Ways to deal with lichens on fruit trees

In an abandoned garden, you can see lichens on fruit trees, ways of dealing with them are available to every gardener. But it is better not to fight, but not to allow the appearance of the union of the fungus and algae on the bark of the tree. Either a fungus or an algae lives on the bark of a tree, without parasitizing. But the air exchange processes of the bark are disrupted, insect pests can find shelter in the corrugated petals. In a constantly humid environment, spores of fungal diseases will germinate. The appearance of lichens on a tree signals a weakened immune system and that the garden is located in an ecologically clean area.

Lichen species

Lichens always grow in groups, but damp spots with greenish microscopic algae appear first on the north side, on the bark of the tree. The fungus gets attached to the algae, protects it from the sun's rays, nourishes it with salts, and it shares the synthesized sugars. The bark of a tree is a substrate on which a parallel world develops, but the tree suffocates from adhered neoplasms.

There are more than 25 thousand species of lichens in the world. They are all divided into groups:

• scale or crustal, attached to any solid object, rock or tree;
• leafy, hanging down in flounces and spreading in breadth;
• bushy - with thin leaves it resembles a growing bush, it does not matter, up or down in plates.

Lichens are found on fruit trees, the names and photos of which are below:

Lichens spread along the trunk in colorful spots, capturing new areas, and the fruiting of the tree decreases, the plant looks depressed.

Signs indicating the imminent appearance of lichens and preventive measures

If it is dark and damp in the orchard, look for traces of algae from the north side on the bark of trees. To prevent the appearance of lichens on fruit trees, the first method of control is thinning. You need to cut out unproductive branches and ensure that the crown is blown out, no wet areas appear on the bark.

It is necessary to find a reason why the tree does not fight with tenants:

1. The first reason for an apple and a pear is to wet the roots when the groundwater is above one and a half meters from the surface.
2. Another reason may be cracks in the bark, from which sap flows, creating moisture.
3. Watering your garden abundantly and frequently can produce a similar result.

Lichens should not be allowed to appear, since pathogens will settle in their environment, which feed on tree sap and destroy it.

How to deal with lichens

Choose ways to deal with the appearance of lichens on fruit tree it is possible by analyzing the situation and the degree of defeat. The lichen cannot attach if the cells of the cortex grow, are in motion. Only if growth has slowed down or stopped does the lichen grow rapidly.

It has been noticed that black cancer never settles on trees with lichens - a terrible disease of fruit trees.

If growths are noticed at the beginning of development, they can be removed mechanically - scraped off a branch onto a substrate and burned. But the scraper should be made of wood or plastic so as not to damage the bark. The fight against lichens on fruit trees starts from the bottom, from the trunk circle. Having freed the bark of the tree from the aliens, it is necessary to process the trunk with a solution of ferrous sulfate. Then whitewash the fruit trees.

To get rid of lichens on fruit trees, as you can see, is not difficult if the garden is not running. Pruning thickened branches, preventive spraying with copper sulfate, whitewashing of trunks - the best protection measures. But if the trunks and branches have become one shaggy carpet, then the tree is dying.

In order not to create a center of danger for the entire garden, the tree must be removed. In this case, the growths are carefully collected and burned.

If the tree can still be saved, a deadly remedy can be prepared against which no pest can resist.

The solution is dangerous for humans, so it is necessary to use protective equipment during preparation and when processing the garden.

Take 0.5 liters of boiling water, 600 g of slaked lime dough and liquefy the mass over low heat with stirring. Add 400 g of sulfur powder gradually into the solution, add another 1.5 liters of water and cook for 15 minutes, close the lid. The red broth should cool to 37⁰ C. Pour the composition into a glass container with a lid.

For the treatment of lichen on fruit trees, take 100 ml of concentrate, dilute with 5 liters of water and spray the trees, not forgetting about your own safety. Add machine oil to the concentrated solution on top to prevent the film from oxidizing.

Attentive and timely care of fruit trees is the key to the well-being of the garden. It is very important to choose a place with a low groundwater table and not to thicken the planting. Timely prevention of diseases, the use of recommended remedies will help preserve the health of pets.

Video on the fight against lichens on fruit trees