled apples and shoots burned.
In March, you can treat with gentle biological products, for example, Bordeaux solution or Fitosporin-M. But if the situation is not saved by harmless and safe means, then strong chemicals can be used. As an option, you can use Philolavin.
If you use strong products, then for the best result they should be used before flowering and at the time of its completion. When taking preventive measures, it is imperative to use protective equipment - for example, gloves. Sometimes the use of strong poisons does not guarantee complete destruction of the scab. Then to save the trees you need to feed the plants with special means.
You can prepare your own potent solution from the following ingredients:
- Ammonium nitrate – 10 grams;
- Potassium sulfate – 15 grams;
- Ammonium sulfate – 10 grams;
- Potassium nitrate – 10 grams.
All components are diluted with liquid. The mixture is sprayed onto the plant from a spray bottle.
Prevention measures
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To avoid curling of apple tree leaves, care must be taken to create appropriate conditions. Alternatively, good crown ventilation can be ensured by thinning the branches.
For prevention, it is recommended to cut and destroy damaged branches every year. This also includes whitewashing trees in the spring, covering up large cuts and removing overgrowth.
The use of fungicides and insecticides should occur until there is a possibility of pest reproduction. This is due to the fact that later such processing will become ineffective.
You should remember about the watering and fertilizing regime. If the summer turns out to be hot or dry, we must not forget to water and fertilize the trees on time. At the same time, it is important to maintain a balance of the substances introduced to avoid a shortage or excess of components.
Bird in an apple orchard
Apple tree leaves curl due to lack of nutrients
The foliage of an apple tree may curl due to a low amount of nutrients in the soil.
of nitrogen compounds in the ground , then the leaves of the plant will accumulate and take on a light green color. If the cause is not removed in time, the foliage of the apple tree will begin to turn yellow and fall off before a certain time.
To replenish the nitrogen content, you need to feed the plant with about 20 grams of ammonium nitrate diluted with water. Treatment can also be carried out in the evening. A replacement can be a 0.5% urea solution, which is used to treat the apple tree in the evening. Careful attention should be paid to processing the leaves.
With a lack of phosphorus, the foliage loses its color and begins to turn bronze, red or even blue. As a result, the foliage dries out and turns black. If the plant is planted in acidic soil, then the apple tree needs to be fed with organic fertilizers.
To quickly help the plant replenish phosphorus, you need to add superphosphate. If the apple tree is on acidic soil, then instead of superphosphate you need to use phosphate rock and dilute it with water.
Before starting fertilizing, you need to weed the soil around the trunk. To prevent the fertilizer material from evaporating from exposure to sunlight, you need to moisten the soil and add humus mulch.
Also, if the soil is excessively acidic, then potassium monophosphate is added in advance. And then after a week the main substance is added.
If the foliage has turned pale and curled, then this is a clear sign
potassium deficiency. The leaves of the plant turn greenish-blue and the edges curl. After a short period of time, a drying out rim appears and the leaves begin to dry. And if you do not compensate for the lack of potassium, the foliage will dry out completely.
Basically, potassium deficiency is very noticeable on acidic soil and on soil where there is a large amount of manganese and potassium. To restore normal potassium levels, you need to fertilize the area around the tree with potassium sulfate or wood ash.
The last element is best used as an auxiliary element. Since the fertilizer has a small amount of potassium compared to other elements. Often the plant's main growth site may begin to die. This will be a 100% guarantee that the apple tree does not have enough potassium.
To save the situation, you can add lime to the soil. The area around the trunk needs to be pierced, going 3 cm deep, poured with two buckets of liquid and filled with 80 grams of lime. After 2 days, potassium sulfate can be added under the trees. Afterwards, the soil is covered with 2 cm of humus mulch. If the plant lacks useful elements, the leaves begin to curl and fall off.
Lack of fertilizing
Curling of leaves signals a lack of nutrients in the soil necessary for the correct functioning of green spaces. The acquisition of a light green color along with the folding of leaves in the apple tree in a boat indicates a catastrophic lack of nitrogen. Adding ammonium nitrate to the soil (20 g dissolved for each trunk) will help bring its level to a stable level. You can also spray with a 0.5 percent urea solution in the evening.
A characteristic symptom appears on apple trees that lack:
- calcium;
- potassium;
- boron;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus.
A lack of calcium is expressed in the whitening and curling of foliage, which later turns brown and crumbles. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency affect the lower part of the crown, and a lack of boron also leads to deformation of the fruit. A lack of boron manifests itself in bronze, purple and red foliage, and with a lack of potassium, the green mass acquires a strange bluish tint.
If the above symptoms are identified, it is urgently necessary to carry out unscheduled feeding of the garden with missing nutrients.
Poor moisture as a reason for leaves curling on an apple tree
Insufficient soil moisture is a direct consequence of foliage curling. The humidity level should be 70-80%. Under such conditions, trees develop and grow best.
Useful microelements dissolve in liquid. If there is not enough water, the substances will not be absorbed.
With excessive humidity, the root system begins to rot and the ability to accept beneficial elements is impaired.
The most effective is a drip irrigation system. You can take a barrel that stands under the drain, rising 0.5 meters. Water from the roof will get into it; you need to put a mosquito net on top of it, which will collect all the debris. You need to make holes at the bottom of the container and insert tubes with special droppers into them. They need to be adjusted so that liquid gets onto the landing area.
When watering by hand, water is used after rain or melted water. Apple trees are watered in late spring during the growth period. At the moment of flowering, setting buds and forming ovaries. At the moment of apple growth. The soil must be moist and saturated with oxygen, so you need to water and weed regularly.
Lack of moisture
The most common cause of leaf curling can be a simple lack of moisture in the soil. In addition, the green mass will begin to dry out and fall off. The optimal level of liquid in the soil on which the orchard is located should be 70–75%. Such moisture promotes better dissolution of nutrients in the soil, as well as their accelerated absorption by the root system. When watering by hand, try to use settled rainwater. The ideal solution for an apple orchard would be a drip irrigation system.
Trees must be watered at the beginning of their growth (spring), during the flowering period, the formation of buds and buds, and also during the development of fruits.
