Why do pear leaves curl and what to do about it?
Many gardeners plant pear trees in their gardens. But at the same time, pear trees are often exposed to various diseases. Today we will talk about why leaves curl on such trees and how to treat it.
The reasons
Today, experts identify several main reasons for twisting leaves on a pear.
Nutrient deficiency
The lack of such substances (primarily calcium) leads to the fact that the edges of the leaves begin to darken sharply, then curl up. If the tree is young, then it may suffer from a lack of boron. In this case, the leaves turn black and become twisted.
If the pear lacks magnesium or phosphorus, the lower leaves of the tree are damaged first. They begin to curl up and soon fall off completely. In addition, they redden over time. When the plant is deficient in potassium, it takes on a corrugated shape, and brown stripes form on the surface of the leaves and subsequently they twist.
Diseases and pests
The following are distinguished.
- On a pear, the leaves are twisted into a tube and due to the invasion aphids. The activity of this pest also leads to the fact that the ovaries and buds on the plants quickly fall off, a brown coating appears on young shoots and leaves.
- pear codling moth also severely damages the pear. It is a small butterfly that lays its eggs on plants. They hatch into small caterpillars. It is they who damage the foliage, which leads to its twisting, slowing down the growth of trees.
- Another pest is pear honey. These small parasites feed on the sap of the pear tree. At the same time, they secrete their own special liquid. Because of it, the foliage becomes wrapped and sticky.
- leaf rollers are also a dangerous pest of the pear. They are small caterpillars. Such parasites are able to roll the foliage into a tube, which leads to the fact that the leaves cannot receive all the necessary nutrients. Then these insects pupate and in this form lay eggs on plants.
- gall mite also often harms the pear. It has the appearance of a small insect that lives in the buds of plants. On warm days, the parasite moves to young leaves and sucks out all the nutritious juices from them. At the same time, small dark spots appear on them, then they begin to curl.
- Often pear leaves deteriorate due to fungal diseases (scab). Because of this, almost all fruits can die in a short amount of time. Similar diseases appear during wet and warm weather. With fungal diseases, the leaves may turn red. Then they turn black and fall off completely. At the same time, the fruits of the tree are severely deformed, their development stops abruptly, and the foliage twists in the same way as in an apple tree with the same disease.
- Pear trees are often exposed to bacterial infection. In this case, the leaves turn black and curl. This disease usually spreads in rainy and warm weather.
- Pear trees are often affected powdery mildew. With this disease, only young leaves are damaged at first. A white coating forms on the foliage, and in the future it twists.
- Another common pear disease that causes leaf curl is milky shine. It appears due to the predominance of a warm and dry climate, sharp temperature fluctuations, and excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays.
- Pear trees can get sick and mosaic disease. It is viral. With it, the leaves begin to twist, small dots of light green or light yellow color form on them. They quickly become large, and this leads to the complete death of plants.
- Sometimes such fruitful trees suffer chlorosis. This disease causes the foliage to turn yellow and curl. This process begins at the top of the plant.
Wrong care
Often, gardeners do not know how to properly care for a pear. This can cause serious damage to this fruit tree. So, some people forget about watering. And this procedure must be carried out regularly so that the plants do not die.
But at the same time, remember that too waterlogged soil can also do harm. Do not forget that you need to fertilize on time. After all, they contain the elements necessary for the pear, including calcium, so you should definitely add calcium nitrate so that the trees can develop and bear fruit normally.
It is also worth adding boric acid to the soil. Many experts recommend adding complex mineral supplements. This should be done during the growing season, at the time of formation and flowering of the ovaries and in the fall.
Treatment
You can treat a pear with twisted leaves in various ways. At the same time, many gardeners prefer folk remedies.
Herbal infusion of celandine
It works best for aphids. To prepare such an infusion, you need to chop 5 branches of the plant. The resulting mass is poured into hot water (1 bucket). The whole mixture is infused for 5 days.
After this, the broth should be treated with damaged pears. This procedure should be carried out 3-5 times. In this case, the interval between treatments should be at least 5 days.
Infusion of wormwood
Many gardeners claim that such a decoction is able to destroy all pests that settle on a pear. To prepare the solution, you need to pour 1 kilogram of dry wormwood into a container with 5 liters of clean water.
After that, the mixture is left to infuse for two days. The mass is boiled for 30 minutes. Wait until the infusion has completely cooled down. Then strain the liquid and add another 10 liters of water to it. Spray trees with this mixture should be 2 times with an interval of 10 days.
Infusion of tomato leaves
To make such a decoction, you need to grind 4 kilograms of fresh tops or 2 kilograms of dry. Grass is poured with 10 liters of water. The liquid is left in this form for 30 minutes.
Then boil the mixture also for 30 minutes. Wait until the infusion cools down a bit. Then add another 10 liters of clean water to it. Treatment with such a decoction should be done twice with an interval of 7 days.
mustard powder solution. To prepare such a mixture, 80 grams of mustard powder is taken. It is poured into a container with water. Everything is thoroughly mixed. Treatment with a solution should be carried out 4 times during bud break on the plant.
Decoction with field horsetail
The bucket must be filled 1/3 with green mass. It is filled with water.All the liquid is then insisted for 3 days. Trees should be sprayed with such a mixture after bud break on a pear.
Infusion with table salt. To make this infusion, you need to mix 1 kilogram of table salt with 1 liter of water. Treatment with this solution should be carried out in early spring before the buds open.
Potassium permanganate solution
To prepare such a solution, only 5 grams of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water are taken. Sick trees are sprayed with this liquid only 3 times. This should be done before flowering, after flowering and during fruiting.
Dandelion decoction
This folk method is especially effective in the fight against aphids. To prepare a decoction, you need to place 0.5 kilograms of plant stems in a container with one liter of water. Leave the liquid to infuse for a day.
After it is boiled on the stove for 15 minutes. When cooking, add two heads of chopped garlic to the infusion. Together, the composition is left on fire for another 5 minutes. Then the mixture is filtered and 10 liters of warm water are added to it. It is also recommended to add some liquid soap (30-40 grams).
Spray diseased trees with dandelion decoction only once a week.
Many gardeners note that in this case, instead of dandelion, you can take chamomile. After all, the effect will be the same.
Potato infusion
This folk remedy is most often used to kill aphids. Potato tops are poured with water (10 liters). The liquid is insisted for a day. Then the broth is filtered and a little laundry soap (30-40 grams) is added to it. Processing with potato infusion is recommended after sunset.
Tobacco infusion
It is necessary to pour 400 grams of tobacco dust with 10 liters of water. The liquid is infused for two days.Then the solution is filtered, 100 grams of laundry soap is added to it. Gardeners note that for such an infusion, you can take simple ash.
onion broth
It is used to kill aphids on a pear tree. To cook it, you need to chop 200 grams of onion along with the husk. The resulting mass is placed in a full bucket of water and left to infuse for one day. Then the infusion must be filtered and sprayed with infected plants.
Many gardeners currently trust only chemicals. Today, there are a considerable number of different means that will help cure a pear.
- Fufanon. This tool is able to quickly destroy insect pests on fruit trees. To prepare such a solution, you need to dilute 75 grams of the substance in 10 liters of water.
- "Actara". This drug can have a negative effect on the human body, so you should work with it in protective equipment. Do not use this substance during flowering. To prepare a composition for spraying trees, you need to dilute 8 grams in 10 liters of clean water.
- "Aktelik". The effect of such a drug is visible after 3-4 days of use. During the flowering period, it is better not to use it. The composition is made by mixing 2 liters of water and 2 milliliters of the substance.
- "Strobe". Especially such a tool effectively fights against powdery mildew and late blight. It is a special water-soluble capsule. Treat the pear with such a preparation should be no more than three times.
- "Raek". Refers to systemic fungicides. It is used to combat rust, powdery mildew and scab. This tool is available in the form of special emulsions. It is not washed off even by heavy rainfall.
- "Polyhom". To prepare the composition for spraying, 15 grams of the substance should be mixed with 10 liters of water. Treatment with this drug should be carried out several times. This should be done during the period of exposure of the inflorescences, at the very flowering, at the end of flowering.
- "Baleyton". To make such a composition, you need to mix 10 grams of the product with 10 liters of water. The first treatment with the drug must be carried out even when the buds open.
- Bordeaux liquid. It is a solution of copper sulfate. To spray a sick pear, 10 liters of water per 100 ml of the substance is taken. Treatment with such a liquid is carried out only three times with an interval of five days.
- "Fitosporin". Experienced gardeners advise using this tool only when plants are severely damaged. It is worth preparing the solution 2 hours before use. Make the composition by mixing 10 grams of the substance and 500 milliliters of water.
- Ofloxacin. It is able to exert a super-powerful effect on pests and quickly destroy them. Take 2 tablets of this drug per bucket of water.
- "Horus". It comes in the form of water-soluble granules. The tool is most effective at low temperatures. It is necessary to process sick pears with them shortly before harvesting the fruits. To make a solution, you need to pour 2 grams of the substance into 10 liters of water.
Prevention
So that the pear does not hurt, it is worth taking preventive measures in a timely manner. So, do not forget to do regular pruning of seedlings. Also remember to water. After all, a lack of moisture or waterlogged soil can harm fruitful trees.
Remember to clean up fallen leaves every fall. It can also harm the healthy development of the pear. If you see underdeveloped fruits and ovaries on the trees, then immediately cut them off.
Often, for prevention, the pear is sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate. It is recommended to process the trunk. You can do this with ordinary lime.
Do not forget to fertilize the soil on time. After all, they contain all the elements necessary for seedlings. This is especially true in hot and rainy summers.
Helpful Hints
If you find damage on fruit-bearing trees, you should immediately begin treatment. Otherwise, the infection can spread quickly and the plants will die. Many gardeners cannot decide what means to treat their damaged pears: folk or chemical.
If the seedlings are slightly damaged, then in this case it is permissible to turn to folk methods of struggle. If you find serious defects on pears, then it is better to use chemicals immediately.
Experienced gardeners recommend systematic pruning. This procedure must be carried out with a bacterial burn. In this case, the cut is made further from it by 15 centimeters.
Sick material must be burned. Also, gardeners are advised to feed the pear with mullein. This is necessary in order to avoid freezing of the roots and twisting of the foliage on the seedlings.
Characteristics of pear diseases and methods of struggle, see the following video.