Good care and the right location are not reliable protection against illness. Fruit trees also suffer from pest infestation. It is important to detect diseases or pests at an early stage of development. Find out what to do.
What diseases can affect a plum tree?
Common diseases of a plum tree include plum rust, fool's disease and monilia fruit rot. Pest infestations such as aphids and plum moths can also cause problems. Early detection and targeted measures help to prevent the spread and keep the tree he althy.
Plum Rust
Signs:
- Time: harvest time
- black dots on the underside of the leaf
- dead leaves fall off
Helpful measures:
To prevent the fungus from spreading, remove leaves near the tree. Otherwise there is a risk that the fungus will overwinter on the ground. A further fall would be expected in the following season. The plums still ripen into fruity delicacies.
Fool's disease or pocket disease
The cause of this disease is a fungus. It forms during rainy periods.
Signs:
- Fruits: banana-shaped growth, hard consistency
- At the beginning there is a light green coating, as the disease progresses it becomes gray
Helpful measures:
Remove all branches, shoots and inedible plums affected by the fungus. Some fruits ripen into delicious fruit despite the infestation.
Monilia fruit rot
Insect bites damage the growing fruits. This fungus moves from the peel to the inside of the fruit.
Signs:
- Plums have white pustules. These turn black.
- Fruits wither and are inedible.
Helpful measures:
Remove all infected plums and shoots in the household waste. The use of plant protection products has also proven to be effective. If in doubt, you can consult experts for treatment.
Pest Infestation
Aphids
These animals are not dangerous. If the infestation is severe, they cause Sharka (a tree disease). As a first step, introduce natural enemies, such as ladybirds. Natural plant protection products can be made yourself. Nettle manure is suitable for this type of infestation.
Plum moth
The butterfly of the same name lays eggs in late summer. Its larvae overwinter in the ground or on the trunk. They eat growing fruit. These turn bluish and fall off. In late spring the butterflies hatch and the cycle begins again in the same place. A targeted use of a plant protection product is possible. Songbirds can help with this. Place a birdhouse on the infected tree.
Tips & Tricks
A regular cut ensures sufficient light and air circulation. The plum tree is developing splendidly. It is better at warding off diseases and pest infestations during the growing season.