Although we love to be able to sustain certain food sources for our own consumption, there are organic dangers that come along with it. Fruit trees in New Jersey share some of the same diseases and pests. Here are 4 popular fruit trees, their diseases and pests, and what to look out for.
Pear Trees
- Most pears are bell shaped but Asian pears are more apple shaped, the harvest season is mid-august to late September.
Diseases
- Fire Blight - Stained/browned fruit and leaves. Branches will be drooping and secrete a brown ooze
- Fabraea Leaf Spot - spots on leaves, leaves will turn yellow and fall off, fruits will have cankers
- Pear scab - velvet dark spots on leaves that last through the winter on dead leaves
- Sooty Blotch - sooty splotches on fruit
Insects
- Codling moth - Dark brown and tan wings, larva feeds on the fruit
- Pear psylla - Tiny fruit fly that feeds on fruit and foliage
Apple Trees
- Apples are part of the rose family and can produce over 800lbs of apples in a year for just one tree.
Diseases
- Fire Blight - Stained/browned fruit and leaves. Branches will be drooping and secret a brown ooze.
- Apple Scab - White scabs on fruit
- Cork spot - Brown spots or missing spots on the fruit
- Powdery Mildew - White fuzz on the underside of leaves
- Rust - Growth on the host, yellow and brown spots on the leave
- Black Rot - Black spots on the fruit. The spots spread to the limbs and to the base of the tree
- Phytophthora Rot - Turns the leaves yellow, then purple in the autumn
- Crown Rot - Root is infected, red/brown root that is water soaked, fruit will be small and cankers on the upper canopy of the tree
Insects
- Codling Moth - Dark brown and tan wings, larva feeds on the fruit
- Red Mites - Small red insects around the fruit and leaves, eggs are on the bark of the tree
- Green Fruit worms - Light green caterpillars on the leaves
- Aphids - Small light green, red, or black insects that feed on the sap of new growth
Cherry Trees
- Also known for their beautiful blossoms during April, cherry trees only live between 20-30 years old
Diseases
- Brown Rot - Tan cankers and brown rotting of the fruit that stays on the tree
- Powdery Mildew - White powdery growth on the fruit
- Cherry Leaf Spot - Small red or black spots peppered on the leaves
- Black Knot - Rough, black growth in the twigs and branches
- White Prunicola Scale - White spots all over the twigs and branches of the tree resembling scales
Insects
- Borers - Beetles that bore their way into the bark and lay eggs
- Black Cherry Aphids - A swarm of small black insects surrounding new growth
Plum Trees
- Production of fruit starts 3-5 years after planting, and the plum is part of the stone fruit family, which means it has a single seed that is protected by a pit.
Diseases
- Brown Rot - Tan cankers and brown rotting of the fruit that stays on the tree
- Silver Leaf - Leaves turn silver and start to curl
- Honey Fungus - Honey colored mushrooms at the base of the tree, attacks and decays the tree roots
- Bacterial Canker - Cankers on the twigs, base of the flower and leaf buds
- Pocket Plum - Swollen, discolored or hollowed fruit
Insects
- Plum month - Light brown moth that lays eggs on the fruit
- Plum aphids - Small light green insects feeding on the underside of leaves and new bud growth
Make sure you water properly, give nutrition when needed, and keep those pesky insects away to maintain healthy trees and fruit. There are so many organic ways to treat all different kinds of diseases and pests that aren’t harmful to the environment or animals. Home Guides has a great list of different natural oils that can be used here.
Credits: homeguides.sfgate.com, Saveatree.com, NJ.gov, gardeningchannel.com
