Preventing Fruit Tree Disease

by: MarkRobinson
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Having just one fruit tree in a small garden can make a huge difference but in a larger garden such a tree can grow to maturity and there can be room for another one or two. In the case of fruit bearing trees this is great news because it is often necessary to have both a male and female tree to ensure germination. However those gardeners who grow pitted fruit trees, such as plum or cherry trees, will know that these types of fruit tree can often prove to be more susceptible to disease than others.

One of the most common diseases to be seen in fruit trees is something known as 'Brown Rot' (so called because of it's appearance). Most often this fruit tree disease can be seen making an appearance upon fallen fruit that has been allowed to remain on the ground for a while. Brown Rot is a fungus and as such it produces a mass of spores which can cause infection to spread onto the tree and especially the fruit.

Fungus grows best in damp areas that do not have good air flow. The spores of fungus land on the area and quickly establish themselves and start producing more spores in a very short space of time. One of the best ways to protect your fruit tree from fungal infection is to prune it carefully.

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 our fruit tree to avoid fungal infection and disease it is extremely important to continually monitor it for any signs of disease. One of the most important things to remember is that you must remove, isolate and destroy (by burning) any part of the tree that appears to have fungus. It is also strongly advised that you clear up any fallen fruit as soon as you see it and do not allow it to stay on the ground to rot, that's asking for trouble!

Cytospora canker is another disease that can appear on a fruit tree. Cytospora canker is another fungal disease but looks completely different to Brown Rot. Rather, it shows as soft dark patches, on branches, a callous forms and gum oozes from the bark of the tree. Commonly cytospora canker appears in old wounds which have not healed completely.

Because cytospora canker is a fungus the approach to preventing the onset or spread of the disease is very much the same as how we deal with Brown Rot. Pruning our fruit tree is really the best way in which we can protect it but, of course, if pruned correctly, your fruit tree will produce far more fruit than without pruning.

Fungal disease can be a real nuisance in any plant but in a fruit tree is can cause a great deal of stress for the tree and ourselves (because of the loss of the crop). Brown Rot and cytospora canker are but two fungal diseases of which a gardener should be aware and we strongly advise that you investigate this topic a little more to ensure that you understand the problem and learn how to deal with it if it should appear in your garden. Any knowledge of tree care is always beneficial but with fruit trees you need to take extra special care if you want to be rewarded with a fine looking tree that produces much blossom and plenty of fruit every year.

About the Author

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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