Fungi love moisture, which is why a wet summer causes a particularly large number of fungal diseases. Usually you can hardly see anything of the cause, only the symptoms on the leaves and fruits are visible. However, there are also wood-destroying tree fungi with distinctive fruiting bodies.
The Monilia rot causes the fruit to spoil
What you can do against fungal diseases on fruit trees
There are no effective fungicides approved for hobby gardens against many fungal diseases. Therefore, the pathogens must be kept in check through targeted prevention and careful care. These include, for example, these measures:
- early removal of affected plant parts
- generous pruning into healthy wood
- Disposal of cut plant parts, for example with household waste or by incineration
- Disinfecting pruning tools and garden equipment
Maintaining the correct planting distance is particularly important to prevent such a disease. Incidentally, fruit trees in partially shaded or shady locations are more sensitive to the pathogens, which is why the trees and shrubs belong in an airy, sunny location.
The most common fungi on fruit trees
Harmful fungi on fruit often only attack related species or, for example, only pome or berry fruit. There are only a few generalists such as the Monilia fruit rot.
powdery mildew
Probably every gardener knows the white, wipeable leaf coating of powdery mildew, which occurs on fruit and ornamental trees as well as on vegetables, flowers and perennials. However, these are different harmful fungi that cause a very similar pattern of damage. The powdery mildew fungi differ from other harmful fungi in one essential point: they do not need moist leaves to germinate their spores, but appear mainly in warm, sunny summers.
sooty mold
These fungi feed on the sugary honeydew excreted by plant-sucking insects such as aphids and whiteflies. They settle on the glued plant parts and form the typical black deposits. Sooty mold does not damage the plant directly, but can severely impair the photosynthesis of the leaves due to the dark coating.
Verticillium wilt
Verticillium fungi penetrate the plants from the ground through injuries to the roots or the root neck and clog the pathways. Typical are often abrupt signs of wilting on individual shoots or branches, with the leaves hanging down pale green and limp. Over time, the whole plant can die off.
red pustular disease
The pathogen can infect a number of deciduous trees, but above all plums, cherries, apricots and all types of pome and nut fruit. The red pustule disease mainly affects dead parts of living fruit trees, for example branches frozen back by frost. From here he attacks healthy parts, provided he finds wounds and branch stumps to penetrate.
Monilia fruit rot
Monilia fruit rot is mainly caused by the fungus Monilia fructigena and affects almost all types of tree fruit. The pathogen overwinters on dried fruit mummies on the tree, diseased fallen fruit and infested branches. This is why it is so important to regularly remove these parts.
tips
Tree fungi or tree fungi can also be dangerous for fruit trees: Common species such as honey fungus, tinder fungus, fire fungus and sulfur polypore penetrate branches and trunks through wounds and gradually decompose the wood inside.