Apart from their commercial value, fruit trees can add beauty to your garden landscape and also attract other useful inspect such as bees and other pest-controlling insects. Just like other flora, these trees can get diseased from time to time which may require you call a local arborist in Santa Ana, CA.
This article will discuss how you can understand if your trees are diseased, the importance of controlling diseases immediately they appear, and, some of the top ways you can control/prevent your fruit trees from getting diseases.
Top Signs That Your Fruit Trees May Be Diseased
1. Defoliation at the wrong time of the year
Different fruit trees tend to shed leaves at certain periods of the year. If your tree starts shedding leaves at the wrong time of the year, it may be a sign that they have contracted a disease. Other culprits may be lack of sufficient water and extreme weather conditions.
2. Bark deformities
Ideally, the bark of a fruit tree should be smooth and well-formed. If you notice abnormalities such as cracks or bleeding sap, it may be because of the stress brought about by a disease.
3. Leaf damage
Though tree leaves form an integral part of the diet of most insects, there are some pests, disease-causing organisms and insects which can bring about diseases such as leaf miners, aphids and thrips.
4. Leaf discoloration
Dark or yellow patches on the leaves of your fruit trees may indicate the presence of a disease such as blight.
5. Dead branches
A healthy tree should have healthy-looking twigs with healthy leaves. If you notice that the branches on your tree have started drying out and the leaves on the branches have started wilting, it is usually an indication that the particular part of the tree is diseased.
6. Presence of cankers and fungus spores
A healthy tree should be void of fungus spores and cankers on the branches on the bark.
Top Reasons to Control Fruit Tree Diseases Immediately
There are several key reasons you should control the emergence of diseases in your fruit tree garden without delay. They include:
• Diseased trees usually produce less harvest
• When left untreated the diseases can spread to other tree parts and even affect your entire garden
• Diseased trees usually produce shriveled and unhealthy fruits
• If your fruit trees are for aesthetic purposes, diseases can diminish their visual appeal
• Some diseases and disease-causing organisms can leach into your garden soil making it unsuitable for planting purposes
Tips on How to Avoid/Control Fruit Tree Diseases
• Get rid of diseased tree parts immediately using control methods such as pruning
• Spray your trees with the appropriate pesticides so that they become uninhabitable to disease-carrying/causing organisms and pests
• Before planting fruit trees, check to see that they can survive and prosper in that particular environment
• Ensure that you create a conducive environment in which your trees can survive – This means providing sufficient water, avoiding water logging, avoiding soil panning, providing the right soil nutrients and spraying your fruit trees as per the directions given by a gardening professional or arborist
Lastly, talk to an experienced arborist or tree service in Santa Ana, CA who can offer advice on the best fruit tree care practices which is exactly what we specialize in here at Tree MD of Orange County.