Depending on the weather conditions and the plants thriving in the area, a variety of fungal diseases can spread in the garden. The earlier you recognize them, the more effectively you can fight them, mostly successfully.
Powdery mildew is mainly found on the upper side of the leaves
Powdery and downy mildew
These optically very similar diseases are often confused. However, the distinction is quite simple:
- Wrong mildew occurs after wet periods. It causes light, yellowish spots bordered by the leaf veins. Only in the final stage does a white down appear on the underside of the leaf. Downy mildew settles completely in the leaf tissue and cannot be wiped away.
- powdery mildew is favored by dry weather. The white, cotton-like deposits appear mainly on the upper side of the leaf and can be wiped off. If left untreated, brown discoloration will appear and the leaves will dry up.
Combat:
- Treatment of downy mildew: Remove the diseased parts of the plant and dispose of them in the household waste. In the case of severe infestation, you can use special fungicides, with which the underside of the leaves in particular should be wetted.
- Treatment of powdery mildew: This can be curbed with a mixture of water and milk. If there were already infections in the previous year, you should cut off the diseased parts of the plant and spray them with wetted sulfur WG as a preventive measure.
gray mold
This affects many useful and ornamental plants such as strawberries, lettuce or peonies. The affected areas rot and are covered with an unsightly, dark-grey layer of fungus.
Since gray mold spreads through moisture, susceptible plants should be given an airy and light spot. Remove the affected parts of the plant immediately and dispose of everything in the household waste.
wilted mushrooms
These penetrate through the roots and block the vessels. As a result, individual shoots are cut off from the water supply and begin to wither. Unfortunately, the infected plants can only sometimes be saved by moving them to another location.
rust fungi
These grow in the leaves and cause leaf spots that look like rust. Yellowish to reddish-brown pustules, in which the spores are formed, appear on the underside of the leaves. They can only be combated by using suitable fungicides and removing the intermediate hosts that thrive in the area.
apple scab
In addition to apples, pears, cherries and peaches are also attacked by this fungus. Scab overwinters on the tree and nests in the fresh shoots in spring when the temperature is above 16 degrees and the weather is damp.
Apple scab is manifested by:
- Raised black spots on foliage.
- Over time, the entire leaf will turn brown and fall off.
- Nodular, cracked, hard, dark brown spots appear on the fruits. These are not poisonous, the apples can be eaten without hesitation. However, they can no longer be stored.
If the tree is already infested, the attacked leaves should be removed and disposed of with household waste. Mulch the tree disc with compost and thin out the tree regularly. You can preventively treat with wetted sulfur.
tips
Leaf spot pathogens cause various types of damage. However, these are rarely so dangerous for the plant that they need to be treated. It is sufficient to cut off and discard the affected parts of the plant.