How to deal with lichen on fruit trees - step by step instructions

Tell me how to deal with lichen on fruit trees? We bought a summer cottage, there is an old garden in a very abandoned state. Some of the plantings had to be removed, since practically nothing was left alive, everything dried up. But there are still younger apple and apricots, in general they are in order, alive and even last year they bore fruit. However, some branches are covered with lichens. How to treat trees to get rid of these growths? We tried to scrape it off, but it is not always possible to remove it completely.

how to get rid of lichens on fruit trees If young trees most often suffer from pests in the form of birds and insects, then old specimens cannot resist lichens and moss. If you do not know how to deal with lichens on fruit trees, and you think that this is not necessary, then you are mistaken. This infection lives off plants, feeding on their sap. At first, it is almost impossible to notice the changes: the tree is still growing, blooming, and bearing fruit. But, if the lichen is not destroyed and the branch is not freed from it, over time it will dry out without food, and the growths will move to the rest of the living shoots. In addition, insects settle in lichens. In a few years only a dry "skeleton" will remain from the tree. Therefore, it is important to regularly inspect the garden and immediately destroy the growths until they have covered the entire tree and killed it.

How to deal with lichen on fruit trees

The first step is to inspect your garden and assess the extent of the defeat. It is already difficult and almost pointless to save crops completely covered with growths. It is easier to completely cut them out and plant young seedlings. The rest of the trees must go through the following procedure:

Dilute 50 g ferrous sulfate in a liter of water. Carefully treat the trunk and branches covered with growths. Also spray the soil under the tree. After 5-7 days, most of the lichens will disappear.
Remove the remaining fungus mechanically. Be sure to cover the film under the crown and scrape everything off with a hard rag, spatula or brush, but not metal. Then burn whatever is on the tape.
Whitewash the peeled shoots with a lime solution (2 kg of hydrated lime per 10 liters of water).

Such complex processing of trees must be carried out in early spring, before bud break. Later can only be removed mechanically. Also, once every 5 years, you can process the garden with copper sulfate, also in the spring (350 g of the drug per bucket of water).

Prevention of the appearance of lichens in the garden

Parasitic growths appear and multiply rapidly in conditions of warmth and high humidity. If the crown of the trees is too dense, it is poorly ventilated inside, a favorable microclimate for lichens is created. In addition, these algae fungi attack damaged and weakened shoots first. Therefore, feed your trees regularly to keep them strong and healthy. Perform sanitary pruning annually by removing diseased branches and thinning the crown. Also, do not forget to whitewash the trunks to prevent sunburn and frost. In a neglected case, if lichens appear annually, treat the trees with Skor in early spring.

Lichens on an apple tree - video