Why do plum leaves turn yellow and fall off: reasons and what to do, how to process

Even the most unpretentious garden trees are affected by pests and diseases. That is why gardeners often wonder why the fruit plum leaves turn yellow and fall off. Further actions completely depend on the reason that caused this state of the plant. Maybe he just lacks vitamins. But sometimes yellowing and premature fall of the green mass indicates more serious problems.

Why do plum leaves turn yellow and fall leaves

Specialists identify several reasons why the plums first turn yellow and then the leaves begin to fall off. Some of them are caused by errors in care and agricultural practices, while others are the result of exposure to pathogens and pests.

Wrong landing site

If the color of the green mass changes at the plums, and from the top it begins to fall off, this indicates a close location of the groundwater level. Even if such a factor was taken into account during planting, over time, the roots go deep and become waterlogged.

The problem is solved by transplanting a tree, building a hill or draining the soil.

Similar symptoms in plums are caused by constant flooding of the garden with melted spring waters or prolonged rains. In this case, only a transplant can save the seedling. Also, the leaves can turn yellow and wither from lack of lighting. The plum should not be shaded by large trees or nearby buildings.

Lack of moisture

During a prolonged drought, adult plums require up to 8 buckets of water to be added to the soil every 10 days.3 buckets are enough for a young tree. If there is less moisture or irrigation is carried out less than 1 time in 10 days, then the plant will first turn yellow leaves, and then it starts to shed them.

Frozen branches

If, as a result of a decrease in temperature, branches are frozen near the plum, then they should be removed. To avoid annoying troubles, you need to carefully prepare the tree for the winter, and also do not remove the covering material early.

Deficiency or excess of nutrients

Nutritional deficiency is manifested in the fact that the foliage on the plum begins to turn yellow from below. A little later, young branches suffer. The lack of nitrogen affects the condition of the leaves. First they turn pale, and then turn yellow. Tree growth stops or slows down.

With an excess of nitrogen in the soil, the green mass grows quickly, has a dark color, and the size of the plate is very large.

On sandy or sandy soil, plums often lack magnesium. As a result, the foliage becomes covered with spots of red or yellow, then curls and dies. With a lack of phosphorus, not only the yellowed leaf falls, but also the formed ovary, the unripe fruit.

The yellow border around the leaf plate, which eventually spreads over its entire area, signals a potassium deficiency. If the type of starvation is diagnosed in time, then it is easily eliminated by introducing the necessary top dressing into the soil.

Problems related to the root system

Plum does not tolerate sudden temperature fluctuations. If you open the roots at the first warming, then the chance of their freezing increases greatly. As a result, the tree does not receive the right amount of nutrients and slowly dies.

You can save it with fertilizers and top dressings, which significantly increase the chance of the plant to survive.

Diseases and pests

Yellowing of leaves on a plum often signals the negative impact of pests or diseases. It would be better to take preventive measures in a timely manner, but in emergency cases, the tree must be urgently treated.

Verticillosis

A dangerous fungal disease, as a result of which the mycelium clogs tubules near the plum, through which juice and nutrients move. Spores enter the tree through a damaged root system. The leaves curl up and turn yellow. At the initial stage, you can save the plant by treating it with Previkur or Topsin-M.

If the signs of the disease appeared only in the upper part of the plum, then the fungus has already affected the entire trunk, so it will have to be cut down and burned, and the soil treated with antifungal drugs.

Moniliosis

Another type of fungal disease that spreads through the pistils on flowers, over time the leaves on the plum wither and the branches are affected.The peak of disease activity falls on a period of low temperatures and cold winds. When the flowers turn black, it is urgent to treat the plum with the Chorus preparation. It is recommended to carry out preventive antifungal treatments to prevent the appearance of moniliosis.

Coccomycosis

This fungal disease most often affects branches and leaves, but sometimes gardeners wonder why the plum withered along with the fruits? The first sign of infection is the appearance of red-brown spots, which eventually spread over the entire area of the leaf plate. In severe infestation, red fungal spores are visible in cracks in the plum bark.

You can cope with the disease by treating the garden with copper sulfate and Bordeaux mixture. They spray not only the affected tree, but also the ground around it.

Chlorosis

A sign of this disease is that the plum leaves turn yellow and fall off already in June.The process starts from the top. Over time, the disease spreads to the bottom of the tree. It is recommended to fight the disease by spraying the plant with iron sulphate or Antichlorosin. To feed the plum, use the Khilat tool.

Plum Aphid

Attack of small aphids provokes folding and yellowing of the leaves on the plum. Insects spread very quickly, and it is difficult to deal with them. They settle on the back side of the leaf plate, causing deformation of the edges. It is recommended to cut and burn the damaged parts of the tree, and then spray it with infusion of chamomile, garlic, or a soap-mustard solution. In the spring, prophylactic treatments with Inta-Vir, Iskra or Decis help.

What to do if the leaves turn yellow

For a young plum, the location of groundwater is not terribly close, but over time, its root system grows and suffers from waterlogging.During this period, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off. By the middle of summer, the groundwater is gone, and the tree is recovering, but such drops greatly weaken it. As a result, the plant dies after a few years. Only a transplant to another place will help save him.

In the spring, during the melting of snow, or in the summer, during the period of heavy rainfall, the plum leaves also turn yellow. If the situation repeats itself annually, then only transplanting a tree to a hill will help. Isolated cases do not pose a great danger, and the drain is restored by itself. To help her in this, it is necessary to introduce a complex mineral fertilizer with a high nitrogen content into the near-stem circle. Spraying with the drug "Epin" contributes to the rapid growth of young shoots.

If freezing turned out to be the cause of yellowing of the leaves, then the plum will recover only after a few years.

Dead branches should be removed regularly.In dry summer conditions, up to 8 buckets of water are required to be brought under a tree every 10 days. In the case when none of the listed reasons takes place, it will be necessary to do a soil analysis and determine reliably which components the plum lacks for normal development.

Prevention measures

In order to timely prevent yellowing and falling leaves of the plum, you need to know exactly the reason that entails such negative consequences. It could be:

• proximity of the groundwater level to the soil surface;
• flooding the garden plot with melt or rainwater;
• clay heavy soil with high lime content;
• shading the sun with tall sprawling trees.

It is advisable to take these factors into account already when planting plums and try to neutralize them.Otherwise, it often happens that the plum with fruits dries up. If the effect of pathogenic bacteria leads to yellowing of the foliage, then the gardener needs to pre-select preparations for preventive treatment and spray the tree at the right time.

In the case of the predominance of calcareous soil in the area, the drain does not absorb iron even if it is sufficient. Soil will need to be acidified. In the spring, ammonium nitrate is added to it, and in the fall - ammonium sulfate or potassium sulfate. The crown is sprayed with Antichlorosis or Ferovit.

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