Pine, like all coniferous plants, is attractive to landscape designers and just owners of personal plots because they do not lose their green crown all year round. Because many are interested in information about pine diseases and parasites that attack this plant. Particularly acute for people who grow pine trees, the problems of combating a variety of diseases are faced in the spring, when the tree is weakened by winter drying, infection and burning.

Pine diseases and their treatment

Pine diseases can be of two types:

• infectious;
• non-infectious.

Infectious diseases are caused by viruses, fungi and bacteria. Noncommunicable diseases are not contagious. They are manifested by weakening immunity in trees, due to lack of nutrients, moist soil, damage to the bark or broken branches of the crown.

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If wounds, small warts of a black shade (necrosis) or ulcers appeared on the trunk of the plant, the needles lost their density or changed color, and the branches began to dry out or deform, which means that the tree became sick. But such manifestations cannot be triggered, because they quickly spread throughout the plant and weaken it. Pine trees have a number of diseases, the signs of which should be considered more carefully, as well as remedies for them.

Damage to coniferous areas is especially unsafe for young pines, since they do not have adult shoots. If the needles of a plant are older than 2-3 years, then the tree has a chance of correction.

Rust

Rust is caused by fungi that parasitize in the living tissues of the tree. They are not able to exist in a dead body. Fungi “suck out” all the nutrients from the pine plant and infect those nearby when their previous owner dies. This disease manifests itself in the form of spores of a brown or orange (rust) shade on the affected area of ​​the plant. They multiply rapidly and in a short period, from 1 to 2 months, can capture the whole tree. In addition, the spores of these fungi travel through the air over long distances and do not lose viability, even when crossing the territory of 10 thousand km.

There are 3 types of rust:

1. Rust of pine needles. Caused by a fungus - Coleosporium, manifests itself in the form of yellow or orange bubbles with a size of 1 to 3 mm and a width of 1 to 2 mm. Over the summer period, spores mature in these formations, which, having matured, settle in the tree and intermediate hosts (weed grass around the trunk). There, these fungi go through the remaining ripening phases and in the spring again move to pine needles. The fight against coniferous rust consists in removing weeds around the tree and spraying the needles with a 1% Bordeaux mixture.
2. Rust on the shoots. Appears due to a fungus - Melampsora pinitorqua, it can be identified in late spring or June by swelling of a yellow tint on young shoots. Then these "pillows" darken, becoming a red color, and at the end of August they will completely blacken. This type of fungus overwinters on fallen leaves, and in spring it infects a tree, bends its trunk, and even can lead to the death of the top of the plant. In rare cases, the pine tree dies. To combat this disease, remove fallen leaves away from the tree, isolate already affected plants and treat pine plants with 1–0.5% Bordeaux mixture in late spring.
3. Bubble rust. The causative agent of the fungus - Cronartium, passes on to representatives of pine from currants or gooseberries. It affects young growth in the autumn. After 2-3 years in the months of April-May, it appears in the form of yellow or orange bubbles filled with spores. These formations cause thickening, and eventually wounds on pine branches. Bubble rust is fought by removing the branches affected by it and isolating pine and currant plants from each other. Planting between any other currant and pine tree also helps.

Vertun

Such a disease as a swivel is easy to identify, when it shoots on a tree are bent, taking the form of the English letter "S". Damaged processes dry up and die over time. The fungus causes this disease - acidia. It affects the plant in May-June, looks like a bloating yellow shade of 1-2 cm in length and 1-3 mm in width.

Important! Between pine poplars and aspen trees you can draw a natural barrier created from some other tree culture, for example, birch.

Ripening by the end of summer, it bursts and falls asleep with spores of orange-colored trees nearby, aspen or poplar. The mushroom hibernates on the fallen foliage of these plants, acquiring a black color, and the next year, in the spring, it enters its second stage, in the form of a silver coating, affects the pine tree completely. Pine young growth is especially susceptible to this disease.

It is necessary to treat the sprat by isolating the young pine trees from poplar and aspen, and in spring treating the trunk and shoots with 1% Bordeaux fluid, 0.8% cineb, or 1% polycarbacin.

Powdery mildew

If a raindrop-like drop appears on a pine plant, similar to residues from rain, this is a sign that the plant is affected by powdery mildew. In fact, plaque is a spore of Erysiphales, a parasite fungus. It prevents the plant from developing normally, blocking access to sunlight. Because of this, the needles darken and fall. A pine tree affected by powdery mildew becomes more prone to temperature changes, weakens and loses its “fluffy” appearance.

The treatment for this disease is to spray with a drug of foundationazole or colloidal sulfur. Processing should be carried out from 3 to 5 times per season.

Fusarium

Fusarium is manifested due to the fungus - Fusarium. As a rule, plants with weak immunity, located in places of poorly lit, waterlogged, or having a thickened planting, are susceptible to this disease. Crohn's pine prone to fusarium thins, acquiring a red or red tint. The fungus clogs the blood vessels and roots of the plant, disrupting its normal nutrition with useful substances. Such a violation soon leads to the death of the tree. Young growth is most susceptible to this disease.

It is difficult to cure fusarium, the prevention of it is the selection of high-quality planting material and strict care of the planting. You can also treat young, just planted trees with fungicides, but if the disease has affected the plant, then the best solution is to destroy the affected material in order to stop the spread of the fungus.

Schütte

If the needles are covered with black spots, turn gray or acquire a brown tint, then the landing was struck by a shute. This disease appears due to the fungus - Colletotrichum gloeosporiordes. If you run it, the needles can crumble almost completely, and the tree weaken and even die. This disease should be treated in autumn, before the snow falls the plant is treated with colloidal sulfur or fungicidal solution.

Scleroderriosis

The fungus, Scleroderris lagerbergii, causes this disease. He attacks pine youngsters under 3 years old. The affected plant loses needles, which first hangs down with needles, and then crumbles. With advanced forms of scleroderriosis, the needles acquire a brick hue. This means that the fungus penetrated into the tissues of the plant and its trunk.

Saplings infected with this disease die quickly, mature trees can last several years, but without treatment they also die. They treat scleroderriosis with fungicidal agents, copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. Affected areas of the tree are removed.

Pine cancer

Cancer diseases in pine trees arise due to the defeat of their pathogens.

Important! Cancer is not a complete treatment. The process can be paused or slowed down, but the tree will not live anyway. If only one pine out of many is affected in the area, it is best to remove it so as not to infect healthy plants.

There are 4 types:

1. Tar cancer or silverfish, because of it the bark peels off and dies. The tree will live, but loses its healthy appearance turning into a dwarf one, lags behind healthy plants in the growth and splendor of the crown. It is incurable, but you can suspend the process if you treat the site of infection with one of the biocidal antiseptic drugs.
2. Rust or bladder cancer easily identified by yellow spots on needles. After a year, almost the entire tree - the bark and branches become an orange hue. Soon, the affected tree dies, gradually losing the affected branches.
3. Ulcerative cancer - as the name implies, forms wounds or ulcers on the trunk and branches. They are coated with resin and can reach half the size of a tree. This type of cancer is especially common in plantings with wet or swampy soil. They fight it by stripping the trunk to healthy tissues, and the affected area is also treated with fumigation agents.
4. Shoot cancer - with it, the needles turn red, bend to the bottom, and eventually fall. It leads to the death of shoots at the top. On the bark of the tree, black formations appear in the form of warts. You can try to cure this disease by treating the affected areas with fungicides.

Video: cancer of pine trunks and branches

Necrosis

One of the first symptoms of necrosis is the acquisition of needles and bark of a red tint. Then black mounds appear on the trunk. This leads to decay and the death of the affected tissue. Soon, the tree begins to lose needles, then branches and bark. Especially young pine trees up to 15 years old are susceptible to this disease. Necrosis disease leads to the death of the plant.

Pests and control of pine

Unfortunately, pine trees are the habitat of many harmful insects that feed on needles hitting the roots, trunk and branches of the tree. In a special risk zone are young plants that grow in the area next to the "wild" pine forest, in which many insects live, for example, scutellaria vulgaris, which affects the needles by drinking all the juices from it. The activity of such neighbors undermining the roots and branches of a pine leads to weakening of the plant, susceptibility to various diseases, and sometimes, at the very beginning of growth, to death.

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Scoop

The caterpillar called - pine scoop, loves to eat young needles and buds. For 30 days of their existence, these caterpillars are able to eat most of the shoots and lead to the drying of the entire plant. It is easy to detect, since the activity of this pest causes noticeable damage on the buds of the shoots of young trees.

The way to deal with the scoop is to spray on the affected tree with insecticides or “Lepidocide”.

Aphid

Terrible before her mass, she attacks the tree with large colonies. In spring, pine aphids eat young shoots, and then move to older branches. Her attack can lead to the death of the entire plant. When attacking aphids, the needles become dark or brown in color, curl and dry. A method of combating this pest is to spray the entire plant, and not just the drying areas, with conventional insecticides (Lepidocide, Angio, or Karbofos).

Pine elephant

The large pine weevil, it is also called the elephant or spruce arboretum, lives in almost all forest zones of Russia. The activity of this parasite leads to the fact that the needles and bark on young trees first turn red, and then dry and crumble, which leads to the death of pine. The length of this insect is about 15 mm; it has a rather bright brown or chestnut color with transverse stripes of a red tint.

Elephant generation takes 2 years, females lay eggs in stumps or fallen trees. Adults can travel long distances and live 5-6 years. It can affect not only young shoots and bark, but also larvae in the roots of pine trees.

The way to deal with the scoop is to spray on the affected tree with insecticides or “Lepidocide”.

There are many ways to deal with this pest:

• avoid planting young plants near the sites of felling;
• spray pine with pyrethroids or an inhibitor of chitin synthesis;
• put a feeder on a tree, luring birds to it, who love to feast on this bug.

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Goldfish

As the name implies, the beetle has a bright metallic color with many shades - green, black or copper. Its size can also vary from 10 to 30 mm. Zlatka is dangerous for a pine tree because it lays its eggs under its bark. Growing, the larvae gnaw through the tree trunk, causing him irreparable damage. A young plant can dry out, a more adult plant will become susceptible to various diseases.

Gold control measures:

• spraying plants with insecticides;
• attraction to the grove of birds feeding on bugs;
• creation of protective plantings around a young grove.

Weevil

Pine weevil lives in the soil, in moss or under the bark of trees. This beetle from 8 to 12 mm in size is harmful in the spring, starting to eat up young needles and bark on the shoots. Pine young growth is especially harmful. Its larvae live in pine roots, eating them, which can lead to the death of a young plant. The color of an adult is gray or whitish.

They fight this parasite by treating the affected trees with bifentrine preparations (Talstar or Caesar).

Bark beetles

Based on the name of this insect, it is clear that it loves to feast on the pine bark. But, besides this, bark beetles attack the roots of the plant, creating a danger, especially for young trees. This parasite multiplies very quickly, in one season the bug is able to produce 3 generations.

Important! If the tree is completely affected by the bark beetle, the treatment will not help, the plant should be destroyed, and its treatment will be preventive so that the beetle does not transfer to other trees.

The infection of the plant by the bark beetle is difficult to determine, in the beginning it can be traces of sawdust around the pine. With further damage to the tree, the needles turn yellow, and the bark falls off, exposing the trunk. The cure for this insect is bifentrine preparations and insecticides, which should be sprayed with pine from mid-spring to late summer.

Pine sawflies

This representative of insects looks like a larva of a turquoise color, about 0.8 cm in diameter. The sawfly harms the needles by eating it. If the plant is affected by this pest, its needles curl and become covered with dirty yellow spots. The crown does not just become dry, but a close examination shows that it is damaged.

There are several remedies for this insect:

• loosening the soil around the tree to destroy the larvae;
• treatment of the affected plant with an insecticide (“Lepidocide” or “Karbofos”).

Hermes

Hermes is an ordinary aphid, it parasitizes on the needles of pines, thus sucking out nutrients from them. If the needles of the plant are covered with a whitish coating, then it should be studied more carefully. Since this formation may turn out to be a pest colony. If nothing is done, soon the needles change from green to yellow and fall off.

Affected plants must be treated with insecticides, Karbofos or Decis. This should be done every month, before the onset of winter, as the aphids are very tenacious and quickly change their generations.

Spider mites

The activity of the spider mite can completely destroy the pine plant. This insect not only drinks beneficial substances from the shoots, but also covers them with cobwebs, preventing the plant from carrying out normal photosynthesis. Under the influence of this insect, the needles take on a red tint, and the stem color changes from brown to black.

The most important weapon of this pest - the web, is its weakness, because it is easy to detect because of it. At the first signs of activity of a tick on a tree, it urgently needs to be sprayed with insecticides or colloidal sulfur. Heavily damaged parts of the plant must be trimmed.

Disease and Pest Prevention

Preventive measures that protect the pine from diseases and harmful organisms must be started even when choosing seedlings. You should carefully study the condition of the purchased material so that the barrel does not have red or white spots, the condition of the barrel should be clean, without leaks of resin. If any of the above is present on the young growth, it should be quarantined before landing.Moreover, even a healthy-looking plant, recently acquired, must be kept from 2 weeks to a month away from the rest of the garden, as some diseases have a very long incubation period.

The grove should be constantly inspected in order to timely identify infection with a pest or any of the diseases. We must not forget that properly groomed trees have a higher immunity and are less susceptible to various diseases.

Proper care is:

• constant watering;
• seasonal top dressing;
• soil protection around the tree;
• timely cleaning of damaged areas of the plant.

Video: planting and caring for a pine

If the pine is slowly gaining growth, its needles turn pale, turn yellow or red - this means that immunity has fallen. the plant lacks nitrogen, iron or phosphorus. The tree needs to be fed. It is best to use fertilizers that are specially produced for conifers. It is also necessary to alternate the saturation of the tree, changing foliar top dressing and root, so they are better absorbed.

Pine will decorate any household plot, with proper care it will always please the owners with rich green needles and the aroma of resin.