- Curled, dried up and falling leaves
- Fungal diseases in beech
- Treatment of fungal diseases on beech trees
- Prevention through favorable location
Beech and hornbeam are very robust deciduous trees. They rarely suffer from diseases. An unfavorable location or bad weather conditions are usually responsible for this. What diseases are common in beeches?
Diseases can often be seen on the leaves
Curled, dried up and falling leaves
You first notice that a beech is suffering from a disease by looking at the leaves. If those
- show spots
- curl up
- dry up prematurely
- fall off before fall
In most cases it is a disease or a pest infestation. If no pests are visible on the leaves, buds or trunk, a fungus is probably the cause.
Fungal diseases in beech
If the beech gets mottled leaves, it may be leaf spot disease, which is caused by fungi.
If the leaves are covered with a whitish coating on top, powdery mildew is present, while downy mildew causes gray coatings and spots on the upper and lower sides.
Hornbeams often suffer from powdery mildew, both types.
Treatment of fungal diseases on beech trees
With a light infestation, prune the beech and collect any leaves that have fallen off. All plant remains must be disposed of in the garbage can and must not be composted.
In the case of powdery mildew, repeated spraying with diluted fresh milk helps. Field horsetail stock and nettle stock can also be used to treat fungal diseases.
In the case of a severe infestation, which can damage young trees in particular, you can use commercially available fungicides. However, the application should be as economical as possible, since the agents damage useful insects such as bees and bumblebees.
Prevention through favorable location
In a favorable location, the fungal infestation is usually not so severe. In addition, healthy beeches cope quite well with it.
When planting, choose a good location that is neither too dry nor too damp.
Water when it is very dry and make sure that there is no waterlogging when it rains.
tips
The pest that occurs most frequently on beech trees is the beech wool louse, also known as the beech louse. It leaves a sticky residue on the leaves. The best way to combat it is to set up beneficial insects such as ladybirds and lacewings.