The mountain ash or rowanberry is one of the robust garden dwellers. Only a few diseases affect the trees. However, you should treat these quickly so that mountain ash does not die. How to recognize symptoms of illness and what you can do about them.

Diseases that can affect mountain ash

  • fire blight
  • tree fungi
  • gray mold rot

fire blight

This disease affects a wide variety of deciduous trees. It is classified as dangerous and must therefore be reported.

It can be recognized by the fact that the flowers and young shoots turn brown or black. The leaf veins become conspicuously dark. A sure sign of recognition is that the affected parts of the tree do not fall off in winter, but remain on the tree.

Chemical remedies for fire blight do not yet exist. It remains only to cut off all the affected parts of the mountain ash and safely dispose of them.

tree fungi

The most common fungi affecting mountain ash are tree fungus and sulfur polypore. They form on the trunk of the mountain ash. There, the mushrooms sometimes grow into impressive specimens.

A rowan tree attacked by tree fungi is usually irretrievably lost. Once the fungus is visible, you must assume that the spores have already spread through the trunk. Nevertheless, you should definitely eliminate the fungus. Otherwise there is a risk that the spores will spread to other healthy trees and infect them as well.

Watch your mountain ash carefully as a preventive measure and intervene immediately, even if there is even the slightest fungus infestation.

gray mold rot

When fresh shoots of mountain ash discolour, dry up and fall off, gray mold rot can be to blame.

Cut off all affected shoots directly at the trunk. This will prevent further spread of the disease.

Gray mold rot only occurs when the mountain ash is in an unfavorable location, namely when the soil is too wet. Ensure that the rowan berries grow on well-drained soil that cannot become waterlogged.

Dispose of infested tree parts safely

Burn infested shoots and leaves and mushrooms or put them in the household waste. Under no circumstances should they be disposed of in the compost.

tips and tricks

When treating diseases of the rowan tree, you should avoid using chemical agents as much as possible. They damage the birds, for which the fruits of the mountain ash are an important source of food.

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Category:

Vegetable garden