Juniper diseases and their treatment

Juniper is a plant that has recently been widely used for landscaping its own garden and in landscape design of an urban environment. He can often be seen in front of administrative buildings. This is a rather unpretentious culture, which is why it has gained such popularity. They do not experience inconvenience in the vicinity of flowers and deciduous trees, so they are used to create various compositions. They have more than a hundred species of varieties and species, ranging from creeping to tall, vigorous. But, despite all its unpretentiousness, the juniper is also often affected by diseases and pests. Diseases and pests of juniper very much spoil the appearance of the plant, so it is very important to take timely measures. We will tell you about the methods of struggle and treatment in this article.

Juniper diseases and their treatment

As a rule, juniper is considered a very strong and resistant crop to all kinds of pests and diseases, but, nevertheless, all plants are susceptible to diseases. Infection directly depends on weather conditions, for example, juniper is more susceptible to diseases in the spring, because during this period there is not enough vitamins and minerals and sunlight. Also, temperature changes negatively affect, frostbite or drying of the roots may occur. The roots may die during the melting of the snow from excessive moisture, or vice versa, if the winter turned out to be snowless, dry out. In the spring, the plant's immunity is greatly weakened, additional measures are required to prevent infection. New, young seedlings are also infected. It is very difficult to determine by the appearance of the juniper what disease struck him, because the symptoms are the same for everyone: dry, brown needles, dead areas, weak development and growth, withered branches, rare crown. Next, we will consider what diseases of the juniper are found, and we will analyze them in more detail.

Rust

This is the most common juniper disease caused by the fungus Gymnospsrsngium. They grow on needles, branches, cones. They live here until summer, then in spring they move to deciduous trees such as apple, pear, quince. The fungus leads to such consequences as drying and cracking of the bark, the death of branches. The consequences of the disease become especially noticeable in the spring, when, under the influence of moisture, the lesions swell and become covered with mucus, then convex yellow-brown formations appear caused by the spores of this fungus. Subsequently, these spores are carried downwind and move to fruit trees, with a radius of 6 km. If you do not take control methods, then pretty soon the branches are covered with rust and die off one by one. At the beginning of autumn, the lesions darken, the wintering stage of the parasite develops. They can also overwinter on other trees and even on plant remains. There is no treatment with drugs, it is recommended that the affected areas be immediately destroyed and burned when detected. After that, treat the plant itself with fungicidal agents, such as Topaz, Ordan, Folikur, Falcon. As a preventive measure, it is necessary both in the spring and in the summer to do the treatment with a solution of Bordeaux mixture (1%), iron or copper sulfate is also suitable.Plants are susceptible to damage by these fungi in wet weather, therefore it is recommended to carry out preventive procedures after a prolonged rain. Do not forget to remove all plant residues in the fall and burn them, this measure will prevent not only rust, but also other diseases of the juniper that winter on the plants. ...

Bark necrosis

This disease is caused by the fungus Netctria cucurbitula. It appears in places of mechanical damage to the bark in the form of brick-red pads with a diameter of 2 mm - these are plexuses of the mycelium, on which spores appear, after a few days they die off and fall off. Then the bark begins to dry, the branches die off, the needles turn yellow. This disease is also often referred to as non-cystic cancer. The fungus remains inside the bark or in the dead plant remains. It is also capable of harming the root system of a juniper. Therefore, immediate action must be taken. First, the affected, dead areas should be removed and destroyed by incineration. Then, we clear the soil from dead plant residues, and also destroy it. We treat the juniper with fungicidal preparations: Kvdris and Tilt. They will prevent the plant from re-infection. Secondly, it is necessary to thin out the branches in order to exclude infection of healthy ones. Thirdly, to carry out processing using copper-containing preparations.

Biotarella cancer

This disease is also caused by the pathogenic fungus Biatorella diformis, the spores of which colonize the damaged bark or wood of the juniper. First, this disease is provoked by insects that damage the bark, a deep ulcer forms at the site of the lesion, then the branch turns brown, dries out, cracks. The affected area dies off, this forms an oval, oblong ulcer, dark, with ragged edges. Needles and twigs turn yellowdry up. In the ulcer, black fruiting bodies of the fungus are formed. This disease affects all conifers. In order to save the juniper, it is necessary to cut out all the affected areas and burn them. Treat the cut site with a solution of copper sulfate or another agent against fungi, then grease with paint or linseed oil. As a preventive measure, you need to lubricate all cut points and mechanical damage with garden varnish. Buy high-quality seedlings in proven places, because it is they that lead to such a juniper disease. In early spring and in October, you need to process the juniper with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture, you can also use Hom or Abiga-Peak. As a shelter for the winter, use materials that allow air to pass through (burlap, paper, agrofibre), in order to avoid the formation of moisture, which contributes to the appearance of fungi.

Alternaria

The causative agent of this juniper disease is the fungus Alternaria tenuis Nees. Signs of defeat: branches and needles first become brown, dark, velvety bloom on the shoots, then the needles dry out and fall off. The cause of the disease is too thick needles, the lesions are the lower branches. The infection can persist on the remains of plants, unharvested branches. It can affect not only conifers, but also potatoes and cabbage. The affected areas must be cut and burned. For treatment, Homa or Abiga-Peak solutions are used, the cut points must be painted with paint or linseed oil.

Fusarium

The causative agents of this juniper disease are Fusarium oxysporum or Fusrium sambucinum, which live in the soil. The fungus enters the vascular system of the plant through mechanical damage, impedes the movement of juices in the plant trunk. This disease is also called tracheomycotic wilting. First, it affects the roots, then nutrients from the roots cease to flow to the aerial part. Dying off begins from above, the upper needles turn yellow, turn red, then fall off. Ultimately, the plant dies completely. On the roots of juniper or at the roots, you can see grayish spore-bearing mushrooms, only on this basis can you prevent fungal infection in advance.By the time the needles begin to fall off, the plant will already be too affected by the disease. Therefore, the plant is practically impossible to save at this stage. It is recommended to pull it out together with the roots, without residue, and burn. Treat the contaminated soil with Trichodermin. All preventive measures must be followed. As a rule, young, immature plants are susceptible to infection, therefore it is necessary to carry out processing. You may come across already infected seedlings, when buying a seedling, you should carefully examine it. Clay soils, wet and low-lying areas of planting are also at risk of damage. If you managed to notice the fungus in the early stages of spread, then you can treat this area with solutions of biological products "Fitosporin-M", "Agat-25K", "Gamair", "Fundazol", "Alirin-B". As a preventive measure, you can use a solution of 1% Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate, in spring and autumn. It is always necessary to destroy all plant debris, fungi of this juniper disease may remain there.

Juniper shute

The causative agent of this disease is also the fungus Lophodermium juniperinum (Fr.) deNot. The fungus first causes browning, then the needles dry out, infection begins at a temperature of +0.5 degrees. At risk are plants that are in the shade or weakened. It develops well in high humidity or with a long melting of snow. Signs of illness - in April, May, the needles begin turn yellow, turn brown, does not crumble for a long time. Then black shiny growths appear - this is the beginning of the formation of fungi. When infected with these fungus, the needles turn yellow or turn brown, and stick together with a gray cobweb. The needles do not crumble for a long time, because the lesions fall on the branches. As a preventive measure, a solution of Bordeaux mixture is used. It is necessary to prune the plant in a timely manner, remove dead branches and residues of vegetation near the juniper. If the plant has already been affected by the fungus, then it is necessary to remove the affected branches and burn. Then treat with fungicidal preparations such as Strobi, Skor, Ridomilgold, colloidal sulfur.

Schütte brown

The causative agent is the fungus Herhpotrichianigra, also called brown snow mold. In the spring, after the snow melts, you can find yellow or brown needles wrapped in grayish mold on junipers, these are the first signs of snow mold. This fungus can also be seen on other plants such as lawn grass. A little later, the mold darkens and sticks together the needles. The focus of the lesion is juniper branches, so the needles do not crumble for a long time. The methods of struggle are the same as in the case of the juniper shute.

Juniper pests and how to deal with them

Juniper does not have as many pests as other conifers. Nevertheless, they are found and in order not to spoil the appearance of the ornamental plant, it is necessary to identify insects in a timely manner and destroy them. We will consider the most common pests below. They are divided into gnawing and sucking.

Juniper sawfly

Nascoe is green in color with a brown head. It lives in the near-stem area of ​​the plant, in the soil. It feeds on needles and young shoots. The larvae are also green, striped caterpillars. The main method of struggle is digging the soil around the plant, we manually destroy insects and their larvae, you can use adhesive bandages. To achieve the best result, we treat the juniper with insecticidal preparations - Bi-58, Kinmiks.

Shield

Light orange larvae live on needles and cones, feed on plant sap, which leads to growth and development and leads to death. It also affects the decrease in immunity, which leads to infection with fungal diseases. Larvae up to 1.5 cm in size. You can notice them only when there are a lot of them. In the fight against these pests, insecticides (Karbofos solution) will also help.Moreover, the processing must be done 2-3 times every two weeks. In order to avoid getting used to one drug and the development of immunity to it, it is necessary to alternate them.

Spruce spider mite

Signs of infection are thick cobwebs, entangling the plant, yellow spots, shedding. These pests reproduce very quickly, they can reproduce 4 generations per season. If untimely detected, they can completely destroy the plant, especially new, young seedlings. In the fight against them, acaricides are used ("Sumiton", "Akatellik", "Karate").

Pine moth

The moth is a lepidoptera, in males the color is dark brown, in females it is red-brown with white or yellow spots, they remind something of needles, in fact, what they eat. Caterpillars are green with three white stripes; older specimens are blue-green. They actively reproduce in drought; if detected, it is urgently necessary to take measures so that the caterpillars do not stay overwintering. In the fall, they can go down into the litter, nude and overwinter there, then in the spring new pest butterflies will appear. Symptoms are lesions on the needles, small notches or grooves, these are grazing spots. In the fight against these insects, drugs such as "Methyl-nirofos", "Bayteks", "Arsmal" are used. Important! We spray drugs only with special clothing with respiratory protection. We do the processing in early spring. As a preventive measure, in the spring, we dig up the soil around the plant.

Gall midges

These are such tiny mosquitoes measuring no more than 2.2 mm. Because of their settlement, yellow-orange growths appear that surround the larvae, the insect feeds on these formations, and it also serves as a shelter from predators. If such neoplasms are found, they must be removed and burned. For treatment use drugs "Fufanon", "Actellik", "Commander", "Iskra", "Intavir".

Ants

Ants are insects that do both harm and good. They loosen the ground, structure the soil, eat insect pests and their broods. Contribute to soil enrichment with organic matter and humus. But they are also carriers of aphids, they can damage the plant, so that they stop growth, vigorous activity and a large number of ants can lead to the death of a juniper. They can carry various infections on themselves from plant to plant. Despite all the benefits, it is best to get rid of the invasion of ants with the help of Actellic or Fufanon preparations. We process the anthills themselves with these preparations.

Aphid

It is a small brown insect that feeds on juniper sap. Ants are just carriers of these particular parasites, since they feed on honeydew secreted by aphids. Therefore, first of all, you need to get rid of the anthills. If, nevertheless, it was not possible to avoid infection, then pesticides such as "Rogos", "Mospilan", "Decis", "Confidor", "Calypso" can be used. As a prophylaxis against aphids, use a soap solution, 250 grams per 5 liters of water. When spraying, do not touch the root system.

Preventive measures and care

A healthy and well-groomed plant is always less susceptible to diseases and pests, so it is very important to follow basic care measures and not neglect preventive pest control methods. In order for the juniper to always remain beautiful and well-groomed, a number of preventive measures must be followed:

- The correct choice of location, we avoid too shaded areas, or where there is a lot of groundwater. We choose well-ventilated places with sufficient light.

- With any transplant, garden tools must be disinfected

- First of all, you need to carefully select the planting material, without signs of damage and fungal infection.

- It is necessary to monitor the acidity of the soil, with an excess of acidity, the plant is more susceptible to infection with fungal and viral diseases.To maintain the optimum acidity level, lime must be added on time.

- Timely fertilization of juniper with potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen to maintain resistance.

- If pests or insect vectors are found, destroy them immediately. You should not wait until they multiply so that it will be impossible to get rid of. In a timely manner, you need to mulch the soil around the trunk in order to destroy the larvae of pests.

- It is necessary to soak the planting material before planting in "Fitosporin", "Vitaros", "Maxim"

As a rule, it is negligence in caring for the plant that leads to infections with fungal diseases or pests. If the juniper has favorable conditions, then it will delight you for many years with its beauty. As a preventive measure, once every two years, you can process copper sulfate, colloidal sulfur, fungicides. Timely need to remove the remnants of vegetation and burn them.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the juniper is a rather unpretentious plant, and often unfavorable conditions lead to diseases. Subject to all the conditions of agricultural technology, you should not have problems with this coniferous ornamental crop.