How to fight worms in a ripe plum. How to spray plums in spring against pests? Processing times

Plums have many pests, but the greatest damage is caused by those that spoil the fruit.

Plum moth

The pest spends the winter under the bark or in the cracks of a tree in the form of a caterpillar. With the arrival of warmer weather, it pupates, and small brown butterflies appear during flowering. They lay white-green eggs on set fruits or the undersides of leaves. This continues until August (in warm latitudes the cycle is repeated twice).

Pests pupate and overwinter in the ground at a depth of up to 20 cm. In early spring, when the top layer of the earth warms up to +8–10 °C, adult insects - small flies - fly out.

Sawflies destroy flowers the hardest, starting with the earliest varieties, and lay eggs in them. The caterpillars appear along with the fruit setting, first eating them completely, and then, when the plums become larger, they penetrate inside and eat away the pulp around the pit. Affected plums fall off.

Plum papilion

Adult insects do not harm plants, but the fight in early spring begins with them in order to scare them away from planting.

How to spray plums in spring?

The first necessary measure is to treat plum plantings with fragrant solutions and infusions with the arrival of warmer weather, even before flowering, to repel adult insects. For these purposes the following are used:

wormwood (decoction or infusion) – 1 kg of raw material per 10 liters of water;
pine needles - 2-3 kg of raw materials are infused for 3 days in 10 liters of water;
soap solution (40 g of soap per 10 liters of water), to which 30 g of kerosene is added;
For spraying, you can dilute any odorous substances in water - mustard, laundry soap, garlic, yarrow, tomato tops, tobacco dust, etc.

These products are good because they can be used many times, and treatments are stopped 3-4 days before harvesting the fruits.

Spraying with insecticides several times a season helps - “Karate”, “Calypso”, “Fufanon”, “Karbofos”, “Chlorophos”, “Benzophosphate” and others. It is important to follow the dosage and dilution methods as indicated in the instructions! An adult tree, when thoroughly processed, requires 2-4 liters; it doesn’t hurt to spray the ground around it as well. It is better to change the drugs every time so as not to cause the insects to become addicted.

Spraying is carried out 4 times:

in early spring, as soon as the sap begins to flow in the trees, but the buds have not yet opened;
at the time when the first leaves appear;
just before flowering;
after flowering, when the fruits have set but have not yet begun to ripen.

Repeated treatments will destroy all pests, since the period of activity is different for everyone. Spraying with chemicals later is not recommended, otherwise the fruits will be dangerous to eat.

In the fall, it also doesn’t hurt to treat plums for worms. Since pests overwinter in the garden, their population can be reduced by spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture. This is the prevention of not only pests, but also fungi.

Additional pest control measures

Along with spraying, other methods will help in combating the pest for greater efficiency:

removal of plant residues and weeds under and near plantings;
periodic loosening, and in spring and autumn - deep digging of earth around tree trunks, and the radius around should be no less than the crown (in this way some pupae and caterpillars are destroyed);
manual collection of those fruits (from trees and ground) that show signs of damage (it is better to heat-treat them - boil or burn them, but they can be buried to a depth of at least half a meter, generously sprinkled with ash or lime);
before insects mate and reproduce, you can set traps - containers with a sweet liquid (for example, compote), in which a considerable part of the pests drown;
feeding birds (flycatchers, starlings, sparrows, etc.), hanging birdhouses and nesting boxes around the garden;
planting the garden with plants with a pungent odor (marigolds, mint, calendula are suitable);
wrapping the trunk with burlap or cardboard soaked in a poisonous solution (a catching belt for worms).

Any methods will help against pests if the neighbors in the area also fight them, since all these insects can fly. And timely prevention is the decisive and safest way to preserve the harvest. Comprehensive measures will help against many pests and diseases, and by autumn plum trees will delight the gardener with their abundance.

» Plums

Plum is a fairly common plant that can be found in every garden. You can only get a good harvest of tasty and healthy fruits from a healthy tree. However, gardeners often encounter growing problems such as plum diseases and pests, which can lead to the death of the entire garden.

Tree diseases are associated with insufficient care and improper planting. Most often, plums are affected by viral and fungal diseases that appear on weakened trees. In order to start treatment on time, it is important to know the main signs of the disease.

Plum bushiness or sprouting

This fungal disease is popularly known as “witches broom”. The affected tree produces many thin, short shoots that are collected in bunches. Such shoots will not bear fruit. Only the destruction of infected plants will help in the fight against the disease.

As a preventive measure, not only mineral and organic fertilizers are used, but also Bordeaux mixture. In addition, to protect the site, only healthy seedlings are planted in the garden. They must be purchased only from trusted nurseries.

Gum treatment

The disease is widespread on stone fruit crops that were previously affected by fungi. Most often, the disease begins to develop if the watering regime is disrupted or too much fertilizer is added to the soil. Resin on the tree can be released after frost damage or improper pruning. Signs of gum discharge are as follows:

wounds and cracks are visible on the trunks and shoots;
in places where the gum flowed out, transparent frozen drops appeared.

If you do not pay attention to the signs that appear in time, the tree may die. Affected bark is an excellent place for the development of bacteria that lead to tree cancer.

Affected areas on the trunks must be treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or garden pitch. It is better to cut out severely affected shoots. In order to further increase the plant’s immunity and avoid re-infection, you need to properly care for the plum.

Plum dwarfism

An insidious viral disease that often occurs in a latent form. It is difficult to identify the affected tree. Dwarfism can only appear in the last stage, when fighting the disease is pointless. Therefore, all the gardener’s actions should be aimed more at preventive measures.

Signs of the disease:

suppressed tree growth;
unnatural leaf shape. They become elongated, gnarled and more like willow leaves;
premature leaf fall. This happens because the leaf plate becomes brittle;
decrease in yield;
absence of peduncles or a small number of them. The flowers are ugly and underdeveloped.

At the last stage of virus development, there are practically no leaves on the tree branches; they are bare. Single needle-shaped leaves can be seen only at the tips of the shoots.

Infected trees cannot be treated and must be uprooted.

As preventive measures, resistant varieties of plums are planted in the garden, and plants are regularly treated for pests.

A fungal disease, the causative agent of which is the vocal fungus. Infection occurs in cold, protracted spring conditions when air humidity is high. Fungal spores penetrate the flowers of the tree, causing ugly ovaries to form.

The fruits of the affected plant are unsuitable for food; they grow deformed. The development of the fungus occurs inside the fruit, in a kind of pocket, so there is no seed in plums. The pulp becomes grainy and wrinkled. Since the fungus only affects fruits, the disease appears once per season.

Fighting methods:

Destroy the affected shoots in the first half of summer.
Collection and disposal of infected fruits is carried out until the fungal spores disperse.
Preventive spraying of plums with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture. The first time the treatment is carried out before buds open, then before flowering and after.

The mycelium overwinters in tree branches, so the fight against the disease must begin in the fall. To do this, sanitary cleaning and pruning of shoots, preventive spraying with copper oxychloride and copper sulfate are carried out.

Clusterosporiosis or hole spot

The fungal disease develops in conditions of long, warm but rainy summers, when air humidity exceeds 70%. The fungus overwinters under the bark. The mycelium begins to develop at a temperature of +4 degrees. It can be found on the shoots or buds of the plant in the form of a dark, weak coating.

Spores are transferred to young leaves by the wind and most pests. The disease spreads very quickly. Over the course of a season, many fungal colonies form, which has a detrimental effect on the condition of the tree.

Signs of damage can be seen on all tissues of the plant, but they most often appear on young leaves.

Small round spots of various colors that increase in size in a short time.
In the center of the spot, tissue dies, which leads to the formation of holes in the leaves.
The edges of the holes have a reddish border. This is the main symptom of clasterosporiasis, which distinguishes it from other types of spotting.
When the disease is advanced, the tree bark becomes covered with orange-red spots with a dark border. Subsequently, they are pressed into the trunk, crack and lead to gum leakage.
Gum also flows from the affected buds and shoots, which leads to their death and reduced yield.
The fruits are affected by ulcers, become one-sided, dry out, harden and fall off. They may also leak gum.

To prevent the disease in the fall, they clean the garden, dig up tree trunks, destroy shoots, collect and dispose of affected fruits and fallen leaves. In addition, it is important to treat wounds and cracks on the tree in a timely manner, avoiding gum formation. For treatment, use a solution of copper sulfate, manganese or garden pitch.

Spraying the tree during the growing season will help fight the fungus. Treatments begin in early spring and are repeated in late autumn. The drugs Kuproxad, Skor, Horus, Topaz or Vectra are used. The last treatment is carried out 20 days before harvest.

Moniliosis

The causative agent of the disease is the monilia fungus. The tree becomes infected during the flowering period if there are changes or decreases in temperature. Cold spring weather only speeds up the process. The spores penetrate the plant tissue through the pistil, gradually affecting the entire tree.

Signs of damage:

sudden drop of flowers;
drying of peduncles and adjacent leaves;
old shoots and branches crack, gum flows from the wounds formed;
the whole tree looks “scorched.”

The disease spreads not only to the fruits, but also to the shoots and leaves of the plum. The pathogen overwinters in the affected tissues of the tree. Prevention of moniliosis begins in autumn. Cut out all affected shoots and treat the garden with Hom, Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride. To spray one tree you will need up to 4 liters of solution.

Small pox on plum

Sharka, popularly known as plum pox, is a viral disease. It appears on young leaves of the tree in the form of chlorosis, spots or stripes. Over time, the leaves acquire characteristic marbling and light areas appear on them. If no measures are taken, the disease spreads to the fruits. They become spotted, the flesh becomes coarse and loses its taste. In addition, the spots begin to deepen into the fruit. Sick plums ripen ahead of schedule, crumble or dry out right on the tree.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to fight the disease. All affected trees must be burned. Control measures are only preventive in nature, aimed at timely treatment of the garden from pests that can spread the virus.

Rust

In July, rusty spots can be seen on young plum leaves, which gradually increase in size. Affected trees shed their leaves earlier. You cannot leave the plum in this state. The winter hardiness of the plant and the future harvest are sharply reduced.

For preventive purposes, trees are treated with copper oxychloride before and after flowering. In the fall, after harvesting, spray with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Plum leaves affected by rust

Coccomycosis of plum

A dangerous fungal disease that affects tree leaves and, less commonly, fruits and young shoots. The first signs of the disease are noticeable in early summer.

The leaves are covered with small, red-brown spots.
A whitish coating can be found on the back of the sheet. These are fungal spores.
The leaves quickly turn yellow and fall off.
The fruits do not develop, become watery and fall off.

Most often, the disease develops in warm and humid weather and reduces the winter hardiness of the tree. The fungus overwinters in fallen leaves, so in the fall it must be collected and burned. In addition, the tree trunk circle is sprayed with copper preparations or Bordeaux mixture.

Root cancer

Recently, the disease has become more frequent. The cause of its appearance is pathogenic bacteria in the soil that penetrate the plant tissue through cracks in the roots. Specific growths form on infected plum roots, which leads to the death of the tree. Severe drought and a slightly alkaline environment contribute to the development of the disease.

As a preventive measure, the garden is located in a place where there have been no previous outbreaks of the disease. Severely affected seedlings are destroyed. The planting site is disinfected with a solution of copper sulfate.

Dangerous fungal growths on tree bark. Penetrating through small cracks in the bark, the spores destroy the wood. Hollows form in the affected areas. After a few years, a solid fungal body grows in their place. Sometimes she looks completely harmless.

To prevent infection of the tree, you need to carefully treat wounds and cracks in the plum bark. The fruiting bodies of the fungus are destroyed before the spores disperse, usually in early June. The remaining wounds are cleaned of rot, washed with a solution of copper sulfate, and then filled with a mixture of cement and sand (1:4).

This is a bizarre-shaped insect that settles near the fruit buds of plums in growths called galls. One gall can contain up to 400 insects. At the end of May, overwintered individuals emerge on the surface of the bark and feed on the cell sap of the plant. At the sites of bites, reddish growths again form on the bark, where the females lay eggs. In one season, more than one generation of pests grows. The damage to a plum by gall mites can be determined by the characteristic ugly growths.

You need to fight insects immediately after the plum blossoms. Several treatments are carried out with colloidal sulfur preparations. In case of mass damage, it is recommended to cut out and burn the shoots.

Goldentail

This is a white butterfly, the abdomen of which is covered with yellowish hairs. The pest's caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves. The lacewing begins to cause harm after the plum buds open, actively eating them. Butterflies are nocturnal, laying eggs on the surface of leaves. The emerging caterpillars are very voracious and cause great damage to young leaves in a short period of time. They eat holes in them, slowing down the normal growth of the plant.

To combat insects, trees are sprayed with a solution of karbofos. In autumn, the fight against goldentail does not stop. They collect fallen leaves and loosen the soil under the trees, thereby destroying the nests of the pest.

The first time spraying is carried out before the plum blossoms.

Plum moth

This grey-brown moth causes damage to plum fruits. Its reddish caterpillars overwinter under the bark of a tree or in the top layer of soil. In early spring, butterflies lay eggs in still green fruits. When the caterpillars appear, they feed on the pulp of the fruit, after which they leave for the winter. Affected plums acquire a purple tint and fall off; drops of gum can often be seen on them.

Against the plum moth, preventive spraying with karbofos is carried out, hunting belts are put on trees, and the soil is also regularly loosened.

At the beginning of autumn, additional soil cultivation and loosening are carried out to destroy the pest nests. In addition, all wounds and cracks are washed with manganese and covered with garden thief.

Aphids on a tree

A small pale green insect that sucks cell sap. You can determine the presence of aphids with the naked eye:

the tops of the shoots curl;
the tree is stunted;
pour dry and fall off;
Small insects are visible on the back of the leaf.

At the beginning of the growing season, plums are treated with drugs against leaf-eating and sucking insects. Spraying is repeated after 10–14 days. The first treatment is carried out “along the green cone”.

hawthorn

A white butterfly that is diurnal. Its caterpillars feed on plum buds, leaves, buds and flowers. The methods of control are the same as with the lacewing and plum moth.

Why do worms appear in plum fruits?

Very often, gardeners complain that almost the entire plum crop is wormy. Why does this happen, leading to spoilage of fruits?

This is due to the presence of pests on trees. Sometimes there may be more than one insect.

Plum sawfly and wormy fruits

Plum weevil on leaves

The females of this insect eat plum buds and flowers, biting into the ovaries. There they lay larvae, which eat the fruits from the inside. The harvest is all spoiled. The larvae and beetles go into the soil for the winter. Trees should be treated in the spring.

How to get rid of fruit worms in a plum

Trees in the garden should be treated as early as possible, without waiting until the pests get to work and the fruits begin to rot. The first treatment should be carried out in early spring. You need to re-spray the plum before and after flowering. If the number of pests is very large, then treatments are repeated at intervals of 10 days. But the latter must be carried out no later than 25 days before harvest.

To prepare the working solution, use the preparations Phosfamide, Dursban, Metaphos, Bordeaux mixture or iron sulfate. If there are a small number of insects, spraying is done with infusions of tobacco, wormwood, dandelion or ash. Infusions are prepared in different ways.

A universal recipe for herbal infusion is prepared at the rate of 200 grams of dry parts of the plant per 1 liter of boiling water. Boil the mixture for 15 minutes, then strain and cool. Dilute with water to 10 liters.

How to deal with plum pests: preventive treatment

Every gardener knows that preventing a disease is easier than curing a garden. Therefore, prevention should always be.

Every tree needs proper care, regular watering and fertilizing.
Regularly carry out sanitary cleaning of the garden, cut out thickened branches, remove fallen leaves and dig up the soil.
In spring and autumn, not only the tree is sprayed, but also the soil underneath it.

It is very important that all actions are permanent. If your neighbor's garden is infested with worms, scab, coccomycosis or leaf curl, this means it's time to get to work and treat your own trees. You shouldn’t hope that “maybe it will pass.”

Conclusion

To reduce the risk of trees being damaged by harmful insects and various diseases, it is necessary to regularly inspect the garden. In addition, carry out prevention, and take immediate action at the first signs of illness. This will increase not only the yield of plums, but also the quality of the fruit.

Plum is considered a common plant growing in almost every garden. A prerequisite for obtaining a good and tasty harvest is the health of the tree. Unfortunately, gardeners often have to deal with diseases and pests that lead not only to damage to the crop, but also to the death of the entire garden.

Most often, gardeners complain about the appearance of worms in plums, eating away both the pit and the pulp. As a result, the fruits fall not yet ripe, but already worm-eaten. This happens as a result of untimely spraying of trees against pests in the spring.

Insects that cause damage to plums

The question of how to treat plums against worms in fruits is relevant for almost every gardener. But before you begin processing, you need to determine the reason why the plum becomes wormy.

This can happen as a result of the appearance of pests such as:

sawyer;
garden mite;
fruit moth;
apple psyllid;
plum moth.

Apple psyllid

The plum moth is considered the most dangerous of all pests. It is its caterpillar larvae that penetrate inside and gnaw out the core of the soft bone. If the bone tissue has already hardened, then the worm gnaws passages inside it, leaving the products of its vital activity in the cavity. By infecting the fruit, the plum moth stops its growth and provokes early ripening, as well as falling off.

The plum sawfly is no less dangerous for plums. This pest overwinters in the ground at a depth of about 20 cm. As soon as the first rays of the sun appear, warming the ground to +8 degrees, it flies to the surface in the form of a small fly. These pests attack flowers and lay eggs in them. The appearance of caterpillars occurs along with fruit setting. First, sawflies eat small fruits, and then penetrate inside, eating away the pulp and causing the plums to shed, which quickly become rotten.

All other pests are no less dangerous and ultimately cause the plums to fall off without ever fully ripening. Therefore, even before worms appear in the plum, every gardener should know how to deal with them and prevent damage to the fruit.

Pest treatment products for plums

Why the plum is wormy and what to do to prevent damage to the fruit is not such a difficult question. Now there are many ways to control pests, both environmentally friendly and chemical.

The first treatment should be carried out before the tree is about to bloom with the onset of warm days. At this time, the plum is treated with special fragrant infusions and solutions, such as infusion of wormwood, pine needles or soap solution. Also, odorous substances such as tobacco dust, soap or mustard can be used for spraying. All these infusions repel insects and are good because they can be used repeatedly. You also need to know how to treat plums against worms in fruits before and after flowering, except for odorous solutions. Several times a season it is necessary to spray trees with insecticidal preparations.

Chlorophos

The most common and effective means are:

Chlorophos.
Karate.
Benzophosphate.
Calypso.
Karbofos.
Fufanon.

Spraying with these preparations should be carried out 4 times per season:

in the spring, before the buds open, as soon as the sap begins to flow in the trees;
when the first leaves appear;
before flowering;
as soon as after flowering the fruits begin to set, but they have not yet begun to ripen.

If there is a large number of pests, treatments are carried out more often, with an interval of 10 days. But it must be taken into account that during the flowering period, treatment with chemicals is prohibited, and the last spraying must be carried out no later than 25 days before harvest.

Before using the product, you must carefully read the instructions for use and strictly follow them. Since, for example, a weak concentration of the drug will not give the expected result, but a strong concentration, on the contrary, will harm the tree. To treat one mature tree, you will need an average of about 3-4 liters of product.

Karbofos

When spraying, you need to pay attention to the soil around the seedling, which also requires treatment. Experts in this field recommend changing the drug every time you spray, as otherwise the product may become addictive to insects.

Preventive treatment methods

Nobody likes a wormy plum, so everyone needs to know how to deal with such a problem, as well as how to prevent it. Moreover, it is easier to prevent a disease than to get rid of it later. In order to prevent worms from infesting plum fruits, you not only need to know what to do, but also be sure to carry out preventive treatment.

To protect a tree from pests, it is necessary not only to treat it, but also to provide complete care, fertilizing and regular watering of the plant. You also need to systematically carry out sanitary cleaning of the garden, which involves removing fallen leaves, cutting out thickened branches, and digging up the soil.

Note! It won't hurt to treat the plum in the fall. This will help reduce the number of pests that spend the winter in the garden. For such preventive treatment, it will be enough to spray the trees with 1% Bordeaux mixture.

Planting your garden with plants that have a strong smell will also help prevent pests. Calendula, marigold or mint are suitable as such plants. For protective purposes, you can attract birds to help by hanging birdhouses in the garden. They will clear the garden of pests and will be able to make it more comfortable.

Traditional methods are indispensable in pest control. Many people advise planting wormwood bushes in tree trunk circles. The only thing that needs to be observed is to cut off the tops of the plant, not allowing it to bloom.

Important! Whitewashing the tree trunk and skeletal branches, which is carried out in the spring, is considered an important sanitary measure.

For preventive measures to be effective, they must be permanent and carried out jointly with neighbors in the area, since all insects can fly.

You can reduce the risk of insect damage to trees by regularly inspecting the garden, since it is very important to prevent worms and take immediate measures to protect it.

Plums are good for everyone - both productive and tasty. But, unfortunately, not only we love to feast on it, but also many pests. As a result, in some varieties, almost all fruits are wormy. In order not to give up on such varieties as Anna Shpet, Stanley, Ispolinskaya, Renclod Altana, etc., it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments.

You have to start spraying early in the spring, before the plum blossoms, since the black plum sawfly lays its eggs in the buds. It continues to harm after flowering, so the treatment must be repeated.

Before flowering, plants are sprayed with Confidor or Bison. That is, odorless preparations that will not scare pollinators away from the tree. The treatment is repeated after flowering, but the drugs Fufanon or Actellik are used so that the pests do not become addicted.

The treatment must be repeated after two weeks, since at this time the ovary is also damaged by the weevil, which makes a black funnel in the fruit, laying eggs directly into the seed.

Around the same time, the plum moth also appears, which eats away numerous passages in the pulp from the inside, completely ruining the plum harvest. Therefore, spraying must be carried out later, literally every two weeks, since as soon as the drug stops working, pests from neighbors will immediately begin to taste the fruits.

As a result, trees have to be sprayed five to six times before they ripen. This is enough to ensure that the fruits are free of wormholes.

In addition to chemical treatments, it is also important to collect carrion every day and bury it to a depth of 40 cm. This one technique allows you to get rid of the plum tree, a common pest of plum trees.

Regular removal of weeds, digging between rows, and maintaining the soil in a clean and loose condition all summer are also of great benefit. This will destroy pests that want to overwinter in the tree trunk.

It’s better to process all plums, because until you try the fruits, you don’t know what’s going on inside them. In years with a high number of pests, resistant varieties that were previously practically not affected by them can also be severely damaged.

Therefore, preventive treatments must be done. By the way, when damaged, plums shed a lot of carrion. Based on these signs, you can identify trees that need urgent treatment with insecticides. Subscribe to our video channel on youtube