Easy-care plum trees are regular guests in home gardens. Their fruits delight with their sweet taste on fruit cakes or in jams. To ensure that the harvest is successful despite illness, early signs must be correctly interpreted and appropriate measures taken.
What diseases can affect plum trees and how do you fight them?
Plum tree diseases such as fruit rot, plum rust, fool's bags, shotgun blast and sharka can affect the harvest. To combat them, you should remove infected fruits and shoots, use antifungal agents and, if necessary, cut back the tree.
Fruit rot (Monilia)
This fungal disease affects fruits, shoots and leaves of Prunus domestica. Brown mold and white spore rings can be seen on plums that are still green. The latter are causes of other infectious diseases. The typical identifying features of Monilia include dried plums that remain hanging on the tree. Affected fruits must be removed or picked up from the ground. You can trim affected shoots generously.
Note:
The cut goes at least ten centimeters into the he althy wood.
Plum Rust
The stubborn fungus attacks plums and plums. Rust-like spots form on the underside of the leaves. From late summer onwards, plum rust begins with yellowish dots on the top of the leaves. When you touch it, fine, rust-colored dust falls off.
When eating the plums, make sure that they are cleaned thoroughly. If the Prunus domestica suffers from extremely severe infestation, a fungicidal agent (€11.00 on Amazon) can help. Since the disease primarily occurs during the harvest season, attention should be paid to the effectiveness of the spray.
Fool's Bags
This disease can be recognized by a white fungal coating. Not all fruits are affected by the infestation. The following signs are noticeable in plums:
- elongated
- curved
- green coloring
- without stone
- wrinkled appearance
Remove infected fruits immediately. This way you avoid further spread.
Shotshot
This disease can be recognized by changes in the leaves.
Leaves:
- lightened dots
- shortly afterwards reddish coloring
- Final stage: holes with red border
The stronger the fungal infestation, the higher the number of holes. In addition, thin shoots die. Small fruits and young leaves become stunted and fall from the plum tree. There are two methods to combat it.
Targeted pruning
Cut individual branches and shoots back to about ten centimeters into the he althy wood.
Complete waste
If there is a severe infestation, a radical care cut of the entire Prunus domestica is recommended. This action should be taken immediately.
Scharka
This is a notifiable disease. It affects leaves as well as fruits.
Leaves:
- ring spots
- Coloring: light green
Fruits:
- line and ring-shaped depressions
- Cripples (various degrees)
In addition, the plums from diseased trees taste bitter. They ripen before the actual harvest time and fall to the ground.
Tips & Tricks
Damaged flowers, shoots or fruits must always be disposed of with household waste. There is a risk of other plants becoming infected on the compost.
