Gummosis or gum disease is a dangerous tree disease that often appears on cherries. This disease is recognized by the appearance of resin on the trunk, branches, leaves and even the fruits of the plant. If gummosis is not treated in time, it can lead to the death of the culture. In this article, you will learn how to deal with cherry resin and prevent its occurrence.
Description
Gummosis is a common disease of stone fruit crops. It affects peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, nectarines. But most often the disease occurs on cherries. Gummosis is manifested by gum disease, during which resin is formed on the damaged areas - a sticky, frozen mass.
Gum comes in a wide variety of shades: from light brown to amber and dark brown. The surface of resinous hardenings is glossy and well translucent in the sun. Cherry resin has no odor and a sweet taste.
Why is gum formed? If the wood inside the plant is damaged, then pathogenic foci are formed in it, inwhich the infected parenchyma is transformed into resin, which increasingly corrodes the bark of the culture. Gummosis is a tree's cry for help, because the appearance of gum on the branches indicates their death. And if the resin is released on the trunk, then this signals the death of the entire tree. Therefore, the disease should be de alt with immediately.
Reasons for appearance
There are several factors that can cause a gum disease. The most common ones are:
- damage to bark by insects;
- fungal and viral diseases;
- poor growing conditions;
- excessive fertilization of seedlings;
- crop damage by frost;
- sunburn bark.
And also breakage of branches, untimely and excessive pruning leads to disease.
Treatment
If you notice resin on a cherry tree, then immediately join the fight against the disease. To do this, clean the place where the gum formed with garden shears. Remove any damaged tissue until he althy wood appears. After that, disinfect the wound with a 1% solution of copper sulfate. If the damage is too great, then apply a garden bandage. Otherwise, the treatment will cause even more harm.
If you prefer traditional methods of treatment, then use sorrel leaves. They should rub the damaged area 2-3 times with an interval between procedures of 5-10 minutes. And also to disinfect the wound, you can use garden var, which is prepared from the following components:
- 25g fresh lard;
- 25g beewax;
- 100 g of rosin.
To prepare a garden pitch, melt the lard and add the rest of the ingredients to it. Boil the mixture for 20 minutes, then remove from the stove and let cool. Then be sure to knead the var with your hands so that no lumps remain. Apply this mass on the wound in a dense layer. If there is excess var, then store them in parchment paper. Then it won't dry out.
Prevention
To prevent the appearance of cherry resin, adhere to the following rules:
- Choose only frost-resistant varieties with immunity to fungal diseases for planting.
- Purchase only he althy seedlings with no signs of trunk or root damage.
- For planting, choose areas with light, loose soil with good aeration. Do not plant cherries in lowlands or places with close groundwater.
- Regularly fertilize trees, but do not use fertilizers containing nitrogen. From this substance, the growth of green mass increases, but the fruiting of the tree decreases.
- Avoid thickening of the crown and carry out sanitary pruning annually. Treat the saw cuts with garden pitch, clay mash or oil paint.
- In the spring and autumn, whitewash the tree trunk with a special lime mortar.
And most importantly, before swelling of the kidneys, treat the cherries with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid. These drugs will repel pests and protect crops from fungi.
What is useful cherryresin
Gum production harms a tree, but for a person this phenomenon is very useful. After all, cherry resin contains a lot of tannins, pectins and valuable sugars. Gum is used in modern medicine to treat diseases of the respiratory system, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract and diabetes.
Resin is also useful for those who want to lose weight. Even a small piece of gum, getting into the stomach, mixes with liquids and forms a jelly-like substance. At the same time, it is not absorbed by the intestines, which creates a long-lasting feeling of fullness. Therefore, with the help of gum, you can significantly reduce the amount of food consumed.
In addition, this substance helps to reduce cholesterol in the blood, cleanses the body of toxins and toxins. But when treating gum, remember that abuse causes stomach cramps and nausea.
Despite the benefits of cherry resin, you should not allow it to appear. After all, this will lead to a long illness and death of the tree. Therefore, do not forget about the measures for the prevention of gummosis, and there will be no gum disease in your garden.
