Diseases and pests of coniferous plants.===========White fluffy coating on the needles of trees and shrubs indicates the presence of Hermes aphids. White plaque, yellow needles, drying branches: how to deal with pine diseases

A whitish coating on the branches and needles is a sure sign of an attack by an insect pest, an aphid called Hermes. It leaves its larvae in the convenient sinuses between the needles. They are small, but visible due to their high crowding and long hairs with a glossy tint. All together they form that same white cotton coating. It is easy to see with the naked eye.

The larvae remain on the tree all winter, and with spring warming they turn into insects. While the pest lives on the pine tree, it sucks the juices out of it. As a result, the needles turn yellow. It is difficult to predict the appearance of Hermes if other pines, spruces or cedars grow nearby. Insect colonies easily spread throughout the coniferous forest and infect large areas.

What measures are taken when Hermes is detected:

1. They ignore him. Aphids are not able to destroy an adult healthy tree. Unless it spoils its appearance, slows down its growth and development, and increases its vulnerability to other misfortunes. But young trees are at risk of dying.
2. Pine is treated with folk remedies. The method is effective for small scale infections. Spraying is carried out with soap, infusion of tobacco, ash or garlic.
3. Insecticides are used. The result is obtained by spraying the tree twice at intervals of a month. This way you will destroy the pest at different stages of development. Preparations:

• Spark - 1 table. diluted in 10 liters of water;
• Karbofos - 90 g per 10 l;

• Commander;
• Aktara;
• Actellik.

Attention! After any treatment, the white coating does not disappear. But this does not mean that Hermes is still alive.

Schutte diseases

The term “schutte” refers to a group of fungal diseases of coniferous trees. They have different pathogens, but the symptoms and treatment are the same. Dark streaks appear on the green pine, the needles become covered with sticky black or brown pads and fall off. Fungal organisms spread from a few needles to the entire tree. As a result, it dies. Both seedlings and mature pine trees are at risk, but more often - specimens under 6 years of age.

Types of shutte:

• The present. Appears in spring and the first weeks of summer. But the first symptoms appear in the fall, in the form of small yellow dots. With such a pine disease, the needles turn brown and fall off.
• Ordinary. In autumn or immediately after wintering, the pathogen destroys the needles from the inside. Dead needles become red-brown. Mycelium grows on it. Schutte destroys entire branches. The greatest risk of death from this pine disease is in self-seeding and young seedlings under 3 years of age.

• Snezhnoye. Most dangerous for pine trees. The fungus reproduces in winter at low temperatures (but not below 0 °C). An important condition for its development is high snow cover. The affected pine needles turn brown and die. Another part of the greenery changes color to red, then gray and becomes home to new spores. The needles do not fall off entirely, but crumble. It is carried by the wind in late autumn to a healthy tree.
• Brown. The mycelium also spreads in the fall and reproduces under the snow. Likes long melting. Covers entire branches on a pine tree from lower to upper.
• Juniper Schutte. Noticeable on last year's needles in the form of a dirty yellow, sometimes brown coating

Bordeaux mixture, solution copper sulfate, HOM, Abiga Peak, lime-sulfur decoction will help in the early stages of infection, in the fall or in March after the snow melts. In summer the treatment can be repeated. But the fight against progressive pine disease using universal fungicides is ineffective. Nurseries and forestry enterprises use special systemic preparations using a special method.

Ways to combat shutte

A good way to avoid a Schutte is to warn him. Methods:

• preventive spraying of pine with copper- and sulfur-containing mixtures;
• regular cleaning of the entire area, removal of fallen needles (both sick and healthy);
• pruning dried branches;
• timely thinning of plantings from self-seeding;
• removing snow from branches and under the tree.

Advice. Scatter ash or peat chips over the snow cover. This measure will give the tree additional protection and speed up the melting of snow in the spring.

Many problems with fungal infection are eliminated at the planting stage. There are species of conifers resistant to the pathogen - Norway spruce and lodgepole pine. They are rooted instead of the usual pine trees in areas with an increased risk of Schutte infection. Special tree planting also becomes natural barrier to spread spores.

Do not give plants the opportunity to reproduce on their own. Place pine trees as far apart as possible. Firstly, distance will slow down the spread of infection from an infected specimen to a healthy one. Secondly, free-standing Christmas trees grow faster and form immunity earlier.

Rust diseases

• Pine rust. Settles on young pines and in dense plantings of nurseries. Shows itself in the spring in the form of bubbles on the needles. As a result of the neglect of the disease, the pine turns yellow, loses its needles and decorative properties. Transmitted from coltsfoot, bellflower and other herbs.
• Cones rust. Forms dark brown mycelium on spruce scales. It destroys the seeds, settling in cones, which become permanent home fungus and do not fall off for several years. Sometimes pine disease manifests itself in bent shoots. The main host is bird cherry.

Rust

• Pine spinner. Caused by several fungal species. Transmitted from aspen. It also deforms shoots. Yellow-orange mycelium breaks the bark on the trunk, causing intense resin release. Transmitted from gooseberries and currants.

Adult pine parasites and fungal infections They will not destroy, although they will harm the decorative effect. Diseases are more dangerous for young trees. Carry out prevention, take care and treat them until the pines gain sufficient immunity.

Like animal diseases, pine diseases can be divided into two types: infectious and non-infectious. They differ in the causes of their occurrence and, accordingly, in the methods of treatment. The causes of non-communicable diseases include:

1. unsuitable air and ground levels for pine (it can be too high or low).
2. lack of sunlight.
3. unsuitable or contaminated soil.

Infectious diseases are caused by various fungi, bacteria, viruses and even the larvae of some types of butterflies, which can settle on a pine tree at any time.

Pests dangerous to pine

1. pine aphid.
2. hermes.
3. coniferous scale insects.
4. pine scale insect.
5. red pine sawfly.
6. pine silkworm.
7. shootweed.
8. pine moth.
9. pine cutworm.
10. pine leaf miner.
11. spider mite

1. pine bedbug (it doesn’t mind harming young needles at all).
2. large and small pine beetle.
3. pine longhorned beetle
4. blue pine borer.
5. pine elephant.
6. spot tar.

And this is not counting various diseases such as rust and ordinary schutte...

“Conifer lovers” under a microscope

In order to successfully fight the enemy, you need to know him, and the better you know him, the easier it is to fight him and treat the tree. The results of the activities of all of the above pests are almost the same, but there are still some differences.

Hermes are sucking dark red insects like aphids, about one millimeter long, located under the white fluff of faded needles, next to which you can see their rusty-yellow eggs. The results of the vital activity of Hermes are manifested in the shortening and fading of pine needles. In addition, they seem to “clear” the way for sooty fungi, which settle on sticky sugary smudges, spoil the “appearance” of the pine tree and infect deformed needles and shoots. The best way to breed Hermes systemic insecticides, which affect them through the sap of the plant.

The “relatives” of aphids also include coniferous insects - small insects with white fibrous shields on their backs, which serve as protection from predators. Their activity causes pine needles to turn yellow and curl. Scalebugs pose a particular danger during drought years, when they multiply in such numbers that it seems as if the branches are covered with unplanned frost. In addition to their harm, scale insects are also one of the main carriers of viruses, so their appearance on a pine tree is fraught with serious complications for it.

If the damage by scale insects is not severe, they can be destroyed by spraying the affected branches three times with tobacco infusion, which should be done at intervals of one week. If there are a lot of scale insects and the disease is in an advanced stage, systemic insecticides will come to the rescue, as in the case of Hermes, which for some time make the pine sap poisonous for pests.

It is much more difficult to remove pine scale insects - small bugs 7-10 mm in size that feed on the juices of shoots and needles, which leads to their falling off and the death of plants. The difficulty of dealing with them is that, firstly, they are covered with scutes, and secondly, they live under pine needles, so you won’t notice them right away. They fight with scale insects depending on the degree of infestation of the tree: if it is small, then the bugs can be cleaned off with an ordinary toothbrush, but if there are a lot of them, then you cannot do without the help of insecticides. Most often, akarin is used in a dosage of 30 g. for 10 l. water. Experts advise treating the tree at the moment when the larvae emerge, but the buds have not yet blossomed - that is, in May or June. An effective remedy The use of hunting belts made of burlap or straw is also considered.

The fruits of the labors of the red pine sawfly (or, as it is also called, “false caterpillar”) are visible even from afar in the form of yellow spots on the crowns of pine trees. Up close, it turns out that the needles are not just yellow, but also twisted and bitten on the sides. Microscopic, only 6-8 mm long. The larvae are dirty green in color with black flat heads and prefer to lead a group lifestyle and, in case of any threat, make frightening movements with the front part of the body. It is generally accepted that they feed only on old needles, but this is not always the case.

The fight against sawfly involves the following:

1. digging up pine tree trunks.
2. destruction of nests and larvae (if there are few of them).
3. spraying with infusions, decoctions of insecticidal plants and insecticides.

It should be borne in mind that the eggs of the false caterpillar are characterized by amazing frost resistance and, being under the snow, can withstand winters with temperatures down to -40 degrees.

Spider mites are another insect, the results of which can often be seen in dry, hot weather in the form of a sticky web on the branches of young pine trees, which causes the needles to die and fall off. The fight against it consists of preventive spraying cold water, infusions and decoctions of insecticidal plants, treating needles with preparations containing colloidal sulfur and pruning damaged shoots. If the area affected by the tick occupies large area, acaricides should be used.

Pest butterflies

One of the most serious pests is the pine silkworm caterpillar, which can a short time eat all the needles of pine forests and thereby cause their death over a wide area. The caterpillar begins its activity at the end of July and for a year, until next June, until it turns into a pupa, and then into a harmless beautiful butterfly, it can not only cause irreparable harm to the pine forest, but also move into private yard, if a pine tree grows there. Despite the fact that it has a natural enemy in the person of the cuckoo, you should not count on its help alone - the cuckoo may not be able to cope with the abundance of voracious larvae, so if they appear in your yard, immediately treat the pine tree with an insecticide.

Butterflies that pose a danger to pine also include the wintering shoot moth (also known as the leaf roller or needle roller). Its caterpillars are light Brown with a reddish tint, they settle and overwinter in the buds, connecting them with the needles with a thread. They give preference to the apical buds, less often to the lateral ones. The results of the caterpillars’ activity are immediately visible: when it is affected apical bud pine tree, it is replaced by one of the side ones, due to which the crown bends. If there are many affected lateral buds, the crown becomes nest-shaped. Caterpillars are also dangerous because, having overwintered in their “dining room,” they continue to feed the following spring until they turn into butterflies. In addition to buds, the shootworm caterpillar does not mind eating pine shoots, as a result of which panicles of needles with resin are formed at their tips. The caterpillars pose the greatest danger to young pines aged 5 to 20 years, growing on soils poor in nutrients and with insufficient groundwater.

If there are few caterpillars, damaged buds should be removed from the tree and burned. If the damage is widespread, at the end of April you should spray the pine with an insecticide.

The pine moth is another seemingly harmless butterfly that not only turns into a beauty due to pine needles and buds, but also lays eggs in a row on old pine needles. Having hatched at the end of June or July, its caterpillar immediately gets down to business, thanks to which the pine tree has a high chance of drying out completely. The transformation of a caterpillar into a pupa occurs in the fall, in October-November, under the forest floor, and just at this time it can be destroyed without the use of insecticides: just dig up the trunk circles or rake the litter into a pile, inside which they will die. If you can’t wait until autumn, you can resort to spraying the needles with already familiar insecticides or biological products.

The pine cutworm is also a pest butterfly, characterized by its variable color - from orange to red, gray and whitish. The cutworm lays flat-spherical eggs with a small depression in the middle on the underside of the needles in small piles, so that as soon as the caterpillars hatch (and this happens after about two weeks), tasty food is already waiting for them - the tops of the blossoming needles. The pine cutworm caterpillar is characterized by five instars, which it goes through in a very short time - in just 4-5 weeks - and all this time it does not stop feeding on pine needles and may shoots and buds. She prefers trees that are older than the leaf roller - between 30 and 60 years old. The armyworm is especially terrible during a drought - then the pines, which it honors with its attention, are in danger of drying out. At the end of July, when the caterpillar turns into a pupa, it is replaced by stem pests.

Measures to combat the armyworm are as follows:

1. use of food baits with fermentation additives.
2. digging or loosening the tree trunk circle, leading to the destruction of pupae.
3. treatment with insecticides and biological products during bud break.

Recently, another pest has been added to the already known pests - leaf miner (or leaf miner). These are yellowish-white or brownish larvae, only 2-3 mm long. Females have proboscis, with the help of which they pierce the base of the needles and, as it were, “mined” it, gnawing through the passages, and then pupating in them or on the surface of the needles. After 8-14 days, an adult insect emerges from the pupa. As a result of the activity of the larvae, the needles are entwined with a web, which holds it in one place: with strong gusts of wind, it flies around and the crown is exposed. You can understand that this is a leaf miner only by touching the pine needles.

The fight against the miner is quite difficult and depends on the degree of damage to the needles. Eggs are destroyed with paraffin-containing agents, the affected shoots are repeatedly treated with a solution liquid soap. Dry needles can be removed with a small fan rake onto polyethylene spread on the ground and then burned. When the leaf miner is widespread, pyrethrum-based pesticides are used several times, but it should be remembered that leaf miners quickly become resistant to them, even if the drugs are very strong. In addition, pyrethrum is harmful, so you need to wear gloves and a mask when working with it. Pine should be sprayed five to six times with an interval of 3-5 days, in the morning or evening, when natural enemies of the leaf miner are inactive - ladybug and rider. When working with pesticides, do not get close to water. You can also catch an adult miner larva on a sticky board.

Cone-loving pests

Some “gourmet” pests prefer to feast on pine cones rather than pine needles. These include the cone moth (or spruce shield moth) - a butterfly of a beautiful light gray color that lays 2-5 eggs under the scales of young cones. The hatched red-brown caterpillars live in the seeds and make passages and cavities, leaving brownish piles of excrement in them and on the cone surface, and in some places streaks of resin. They overwinter on the coniferous forest floor in a cobweb cocoon. These caterpillars are quite voracious: 2 larvae eat 50% of the cone seeds. It is not difficult to calculate how much the entire brood of the cone moth will eat. As an effective measure to combat moth, it is proposed to treat the crown with insecticides during feeding and emergence of caterpillars (in the second half of summer, after the June or July flight of butterflies).

A fan of cones is also the cone gum weevil, a brownish-brown weevil 5-8 mm long, which gnaws small chambers in the pulp of annual cones, pricks the proboscis, causes the oleoresin to flow out, and lays in them up to four pieces of amber-yellow eggs. The larvae are born very quickly and develop inside the cone for about one month, severely destroying it inner part and pupating there too. Often, even before the cones fall, young beetles gnaw holes and fly out through them, then additionally feed on pine shoots until the fall, overwinter on the forest floor, and in the spring they start eating again. With massive damage, the yield of cones is reduced by more than half, and some of them fall off prematurely. Smolevka prefers thinned, dry trees aged 20-40 years, but in lean years it is capable of laying eggs on young trees. In this case, the larvae develop inside the shoots, which causes them to dry out.

If the tree is small, then at night you can illuminate it with a lantern, shake it and collect all the resins on the litter. If the pine tree has already reached its age, only spraying its crown with insecticides can help in the fight against weevils.

Subbark-stem lovers

The story about this category of pests begins with the pine subbark bug - an insect of microscopic size (only up to 5 mm), with an oval, flattened brown body, dangerous for a tree at any age. Both adults and their larvae live under the bark, where they overwinter at the base of trunks or in the forest floor near the tree trunk, then climb up the trunk and lay eggs - each female has up to 32 eggs. The larvae, born in April-May, along with their parents, suck out the juices of the bast, cambium and surface layers of sapwood all summer and autumn, thereby disrupting sap flow, causing yellowing of the needles and dryness of the tops along the entire periphery of the crown, cracking of the bark and gradual decline and death of everything tree. Each generation takes two years to develop. The bug gives preference to young animals aged 5-25 years, especially those living in areas poor in nutrients sandy soils. Pest control measures are as follows:

1. use of adhesive belts.
2. autumn-spring treatment of pine trees with systemic insecticides during the migration of bugs along the trunk. Most often, dust is used, sprinkling it around the tree trunk (the subbark bug overwinters in the litter) at a rate of 25 grams. for 1 pine tree or Actellik solution in a dosage of 15 g. for 10 liters of water, using 250 g per tree. solution.
3. attracting its natural enemies to the garden: ichneumon beetles, red ants, pikas, small spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches.

The large and small pine beetle (they are also gardeners or snowbirds) are shiny black-brown beetles with a length from 2.6-4 (small pine beetle) to 3.5-5 mm (large pine beetle) from the bark beetle family, settling in the middle and lower parts of the trunk. They got their name from the fact that after their activity the pine crown has a trimmed appearance. It happens like this: the larvae make passages in the bark, where they pupate, and the adult beetle makes holes in the phloem, where it lays eggs. Having flown out in July, a generation of beetles attacks the young top shoots of pine trees, eating away their core, which is why they are often broken by the wind, and the pine takes on the appearance of being cut off. A resin funnel forms on the trunk, hiding the gnawed entrance hole; the affected bark has matte colour. In addition, you can see drill flour on the tree and under it, and then yellowing and falling needles. If the beetle attacks frequently for several years in a row, the pines dry out. It has been observed that the pine beetle especially readily colonizes flexible, weakened or fallen trees, stumps, and finished timber.

As a destruction measure, sanitary felling is carried out, and chemicals wintering places (shoots that have fallen during shearing or forest litter), accept protective measures When storing valuable wood, trap (or bait) trees are often laid out or arranged, cutting off the tops of some pines.

The pine bronze (or black) longhorned beetle is a beetle from 11 to 28 mm long, with a brown, sometimes black color with a bronze tint and covered with hairs of various colors. Its distinctive feature is its elongated body and characteristic long mustache, which it can throw over its back. It often gets into forestry along with material infected in nurseries. An adult longhorned beetle can be found on a pine tree in mid-summer, where it makes numerous passages in its bark. When laying eggs, these beetles leave characteristic notches on it, similar to those made by a fingernail. Some larvae are able to overwinter twice. Both they and adult beetles are equally dangerous for the tree - they eat the bark, from young branches, damage the bast, sapwood and wood, which is why its value decreases. technical suitability. Control measures include sanitary felling, selection of dead and newly populated trees, attraction of natural enemies of the longhorned beetle - insectivorous birds, protection of wood during processing.

The blue pine borer is small, up to 13 mm. a bug with dark yellow eyes and a flat oval-elongated body of a dark blue color with a metallic tint, noticeably narrowed at the back. Sometimes you can see its larvae - white with a brown head, legless, twice as long as adults. They usually colonize pine trees on the southern side at a low altitude and gradually occupy almost the entire tree to the top, laying eggs in cracks and crevices of the bark at the bottom of the trunk. The larvae make long tunnels under the bark, filled with brown flour, which often stretch along the entire trunk. They overwinter there, curled up in the shape of a horseshoe, or in wood, and their spring pupation occurs in the bark. The beetles emerging from the pupae in mid-summer gnaw oval holes and fly out, leaving behind dying bark, and go in search of new trees suitable for themselves.

Surprisingly, she has few enemies. Woodpeckers, pikas and predatory beetles that hunt under the bark feed on the larvae, but they cannot cope with a massive invasion, and the number of blue borers decreases only when it destroys all the trees inhabited by it.

Measures to combat it include sanitary felling and debarking of infested pine trees and the installation of trap trees.

The weevil, or pine elephant beetle, is a 10-12 mm insect that is very dangerous for young pine trees. long with a head elongated into a tube and an ovoid body of brown color, covered with yellowish scales and spots that wear off throughout its life. The beetle's activity begins in May with gnawing on young shoots quite large areas of bark with an area of ​​up to 5 sq. mm., which are easy to identify by the uneven edges covered with resin. This leads to the death of trees. The female lays eggs in the root collar of weakened trees, root paws and fresh pine stumps. 2-3 weeks after laying, the larvae hatch and immediately begin to make long passages, filling them with drill flour. In August they turn into young beetles, overwintering in the litter. It is interesting to note that the pine elephant is capable of flying, but uses this ability only in May; the rest of the time it crawls on the ground, preferring to be nocturnal. It can be found en masse in pine forests, in fresh clearings or burnt areas.

Measures to combat it include:

1. removing stumps from clearings.
2. spraying trees with chitin synthesis inhibitors and pyrethroids.
3. attracting natural enemies of the elephant - rook, crow, magpie, jay, nightjar, starling, woodpecker and some others.
4. avoiding the proximity of special nurseries to areas of clear and selective felling.

Finally, we cannot ignore the pine beetle, a “relative” of the pine elephant beetle, 5-7 mm long, with a grayish-yellow body. Its larvae develop on the trunks of young or weakened trees, gnawing out expanding passages that end in chambers where they transform into adults. When feeding, the beetle pierces the bark with its proboscis and plunges it into the deep layers. The resin is released through the injection site and hardens. The fight against tar includes:

1. compliance with the rules and techniques of planting pine.
2. sampling of pine trees infested by the pest before the beetles emerge (before May-June).
3. chemical treatment of young animals during feeding of the tar.

Pine diseases

However, the activity of pests on pine trees is not all the misfortunes that await them over the course of a long life. Despite possessing a certain immunity, under certain conditions pine trees do not avoid the effects of infectious diseases, which turn out to be worse than beetles or harmful butterflies. The most common diseases include:

1. pine rust.
2. pine spinner.
3. rust cancer.
4. scleroderriosis, or umbrella disease.
5. ordinary shutte.
6. necrosis of the cortex.
7. Fusarium
8. sclerodian cancer.

Details about diseases caused by fungi

If a pine shoot is bent in the form English letter S and resin-filled wounds and golden-yellow elongated swellings appeared on it, from which elongated ulcers then appeared; if these same swellings also affected the pine needles, this means that the taiga beauty fell ill with pine spinner - an ailment caused by the fungus Melampsorapinttorgua. It overwinters in the tree bark and appears in the second half of May, and with equal force it affects both seedlings and young plants up to 10 years old. You can recognize the whirlwind at the initial stage by the formation of a green bark, in which, upon close inspection, you can see white dots that turn yellow after a few days. For annual seedlings, spinner is especially dangerous and can cause mass death. To avoid illness, experts recommend the following actions:

1. remove and burn fallen leaves, since in the spring basidiospores form on them, through which infection occurs.
2. spray the tree with a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture (three times), the same solution of polycarbacin or a 0.8% solution of zinebom.
3. carry out injections into the tree trunk.
4. use immunostimulants and microfertilizers.

The next disease - scleroderriosis (also called umbrella disease and crumenulosis) - is most dangerous for cedar, mountain and Weymouth pines and for young growth. Its causative agent is the fungus Brunchorstiapinea, whose activity can be seen in early spring:

1. the bark becomes reddish-brown and hard, becomes stained and easily separates from the wood, hangs in the form of a flag or hut, after which it dries out and crumbles.
2. the apical bud dies.
3. Most of the young shoot is deformed, and the stems of the seedlings die off entirely or in the upper part.

Have a beneficial effect on the development of the disease

1. wet seasons, especially long warm autumn.
2. density of landings.
3. too wet soil.
4. natural factors causing weakening of trees.

Control measures:

1. use of uninfected planting material.
2. planting sparse crops.
3. laying nurseries in dry, elevated places.
4. application of balanced fertilizer.
5. destruction of diseased seedlings, cutting down affected trees, pruning diseased shoots and branches to a living bud and burning them throughout the season.
6. spraying pine trees from June to September with a 0.6% solution of maneb.

Young pines under the age of 8 years are also dangerous from the common schute, which can be noticed already in the fall: yellow spots begin to appear on the needles irregular shape, increasing in size. In the spring, immediately after the snow melts, diseased needles acquire a red-brown color and dry out, and in the summer black pads with spores form. There is also a snow shutte, which appears as a white coating. If a pine tree is massively infected by this fungus, the death of all young trees and seedlings is possible.

The fight against Schutte involves:

1. removal of litter as the main source of infection.
2. spraying seedlings with copper-containing preparations and fungicides (for example, Bordeaux mixture or Abiga-Pik) at least twice - in May and in the second half of summer.

Varieties of pine crayfish

Rust cancer (also known as tar cancer) is another disease that is classified as the most harmful. It is caused by fungi Cronartiumflaccidum and Peridermiumpini of the Melampsoraceae family, which have a different development cycle, and is widespread in the growing area of ​​Scots pine, but can also affect other species - for example, mountain, cedar, black and Weymouth pine. Infection occurs through young shoots, branches and frequent small cracks in the bark, from which after two to three years orange-yellow vesicles with spores 3-5 mm in size appear. After sporulation, necrotic wounds with abundant resin flow remain on the bark. As the spores develop, the affected tissues die, the resin canals are destroyed, the bark becomes covered with sulfur-yellow and grayish clots, smudges and sagging over time, and not only cracks, but also peels off with scabs and turns black, the wound grows and becomes depressed. At the same time, the cancer spreads to the remaining parts: the crown thins out, the top dries out, the needles turn pale, and the number of pests in the trunk increases. Taken together, everything leads to complete drying of the tree. Resin cancer is especially dangerous for pine trees aged 30-50 years. It was also noted that the highest prevalence of seryanka - up to 40%, or even higher - is observed when good lighting and heating of trees - on the edges of the forest, near clearings, in open areas.

A tree needs to be “treated” for rust cancer at the initial stage - then it can be effective. It is necessary to clean the wound, treat it with a three or five percent solution of copper sulfate and apply a protective composition. Affected branches should be removed and cuts should be disinfected. If the disease is advanced, the only cure for it is sanitary felling and control of stem pests.

For Weymouth and cedar pines, blister rust, similar to seryanka, is dangerous. It is characterized by yellowing of the needles, the formation of yellow-orange bubble-like clots in the spring, thickening of the infected parts of the tree, the appearance of open grinding wounds, and drying out of the top. Treatment involves isolating these types of pines from currants, destroying its bushes within a radius of 250-300 meters from Weymouth pine plantings, and spraying the trees with a one percent aqueous suspension of copper chloroxide.

Bark necrosis (or necrosis necrosis) is another type of canker that affects pine trees. Most often it develops against the background of weakening of the tree by droughts, frosts or damage by animals. Infection occurs in late summer - early autumn, and the first signs - browning of needles and stems, yellowing and drying of the bark, rapid death of branches and the formation of group fungal rashes on them in the form of orange convex spots, darkening over time - are detected in the spring. The infection can even exist in the bark of a dead tree, so one of the measures to combat necrosis is to destroy such pines. In addition, you should follow the rules of agricultural technology, spray the seedlings with fungicides three times a season - in spring, early summer and autumn, after removing the mushrooms from the bark with a swab dipped in the preparation, and also regularly trim dead shoots to a living bud.

When a tree is infected with sclerodium cancer in the spring, the buds do not awaken, the brown-red needles partially dry out and fall off, necrotic ulcers form on the branches and trunks, opening when the bark cracks. Living tissue is separated from dead tissue by a green line, and by autumn, angular black dots with spores of a fungus that overwinters in the bark of diseased pines grow on the dried bark. Measures to combat sclerodium cancer are the same as in the case of pine infection with similar varieties of the disease.

A little about the ubiquitous fusarium

Fusarium, or tracheomycosis wilt, is a universal disease that affects not only pine and other conifers, but also garden crops, and in each individual case the disease manifests itself differently. In the case of pine, fusarium looks like this:

1. yellowing, reddening and falling needles.
2. partially thinning crown.
3. a gradually drying plant.

Most often, seedlings and young plants are affected by this disease. Fusarium is a very terrible and insidious incurable disease that can occur in a latent form, so that it may not be immediately recognized. Once infected with it, the pine tree is doomed to death. In order to prevent fusarium, it is necessary:

1. Plant only tested, uninfected planting material.
2. promptly remove all dried plants with roots and affected plant debris.
3. soak bare-rooted seedlings in a solution of Vitaros or Fitosporin-M.

Conclusion

Despite the opinion that there is no healthy pine tree in the world, when cultivating it, most diseases can be avoided. The main thing is to carefully monitor the growth and development of this beauty, follow all the rules of planting and agricultural practices (pine trees often get sick as a result of neglect), clear the branches of snow, protect the seedlings from frost and promptly respond to the slightest signs of any disease. It goes without saying that you need to be a very experienced specialist in this area, since the symptoms of most ailments are very similar to each other. It should be remembered that as the plant matures, its immunity strengthens, but at the same time, as the pine ages or is exposed to adverse environmental factors, it decreases. Special attention should be given to young trees in the first two to three years after planting, since if bark beetles and pine beetles are under the bark, the seedlings can be saved in rare cases. The most simple ways pest control are as follows:

1. treatment of their wintering places (lower bark and litter) with insecticides.
2. spraying the bark with them during the flight of beetles,
3. removing drill flour and larvae eating the cambium with a knife.
4. destroying trees completely infested with them before they infect the rest, as well as debarking logs and boards.

Cedar is a representative of coniferous trees of the Pine family. It is represented by only four species. It is a large tree, up to fifty meters, with a wide and powerful crown, which, depending on the type, can have a pyramidal or umbrella shape. The needles on spreading branches are arranged in bunches.

Cedar wood exudes wonderful aromas. That's why essential oil cedar is very popular. Also actively used pine nuts and cones.

In addition to its decorative appearance, cedar has many other useful uses.

Rust.

The majestic and powerful cedar has been grown in our gardens for a long time. He decorated noble estates, courtyards of monasteries and churches. Today this tree can be found in any garden and park area. Its cultivation has become widespread. Proper care and basic knowledge allow you to create everything the necessary conditions for cedar, which will decorate the garden for many, many years.

Unfortunately, cedar, like other representatives of garden and park flora, is susceptible to a number of diseases. Therefore, before planting representatives of this genus on the site, it is necessary to become familiar with what diseases and pests they are susceptible to, find out how to fight them and study prevention methods.

Diseases

An adult cedar that has been growing in the garden for several years is quite resistant to various types of diseases and pests. It has a well-developed root system, a strong trunk and a powerful crown. It is almost impossible to overcome his illnesses. But with young seedlings that have just been planted or trees in their first years of life, the situation is completely different. Due to the fact that when transplanted to a new place of residence, cedar experiences severe stress, becomes weakened and needs some time to regain its strength, it becomes vulnerable to garden pests and various ailments.

The most common diseases are:

• rust;
• Seryanka or resin crayfish.

Rust settles on pine needles. Initially, yellow bubbles can be noticed, which gradually turn into a powder that spreads to the trees and affects their needles. Rust is a spore of a fungus that actively reproduces in warm and humid environments. Most often, this type of fungus forms on grasses and weeds that grow near the cedar, and then, under favorable conditions, it spreads throughout the tree. Therefore, for prevention purposes, it is necessary to regularly weed out the weeds around the tree.

When rust appears on cedar, the affected parts break off and are burned.

Rust is not too dangerous for wood, which cannot be said about seryanka.

Seryanka or tar cancer occurs due to the appearance of a rust fungus. It is dangerous because it affects needles, bark, bast, and cambium. His actions undermine the cedar’s immunity too much and various garden pests begin to actively attack it.

All parts of the tree that are affected by rust fungus must be destroyed.

Since this disease first appears on gooseberry and currant bushes, for prevention purposes it is recommended to prevent such proximity. This will protect the cedar from infection.

Diseases of cedar trees make them too attractive to insect pests.

Weakened cedar, most often attacked by:

• common engraver (bark beetle);
• pine Hermes;
• pine aphid;
• common scale insect;
• pine moth.

The bark beetle begins to be active at the end of spring. It damages the cedar bark, making holes there in order to lay its larvae there. They can hardly be seen upon external inspection, but the dead bark and holes in it are hard not to notice. Near the holes, light brown powder and partially resinous deposits appear. Thus, the cedar tries to get rid of the pest. But he needs additional help from a gardener. After all, without fighting the bark beetle, the tree will simply die by the end of the year. Therefore, cedar, especially at a young age (the first few years of life), must be treated with special preparations to protect against bark beetles.

Pine hermes are a type of aphid. Its appearance is indicated by a white coating on the needles, which is formed as a result of a large accumulation of Hermes larvae.

Aphids attack needles and young shoots. It actively populates them and sucks the juice out of them, as a result the branches lose their viability, begin to turn yellow and wither.

Therefore, as soon as white plaque has been detected on coniferous branches, they must be immediately removed from the tree and burned.

White plaque (pine hermes) spreads quite quickly on a tree, especially on a young one, so in addition to removing the affected branches, they (cedars) need to be treated with special preparations. Such actions will help get rid of aphids faster and give the tree additional strength for further growth.

And so you need to fight aphids as follows:

1. It is necessary to apply the root preparation "Aktara". It gives extra strength to cedar and acts as a disinfectant.
2. Treat the crown with special insecticidal agents. You can use “Aktellik”, “Decis”, “Fufan”, “Karbofos”, “Commander”, etc., they must be used according to the instructions. Spray the tree once every three weeks until the Hermes is completely removed.

Unfortunately, pine aphids also love cedar. She is gray in color with hair. These insects attack young shoots. They tightly adhere to the branches and feed on their sap. Which naturally leads to death. They fight pine aphids by spraying with karbofos. They are also recommended to carry out preventive spraying in the spring.

Not so often, but you can still find common scale insects on cedar. This insect pest is white or brown in color. Their vital activity leads to the loss of needles, they simply crumble. They fight scale insects with insecticides. You can use the same drugs as when fighting Hermes.

The pine moth is a butterfly that appears in late May and actively lays its eggs on coniferous branches, from which caterpillars emerge in mid-to-late August. They really love needles and buds. Caterpillars actively eat everything in their path. If you don't take action effective methods struggle, the tree may die. If a pine moth is detected, it is necessary to treat it with Lepidocide or other effective insecticides.

As you can see, cedar has plenty of pests and diseases. But if you remove weeds in a timely manner (they are also breeding grounds for many diseases), observe the garden neighborhood, and carry out timely preventive treatment of trees with insecticides, you can avoid many troubles when growing cedar.

If you have garden plot Cedar is already growing or you want this mighty tree to decorate the garden, then you should first study this plant thoroughly. It is especially important to know what diseases and pests can affect cedar. And as a note to yourself, be sure to write down or remember measures to combat uninvited guests in the form of insects and fungi.

If you are just planning to plant a cedar in the garden so that you can relax under its shade after a hard day and enjoy clean and fragrant air, then it is best to turn to well-known and large nurseries. For example, nursery EcoPlant has already given many people the opportunity to have a majestic cedar tree in their garden. To view a huge selection of plant material, go to the partners' website through their banners in the upper left corner of the page.

And now we want to tell you about the most common pests and diseases of cedar. And the most important thing, You will learn how to deal with them. Let's begin!

Please remember one thing: if the plant has good immunity and is not subject to various stresses, then it will be difficult for diseases and pests to overcome it. But, of course, growing cedar from a seed to a huge size is difficult and takes a very long time. Most likely, you will want to buy cedar from a nursery at the right age. So that, as they say, everything at once, without unnecessary hassle and waste of time.

When transplanting, no matter how hard you try, the cedar will experience stress. At the same time, a cedar already planted in your garden, while it takes root, can emit its own, individual smell, which is perceptible only to pests. This signal that the peace of the cedar has been disturbed can attract beetles and other harmful insects. It is difficult for a weakened plant to protect its own life, so it is you who must come to the rescue.

Ordinary engraver.

After transplantation, the cedar may be affected bark beetles (trunk pests), and in particular the common engraver. This beetle begins its mass flight already in May. The male beetle gnaws a hole in the bark. And then the females lay larvae under the bark.

Tissue necrosis appears on the surface of the bark; holes and gnawed passages are often visible. On the bark near the passage you can see drill flour, resin may come out - this is how the cedar itself tries to get rid of insects. If you don’t fight the engraver, then by the end of summer you can lose the poor tree.

Preventive measures.
For the first 2-3 years, it is advisable to carry out preventive treatments against various bark beetles, including engravers. But it is very difficult to do this on your own; such a task can only be done by a plant protection specialist. But there is no need to worry; in fact, the engraver is no longer such a frequent visitor to our coniferous favorites.

Pine hermes.

This insect, or rather an aphid, is not easy to spot. But you can see a whitish coating on the shoots. These are Hermes larvae. They have fine, white hairs, and in a colony they appear as one white, fluffy mass. And adult individuals are much larger, brown in color, and overwinter in the larval stage.

Hermes sucks juice from young tissues, causing the needles and young shoots to turn yellow.

If you notice such a white coating on individual branches, then it is better to cut off the branches and burn them. If the tree is not severely affected by Hermes, it can cope with insects on its own. But if the aphid has taken over the entire tree, and especially the young one, then it is worth taking control measures.

First, water the roots "Aktaroy" to disinfect the soil and strengthen the protective functions of the plant.
The crown must be thoroughly sprayed with any insecticide - “Aktellik”, “Decis” or “Fufanon”, karbofos (90 grams per 10 liters of water), “Aktara”, “Commander”, “Iskra”. You need to spray periodically every 3-4 weeks to get rid of insects at different stages of development.

Or you can resort to traditional methods. But this is if the plant is not severely affected. To destroy Hermes, you can spray cedar with an infusion of ash, garlic, tobacco, or green soap.

Pine aphid.

Although it is called pine, it can also affect cedar. These are small, oblong, and also hairy, gray insects that like to cling to young, apical shoots.

I advise you not to wait for it to appear, but rather to treat the crown with karbofos in early spring. For prevention. But if pine aphids settle in on the cedar, then repeat spraying with karbofos again.

Common pine scale insect.

This small insect It can also affect cedar, but this happens less frequently than with other conifers. At the same time, needles fall off, sometimes even small branches.

Scale insects are so named because they have a shield on their body. They can be whitish or brown. For prevention, spray cedar with any insecticide in early spring. Let me remind you that most often with the help of such preventive measures you can get rid of many cedar pests: so to speak, two birds with one stone.

Pine moth.

Also an unpleasant guest who can stay on a cedar tree. The height, or more precisely, the flight of these butterflies begins at the end of May and continues until July. The female lays eggs on old needles, the larva develops in about 20 days, and then columns of voracious caterpillars sit on almost all shoots where the plant tissues are soft and succulent.

They eat everything: old and young needles, buds. If the cedar is young, it may dry out.
To combat caterpillars, use the biological product “Lepidocide” or other approved insecticides.

With the help of "Lepidotsid" and insecticides you can fight against pine cutworm - also a caterpillar that eats needles, young buds, and shoots in a row.

Now let's talk about diseases.

Pine needle rust.

Rust can appear during periods when it is very warm and humid outside. Then you can notice that yellowish bubbles appear on the needles. Over time, powder appears on these bubbles - these are spores of rust fungus. These spores begin to infect the needles, they become yellow-brown and fall off.

Needle rust on cedar appears if coltsfoot, sow thistle or other plants on which the development cycle of this fungus takes place grow nearby. Therefore, to protect coniferous trees from rust, do not allow these plants to grow nearby. And so, if you notice suspicious bubbles on several branches, then tear off the branches and burn them. In general, needle rust does not cause much damage to cedar.

Seryanka (pine blister rust or tar cancer).

This disease is also caused by rust fungus. Fusiform swellings form on the branches and trunks. In spring, sulfur-yellow formations, the so-called aecidia, appear on them. If this growth is disturbed, fungal spores will come out.

Rust fungus affects all wood, bark, bast, and cambium. Usually the bark cracks, falls off, and the bare wood oozes resin.

Seryanka is very dangerous because it weakens the cedar’s immunity. Because of this, various pests attack it.

In order not to spread this disease to healthy coniferous plants, in particular cedar, all conifers affected by the seryanka must be destroyed nearby. Also beware of close plantings of gooseberries and currants (intermediate hosts) with cedar. Blister rust (seryanka, tar crayfish) often “roams” on these berry bushes.

Here are the most common pests and diseases of cedar that you will not encounter if you love and care for your plantings. After all, premature care and care are more important for them. Then you can sit quietly in the shade of a mighty cedar, enjoying the clean and fragrant air.

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The main signs of damage to trees by this pest are the appearance of a characteristic soft white or grayish coating, similar to mold, on the above-ground parts of plants (but, for example, there may not be a coating on spruce) and the gradual withering of trees. The fibrous coating serves the insect larvae as protection from the environment.

Plaque on cedar (Siberian pine)

Signs of cedars being affected by Hermes are the presence of white fluff on the needles, shoots and trunks of plants. If the pest is severely damaged, plaque can appear on the entire above-ground part of the plant: on the needles, on the shoots, and even on the trunks. In this case, the old fluff covers the shoots with a continuous veil and is difficult to remove from the plant, as if it were “glued.” The photo on the left shows a case of chronic Hermes infection that lasted for several years. And at the very beginning of pest invasion, only the shoots of the current year are affected. Fresh fluff is soft and can be easily removed from the needles with your fingers. When you rub the fluff between your fingers, sticky yellow-brown stains remain that are difficult to wash off with water. This sticky liquid is formed after crushing the pest larvae, which are poorly visible to the naked eye and securely hidden in a white fluffy shell.

The needles of the affected cedar slow down their growth, often become bent, and young affected shoots become lighter and shorten. The growth of the plant as a whole is inhibited. The decorative qualities of the tree suffer greatly. Gradually the plant dries out. Based on the quality of growth of shoots from previous years, one can conclude when the infection occurred, and based on the growth of the current year, one can make a forecast about the development of the disease. The more growth is suppressed year after year, the worse the prognosis. If the current year's shoot is noticeably different from previous ones - the needles are lighter, thinner, and the shoot itself is much shorter, then the prognosis is unfavorable. The weakest trees - those growing in the worst conditions - are the first to be affected. For example, a cedar growing in lowlands, on waterlogged soil, will lose its decorative value first, while a tree growing on well-drained soil can successfully resist pest attacks for several years.

Hermes on fir and larch

The main symptom is the thinning of the crown. The needles gradually fall off, the crown thins out, becomes lacy, and takes on an unkempt appearance. The color of the needles changes noticeably. The crown becomes dull, turns red or yellow. Lower branches and branches located in the shade of other trees are especially affected. Upon closer examination, heterogeneous brown spots are clearly visible on the upper side of the fir needles, with reverse side- whitish convex inclusions. The plaque can be seen on the needles themselves on the reverse side, and in the places where the needles are attached to the shoot, and at the base of the shoot. The trees are gradually drying out. You need to be more careful in examining old shoots. It is on them, and in the depths of the crown, that traces of Hermes are more often found.

Yellowing of fir needles can be caused by other reasons, despite the fact that the Hermes attack was earlier and traces of its vital activity are still visible in the form of a white or dirty-gray coating. In this case, prescribing the wrong treatment can only worsen the condition of the tree.

If larch grows next to the fir, then you need to carefully examine it. If pests are detected, it should be treated as well. The color of larch needles often remains bright green and does not change during the summer, and only a few characteristic tubercles can be found on the back of the needles. Aphids cause less harm to larches, since their needles are renewed annually, but just as with other coniferous trees, hermes can become a carrier of dangerous fungal or viral infections on larch.

Hermes on fir is more difficult to notice than on cedar pine. On cedars, as a rule, there are always plump balls of cotton wool, while on fir needles they are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, especially if there are few pests. For clarity, the photographs show an extremely advanced case of pest infestation. In addition to the white balls on the back side of the needles, the characteristic red and yellow spots. The danger lies in the fact that insects are almost always the cause of fir trees drying out from secondary causes - from diseases carried by Hermes. It is necessary to carry out comprehensive detailed diagnostics to the right choice treatment tactics. Diseases of coniferous trees, especially in advanced forms, are difficult to treat.

Signs of damage by hermes spruce are the presence of galls on the shoots of the plant. A gall is an unnatural growth of spruce shoot tissue that is shaped like a cone. The galls serve as a kind of “home” for the ripening of insect eggs and their release for subsequent feeding. When laying eggs, adult insects secrete a peculiar chemical substance that provokes abnormal growth of shoot tissue and lays eggs. By the time the eggs mature, the gall has already formed and begins to fulfill its function of protecting insect larvae. In the photo on the left are spruce needles infected with Hermes. The needles begin to crumble and lose color, but adult insects are not visible at a quick glance.

The fight is aimed at the complete destruction of pests. Because in the presence of surviving female pests, drug resistance often develops. Treatments should be done in the spring and, depending on the insecticide used, repeated every 2-5 weeks throughout the growing season. Treatments are carried out with insecticidal preparations of the pyrethroid or neonicotinoid series. Suitable preparations for self-treatment include Tanrek, Golden Iskra, and Confidor.

The best results are achieved by cold or hot fog treatments. The penetration of coarse droplets through plaque is difficult, so in their practice plant protection specialists use professional equipment - backpack motor sprayers (cold fog generators) and hot fog steam units.

A positive result can also be achieved with independent use the indicated insecticides and treatment with a hand sprayer, but provided that the entire plant is treated and the frequency of treatments does not change. Do not leave the inside of the plant untreated or go around the top of the tree. This can lead to resistance. If these rules are not followed, it will be much more difficult to select effective medications in the future.

Using both a hand sprayer and cold and hot fog, the entire plant is treated, carefully working through all the branches, the inside of the crown, and the trunk. It is advisable to carry out work on your neighbors - to treat all conifers that may become infected - spruce, pine, fir and larch. How more plants in the area will be disinfected, the higher the chance that the pest will not return again.

To reduce the number of treatments, tree injections are used. This method allows you to destroy insects completely, in all hard to reach places. In this case, toxic substances spread throughout all parts of the plant, and insects, feeding on juices that are poisonous to them, die. Note that injections do not affect laying of Hermes eggs, so the best result is achieved by combining spraying timed to coincide with the maturation of the larvae from the eggs and systemic injections, which are done only once.

The main advantage of injections is that there is no harmful effect on the ecosystem. Toxic substances are not sprayed outside, and their quantity is minimal. The method is completely safe for pets and people. If injections are carried out using the Arborget system, then nothing “sticks out” from the trees; it is impossible to accidentally tear off or eat containers with active substance, as often happens with injections according to the Mauget system - dogs bite bottles sticking out of the wood. We also recommend the Arborget system because it is better suited for coniferous trees, because... drugs are injected under the cortex under pressure.

Spraying the soil with insecticides against Hermes is useless. This method causes damage to plants and humans more harm than good.

It is worth mentioning the improvement of tree growing conditions. Healthy and strong plants are less likely to be attacked by pests. This should be taken care of at the planting stage - the better the conditions are suitable for the plant (soil moisture and fertility, lighting, soil mechanical composition, etc.), the stronger the tree will be and the less effort will be required to maintain its health and decorative qualities.