How to deal with scab on apples

Scab is a fairly common disease that can affect apples. It is rather difficult for a summer resident to cope with this disease, but it is possible. In the article we will provide effective advice and practical advice from experienced gardeners who will give knowledge on how to get rid of scab on apples.

What is dangerous and where does it come from

Trees die very rarely from scab on an apple tree, but yield always suffers greatly. Fruits are deformed, become small. There are practically no nutrients and vitamins in them. What to say about the taste and state of preservation. Apple trees do not tolerate the cold winter, and the trees lose their attractiveness.

The causative agent of this disease is a marsupial fungus. It is common in temperate climates, especially in the wet and cool spring, since such conditions allow disputes to develop. The yield on the affected fruit trees falls noticeably, the development of fruits is uneven.It is important that apples lose their taste not only in the current year, but also in the next 2-3 years.

Signs of appearance

The most easily affected are young upper leaves. This usually occurs in early May. On the leaves at the beginning there are light spots that are not always noticeable. Over time, the surface of these spots appears velvety brown-olive color. The pedicels and ovaries are gradually affected. The foliage may even dry out and fall off. Directly on the fruit, the disease manifests itself in the form of round dark hardened spots. The fabric of apples can crack.

Prevention

Disease prevention should begin in the fall and continue in the spring. Proper and most importantly, timely care of the fruit crop will help prevent the disease or, in extreme cases, significantly reduce its negative impact.

In the autumn

It is necessary to begin preventive measures in the autumn. First of all, it is necessary to scrape and remove all fallen leaves, branches and fruits from the site. Additionally, you can clear the bark on the trees, because it can winter fungus. This bark will need to be sanitized using a solution of copper sulphate or whitewash. Later it is necessary to dig up the radical soil, so that disputes do not develop in favorable conditions for themselves.

In the spring

It is equally important to observe the proper agrotechnical cultivation of apple culture. Considering that scab spores develop well in conditions of increased dampness and when the garden is thickened, trees should be planted deliberately. Apple trees should grow in a place where a sufficient amount of sunlight arrives. From time to time it is necessary to carry out sanitary cleaning of garden trees.

It is worth noting that an excessive amount of fertilizer applied under the tree, or vice versa, the lack of dressings will necessarily affect the spread of the disease.As a preventive measure, it is possible to spray apple trees with the “Agat-25K” biological product, it is permissible to do this even during the growing season. You can process the garden Bordeaux liquid (1%), but this should be done before the buds bloom. If necessary, this procedure can be re-run after the apple has faded.

How to fight

If the scab is still manifested on the apple, you need to know how to deal with it.

Folk remedies

Apple scab treatment can be done using traditional methods:

• Mustard solution. This tool can be used to cultivate garden trees several times per season: during the period of the green cone, in the process of budding, before the tree begins to bear fruit, and as soon as the fruiting begins. To prepare the mustard solution, you will need 80 g of mustard powder for 1 bucket of water.
• Saline solution. Such a remedy for scab on apples is quite effective. The fact is that salt can slightly push back the beginning of the growing season of apple trees, in connection with which it is less affected by scab. Spraying of trees should be carried out in early spring, while the tree is still at rest. On 1 bucket of water take 1 kg of salt.
• Infusion of horsetail. This infusion will help if you use it after the leaves bloom. It is rather a preventive measure. It is necessary to fill the bucket with 1/3 of a horsetail, add water to it and insist for three days.

Chemicals

Chemical preparations for scab on apple trees are selected depending on the time of year. For example, before winter and early spring, stronger poisons are used, but after flowering and during the period when the garden is bearing fruit, sparing preparations should be used.

• In the autumn, soon after the leaves fall off and the fruits are collected, it is necessary to spray the apple trees with copper sulfate solution, based on the calculation of 1 liter of water - 3-5 g of copper sulfate.

• In early spring, surely before the buds start to wake up, it is necessary to process apples with Bordeaux mixture (3%). If the trees do not have scab, then as a preventive measure they can be sprayed once every three years.
• Approximately 2-3 weeks after the apples have faded., softer fungicides should be applied to them. These include "Chorus", "Rajok", "Skor".
• Given the fact that scab is able to get used to the same active substance, the fungicides need to be alternated. "Strobe", "Zircon", "Kuprazan", "Fitolavin" and many others are also suitable.
• Among other things soil under apple trees in autumn can shed 10% solution of nitrate or urea.

Resistant varieties

A good option that will help avoid such a problem as a scab would be to select and plant a sustainable variety. But here it should be remembered that one variety in different climatic conditions may behave differently. There are varieties that are generally not affected by scab. There are those who are weak. And there are those that almost always suffer from such an unpleasant illness.

• Apple trees that are absolutely resistant to scab: "Jonathan", "Ligol", "Pepin Saffron", "Orlovy", etc.
• Varieties that are subject to ailment in rare cases: "Orlik", "Welsey", "Antonovka Zolotaya", "Mleevskaya Beauty", "Lobo", "Anis Scarlet", "Renet Kursky", etc.
• Apple trees, which are very susceptible to scab: "Papirovka", "Snow Calvil", "Melba", "Renette Semerenko", "Borovinka" and others.

As you can see, fighting scab is quite real. With this information, you can protect your apple orchard from an unpleasant disease and collect a rich and tasty harvest every year.