The main causes of the death of apple trees. Why do seedlings die? Eight Grower Mistakes
Sometimes a tree dies very quickly as a result of a devastating insect invasion or from a dangerous disease. More often, however, the death of a tree is due to complex and slow processes with multiple causes, which are divided into biotic and non-biotic.
Causes of tree death
Nonbiotic
Non-biotic causes of tree death include environmental stresses such as flooding, drought, heat, low temperatures, ice storms, excess sunlight. Environmental stresses are especially detrimental to tree seedlings. Non-biotic pollutants and wildfires cause significant damage to both young and old trees.
Biotic
The biotic causes of tree death are largely related to plant competition. As a result of the struggle for light, nutrients or water photosynthesis may become insufficient - the trees begin to starve. Any fall of leaves or needles, whether due to insects, animals or diseases, can have the same long-term effect. Increasing decline life force tree due to starvation, pests and diseases, and exposure to environmental stresses can eventually lead to the death of the tree.
The durability of a dried tree depends on two factors - the size of the tree and the durability of its wood. Dead sequoias on the Pacific coast of North America, and cedars and cypresses in the southern United States, can stand for more than 100 years. Dried trees of other species, such as pine or birch, are destroyed in less than five years.
Ecological potential of dead trees
A dried dead tree eventually loses small branches, which fall off and rot next to the tree. Over time, over several decades, the mass and size of a tree slowly decrease, and at the same time, viable ecosystems are formed in the tree itself and under it.
The dead tree has not yet fully exhausted its ecological potential and retains its ecological value for a long time. After death, the tree continues to play various ecological roles, influencing the surrounding organisms. Of course, the influence of dead trees gradually decreases as they are destroyed. But even destroyed tree structures can exist in various ecosystems for thousands of years, especially in wetlands.
A withered tree continues to have a huge impact on the micro-ecology in itself, next to it, and under it. So the tree can become a nesting place for a population of squirrels, becoming a den tree. On its boughs can nest large birds- heron, osprey, hawk, etc. The dead bark feeds insects that attract woodpeckers and other insectivorous birds. Fallen branches combined with undergrowth provide shelter and feeding grounds for quails and pheasants.
In forest ecosystems, the decayed remains of dried trees serve as a nutrient substrate for the growth of many new plants of various species.
Drying fruit is possible for a number of reasons. Often young trees die from damage to the roots of water voles (if your garden is near water bodies) or larvae of May beetles (if their numbers are quite high on the site). But trees and shrubs in gardens (at any age) can dry out from wetting the roots.
Despite the fact that water is of paramount importance in the life of plants - it is their main part, it allows you to extract from the soil the nutrients necessary for growth and development, saves from overheating, keeps them in an elastic (turgor) state - an excess of it is sometimes fatal for all cultures. In wet years, plants are stronger and more likely to get sick. Excess moisture in the soil contributes to a significant rise in the level of groundwater, and high moisture saturation of the soil prevents the growth and branching of the roots of trees and shrubs, leads to their death, delays vegetation, and weakens winter hardiness.
With high standing groundwater, especially on structureless, heavy clay soils and their strong compaction, trees lack air, which is so necessary for the normal functioning of the roots.
According to the observations of gardeners in early spring, even before the start of sap flow, the roots of fruit trees do not suffer from an excess melt water and even floods caused by flooding of rivers and streams. However, in June-July, during the period of active summer development, they become very susceptible to waterlogging of the soil. In years when heavy rains fall all summer, and the sun only occasionally peeps through the clouds, the entire soil horizon is saturated with water from the precipitation. At the same time, the groundwater level rises closer to the surface. With excessive moisture, air is forced out of the soil. And the delicate root hairs, with the help of which the fruit tree receives water and nutrition from the soil, with a weak air flow (poor aeration), deprived of oxygen, suffocate (asphyxia sets in) and begin to die off after three days. Longer waterlogging leads to the gradual death and decay of thick roots.
On trees with affected roots, most often the growth of shoots in length stops, the leaves turn yellow or turn brown, often covered with scab spots or a coating of other diseases, and with the onset of hot, dry weather, early leaf fall often begins. Weakened trees can drop leaves and fruits in the middle of summer and remain completely naked, as if in winter. If the rainy weather persists into August, as happened this year, then the thick bark on the trunks of fruit trees affected by excess moisture may begin to warp and begin to separate from the wood, and such trees become completely unprepared to resist winter frosts.
Most often, not all gardeners pay attention to these changes in the summer, and only the next year in the spring, seeing dead trees or dried individual branches, they think that winter frosts are to blame. Sometimes heavily weakened trees, having gathered all their last strength, bloom in the spring, but soon dry up, as the dead roots no longer supply them with water and nutrients.
But even on a small suburban area fruit unequally react to the same conditions. Their condition largely depends on the age, crop variety and composition of the soil under top layer soil directly under the roots of the tree. The youngest trees are the least affected by waterlogging - up to 4-6 years old, in which root system located close to the soil surface. Later, when the roots of a grown tree penetrate into the deeper layers of the earth, the danger of their death from wetting the roots increases.
However, even on an absolutely flat area under the upper soil horizon, there may be layers of dense loams and clays in the form of saucers, in which excess rainwater constantly accumulates, and microheights, where water accumulation does not occur. That's why sometimes from two side by side standing trees one dies, and the second can live even 40-50 years. And when planting a new seedling in the place of a dead one, the tree dies, having lived no more than 10-15 years. And rarely suffer from root death fruit trees on sloping slopes, usually this phenomenon is observed only in the locations of springs.
To make fruit trees less prone to wetting of the roots, pay attention to some features:
- if under the top layer of soil on the site there are heavy clays, sand, crushed stone or gravel, fruit trees most often grow poorly and may die over time;
- the depth of groundwater from the soil surface should be at least 2-2.5 meters. Where they are shallow, soil is added (a mixture of manure, peat, sawdust, fertile soil and so on.). Drainage or drainage ditches are made to drain excess water.
Apple tree can't stand wet places and shading and prefers fertile loose loams on sandy or loamy subsoil.
Pear even more demanding on growing conditions than an apple tree. It is recommended to plant it in warmer places protected from the wind.
The mass death of trees and not only fruit trees has recently been observed in many regions for various reasons.
- One of them is environmental and natural disasters - emissions of industrial gases, radioactive elements, increased UV index. Even if you do not live in an industrial area, then poisonous precipitation, wind could get to you thousands of kilometers away. Trees die in strips, patches. Pay attention to the gardens of the neighbors, throughout the area. We have encountered this several times. 10 years ago, for 3 years, many trees died in the city - poplars, birches, spruces, cypresses. From the beginning in the summer, both old and young began to dry out in a month 5-8 summer trees. Many did not endure the winter, although our frosts are not strong and these trees are not affected at all. They blamed the city authorities that there was no watering. Even the mayor was not elected because of this for the 3rd term. But the trees began to dry up in the dachas, where watering certainly was. And what is characteristic, in 18 huge SNTs, young orchards suffered the most, mainly in the floodplain of the river. Akhtuba. There is a certain microclimate, humidity. For the past 3 years, the situation has been repeated. Old apple trees and apricots are dying in dachas, and young trees do not take root and develop well.
- The second reason is in the planting material. We also encountered this, rejuvenating 50-60 summer cottages and recovering losses. Buy Now varietal seedlings no problem. They bring them in large quantities. But the question is: where from? Non-zoned varieties do not live long. We practically do not take root trees from the Moscow region, Michurinsky nurseries. For them, our summer is too hard, very big growing season. What might have happened to you.
- Another reason related to planting material and fertilizers. Infection with root virus infection has now become very wide use. This is due to the substrates in which seedlings are stored and transported, excessive watering with EPAM - high concentration fertilizers. In dead trees, the roots and lower part of the trunk should be carefully examined.
- If this is not observed in your neighbors and in the district, then the problem is in your area. First of all, this is the composition of the soil - salinity, there is slag at the landing site, rocks, close ground water. Perhaps in the spring there is stagnation of melt water. The tree that survived did not fall into this zone. Trees near our house have not grown for more than 5-6 years. By chance, while digging a hole for grapes, they found a temporary spring not far from this place. He did not come to the surface. Water seeped into the hole on irrigation days when all the neighbors were watering.
To find out more precisely why your young apple trees died, I can advise dowsing, i.e. test with a pendulum or frame plot and a list of reasons. They will show pathogenic, negative zones if the cause is in the ground. Specifically, which list will indicate.
Orchards that are bursting with an abundance of apples in the central strip and even to the north are not uncommon, and the apple trees themselves live a very, very long time, and more than one generation feasts on their fruits. In more severe regions, in particular, in the Middle Urals, where I live, everything is different - apple trees for the most part bear fruit poorly and often die at a fairly young age, only having entered fruiting.
The point here is not so much the climate (although, of course, it plays its sad role), but the banal absence of a culture of growing apple trees, which did not historically develop in these regions. As a result, gardeners do not pay attention to many apple tree problems, and when they catch on, usually nothing can be done - the apple trees die. In addition, in regions with a harsh climate, it is customary to grow apple trees on undersized (dwarf and semi-dwarf) rootstocks, which (for all its advantages) creates its own difficulties and also does not contribute to the longevity of apple trees.
As a result, for example, in the Urals, every spring, apple trees die in many orchards - large ones that have already begun to bear fruit, and even very small ones. More often this does not happen from freezing in winter, since the vast majority of gardeners buy zoned apple seedlings in nurseries, but for completely different reasons.
Reasons for the death of apple trees
In the list of the most common of them, one should name root neck warming, eversion of trees by strong spring winds and faults. In addition, the death of fruit trees from damage to the bark due to frost holes, sunburn and the invasion of mice or hares occurs.
Warming up
Suspension is a real scourge of apple trees on undersized (dwarf and semi-dwarf) rootstocks. Of course, apple trees on low-growing rootstocks have many advantages. First of all, it is much easier and faster to achieve crops from them, which is important in unfavorable conditions. natural conditions for apple-tree regions. But here there are rules of the game - in no case should you fall asleep root collar(it is better to install rectangular fences that would artificially prevent the soil level from rising near the apple tree trunk). Otherwise, the death of the apple tree will not be far off. In vigorous apple trees, which in most cases are grafted onto wild (that is, grown from seed) Antonovka, the problem of warming up is not so acute. The fact is that the wild-growing Antonovka is considered the most resistant to underpremation among apple trees, in principle it does not threaten it, although it is also not recommended to fill up the root collar.
eversion
Trees twisting right up to their fall is also not uncommon for the Urals. On vigorous apple trees with a deep and very powerful root system, eversion is practically impossible. But on dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks, it happens very often, since their root system has a superficial location, and the trees themselves cannot stand without supports. Their eversion is facilitated by strong winds in spring and high soil moisture during prolonged autumn rains. To prevent such a situation, it is necessary to provide supports. At first, while the apple tree is small, an ordinary good wooden stake will be enough, and then it is much more reliable to install it on the periphery of the crown metal pipe and pull the tree to it with a cable (in places where the cable touches the bark, it is necessary to lay rubber gaskets so that the bark is not damaged in any way).
faults
To avoid faults, you need to correctly form the crown of apple trees. The formation of apple trees is a separate serious topic, but in a nutshell, then the skeletal branches should have an angle of inclination of 60-70 °, and not less. At sharp angles of inclination, branch breaks are possible. This can happen under the influence of a strong wind or when the branches are weighed down with a crop. The consequences of fractures of skeletal branches are extremely serious - as a rule, it is no longer possible to save them, and with significant damage to the trunk, this can lead to the gradual death of the apple tree, since the wounds formed during the fractures are too large and do not heal. The statement about the undesirability of sharp corners also applies to other, less important branches. There, faults are possible to exactly the same extent, although they cannot cause such grandiose harm as faults in skeletal branches.
Cortical damage
With regard to damage to the bark, wounds can appear from sunburn, from frost cracks, and from damage by mice and hares. Not one of the most insignificant wounds can be treated “slipshod”, because any of them can become a real gateway for infection. And, it is quite possible that this infection will lead to further loss of the tree. This is especially true, again, of apple trees on low-growing rootstocks, which are more susceptible to such terrible diseases as black cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately cover the places of cuts with garden pitch during the pruning process, and do everything possible so that the tree does not have additional wounds from frost holes, burns, or the devastating effects of the winter invasion of mice. Wounds from hares are less significant in volume, but they can also ruin quite a lot of good branches. Remember that it takes a long time to treat wounds (sometimes many years) and with very variable success, especially on middle-aged and weakened trees. It is much easier to avoid wounds, and it is necessary to protect trees from wounds from the first year of life, because even then, having forgotten about safety measures, you can “reward” them with severe burns, which then have to be treated for the rest of your life.
How to avoid wounds?
To avoid wounds from frostbite and sunburn, you need to follow these simple rules:
1. In young trees (the first few years of life), wrap the trunks loosely with ordinary medical bandages. Winding can be done at any time in summer or autumn (the main thing is that this work should be done before late autumn). Do not be afraid, there will be no constrictions on the trunk from bandages, but your plants will be reliably protected. Bandages, unlike whitewashing, do not wash off over time, and it is usually enough to carry out this procedure once every two years. It is very comfortable. True, for adult apple trees with their thick trunks, this option can be quite expensive in terms of the cost of bandages. Therefore, over time, you will have to switch to whitewashing, although the use of bandages is more convenient, easier and more practical.
2. In adult trees, regularly carry out late-autumn whitewashing of boles and bases of skeletal branches with the composition: 10 liters of water, 2.5 kg of quicklime, 1 kg of clay and 03 kg blue vitriol. You can add 20 g of heated wood glue to this composition for sticking.
To avoid the invasion of mice, it is enough to tie the trunks with spruce branches in late autumn, which is more relevant for relatively young trees (as practice shows, mice older than 25-30 years are no longer attracted to apple trees). The binding should be very thick and prickly. Only in this case it can serve as a barrier to voracious creatures. At the same time, there are no gaps between the trunk and spruce branches in no case should it be, because through any smallest gap the mouse will penetrate without problems and do its “dirty deed”. You need to be especially careful with the upper and lower parts of the harness. In the lower part, spruce branches should be sprinkled with wet earth: then, after the onset of frost, they will freeze tightly to the soil and will not let mice through. At the top, the harness should be perfectly pressed against the trunk.
In order for hares to bypass your site, you can hang shiny black objects on branches at the end of winter, which hares are afraid of - for example, old magnetic disks (5.4-inch floppy disks) previously removed from containers.
Wound treatment
Any wounds are cleaned with a garden knife to healthy wood and covered with garden pitch. Large wounds (often these happen after the work of mice) are tied over with burlap, and then covered with an additional film. They usually keep such a harness until the next year, it happens - even longer if the wound does not heal well, only periodically weaken it.
shallow sunburn can be treated by furrowing the bark. This operation is carried out in May after bud break. With the end of a garden knife, longitudinal grooves are cut to the wood at a distance of 2 cm from each other and 5 cm above and below the damaged area. Such incisions in the cortex contribute to the active division of cambial cells, the restoration of sap flow and faster wound healing.
When treating large and poorly healing wounds, it’s a good idea to disinfect them with a solution of copper sulphate (300 g of copper sulphate per 10 liters of water) before puttingty with garden pitch, simply washing them with this composition once and letting them dry a little (within 20-30 minutes). To some extent, it stimulates wound healing, and also disinfects its ordinary garden sorrel. Having picked its leaves (they need to be rumpled a little in your hands so that the leaves give juice), you should then carefully wipe the surface of the wound and apply fresh and also crumpled oxalic leaves to it. Tie and close with burlap. A day later - remove two and repeat exactly the same operation 1-2 more times. After that, cover the wound with var.
Svetlana Shlyakhtina, Yekaterinburg
Author's photo
As such, it was not, the lion's share of the site was planting, and the beds and fruit trees could only divide the space around the house. In the front garden, as a hedge, penetrating the old picket fence with elastic branches, they grew by themselves, and behind them, closer to the house, several cherry trees.
These few trees gave us a modest but steady crop of fragrant, sour northern cherries. This happened from year to year, and seemed unshakable and familiar. At the same time, I do not remember that my grandmother somehow looked after cherry trees. They, like currants, lived next to us with their independent lives.
Subsequently, planting apple and cherry seedlings on my site, I expected the same result. Alas, this did not work out. Very often in the spring I have to observe a sad picture - some young fruit tree does not wake up after a winter sleep, or, waking up and starting to bloom small leaves, suddenly dries up on the vine. This is what happened this spring. Another cherry did not wake up, and out of the four varietal cherries planted, now I have only one tree left.
cherry with live buds
The issue became acute, and it was no longer possible to postpone the search for a way out of the current situation. An attentive reader of the Green Blog could not fail to notice that the main idea of my articles is the idea of the inadmissibility of using any artificially created chemicals. But, all the sources that I got acquainted with, trying to understand how to prevent, spoke about one thing: it would not be possible to do without chemistry.
And this tree died, the buds are dry, inanimate
I realized that in my case we are talking, most likely, about a monilial burn. I confess, I made a decision and settled on the drug Horus, which has not only therapeutic effect but also preventive. The manufacturer claims that it does not harm bees, but is dangerous for fish if it enters water bodies. In addition to monial burn, this drug helps protect fruit trees from fruit rot, clusterosporiosis, coccomycosis, alternariosis, scab and powdery mildew. Horus can be used in wet, humid weather (but not in the rain) and low air temperature, in addition, two hours after treatment, the drug is not washed off by rain.
So I sprayed cherries, plums, young apple trees, cherry plums and sea buckthorn. After 10 days, the treatment will need to be repeated. I will be able to tell about the results of the work done only in a year. I really hope that the losses in my garden will stop.
