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Avoiding Fruit Tree Disease

Virtually any garden design can be improved by the inclusion of a fruit tree, or, if you have the space, a number of fruit trees. Fruit trees can produce the most amazing displays when in blossom and, of course, you have the advantage of it bearing edible fruit later in the year. If you are in the process of designing a garden and it includes a fruit tree, such as a plum tree, which produces pitted fruit it will be necessary for you to investigate ways in which to avoid disease as these types of tree are prone to be susceptible to disease.

A sadly common fruit tree disease is Brown Rot which is a fungus that appears on fruit. Usually it develops on fruit that has fallen from the tree and been left to rot. As Brown Rot is a fungus it can spread very quickly as fungus produce lots of tiny little spores which, due to their size, are highly mobile.

Luckily fungus needs specific conditions in which to thrive. The usual places where fungus establishes itself are damp, dark places where the air often remains stagnant. One of the best ways to reduce the risk of fungal infection appearing on your fruit tree is to prune it properly and regularly.

To allow the free flow of air, and thus reduce dampness, it is necessary to prune fruit trees so that they are open. Once the tree has been pruned it will have an open structure that will also allow the sunlight to reach deep into the heart of the tree. Obviously a tree that is looked after well, and is given sufficient quantities of water, nutrients and sunlight, will grow well and be more able to withstand infection.

As well as pruning to improve air flow it is important to prune any areas that show symptoms of fungal infection. Place any clippings in the bin or burn them immediately. Do not allow any infected material anywhere near your fruit tree and pick up any fallen fruit regularly so that it does not stand a chance of becoming infected.

Of course there are many other fungal diseases which may infect your fruit tree, one of which is known as cytospora canker. Although fungal it's appearance is greatly different to Brown Rot and appears on the branches rather than upon the fruit. Dark, soft, areas appear on the branch and a callous forms which oozes gum. The most common place for it to appear is in a wound that is not fresh.

Again, to avoid this fungal infection/disease it is necessary to prune your fruit tree correctly. Great care should be taken to ensure a clean cut that will heal quickly and stand little chance of becoming infected with cytospora canker or any other fungus.

The two fungal diseases mentioned above, Brown Rot and cytospora canker, are but two of a number of different diseases which can infect a fruit tree. Fungal infections can be very problematic and even professional landscape gardeners can find themselves in some difficulty when trying to combat such a disease. Of course providing the correct amounts of water, sunlight and nutrients can greatly help a tree to grow healthy and strong. However, if you want to ensure a good annual crop from fruit trees you should really invest some time into finding out more about tree care and disease,

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Landscaping Info 4U is an excellent source of gardening information including info about disease in fruit trees and general tree care

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