Schütte pines: types of disease, methods of treatment and prevention

Coniferous plants are often used in landscape design and can decorate any site. However, these cultures periodically face certain problems. So, on pine trees often appears shutte. This disease leads to discoloration and drying of the needles. It is covered with spots and crumbles. To cope with the disease, it is necessary to use special means.

What is this

Schütte is a whole category of conifer pathologies. The name of the disease comes from the German word "schutten" , which translates as "crumble" .This suggests that with the development of pathology, the needles are covered with spots of different sizes - brown, red, light olive. Then they increase in size and cause the needles to dry out and fall off.

The cause of the disease is various mold fungi. Depending on the pathogen, there are different types of shute - lowland, snowy, ordinary, gray. Pathology is especially dangerous for young and fragile cultures. With a massive infection with fungi, the tree may die.

Sick plants or infected needles become sources of infection. Infection occurs in autumn with the spread of spores. In this case, the symptoms of pathology appear with the advent of spring and progress during the summer. The risk of developing the disease increases with a long spring, warm winter with a minimum of snow, during periods of drizzle or heavy dew.

Regular Shutte

This is a rather dangerous pathology that is often found on pine trees. To avoid the death of culture, it is important to take action in time.

How to identify

The main sign of an ordinary shutte is reddening of the needles. A little later, many black transverse stripes appear on the needles. In this case, the needles often remain on the branches until the next season. However, by the end of June or the beginning of June, small oval-shaped apothecia are formed on it. They are storage spores of fungal microorganisms.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionFrom young plants less than 3 years old, the needles fall off during the first year. In adult plants, needles mostly fall off the lower branches, so the damage is not so great. Young pines, as a rule, die, as they remain without needles at all.

Methods of prevention and treatment

To avoid problems, plant seedlings should be bought in specialized nurseries where they are subject to phytosanitary control. When the site is located not far from the pine forest, the risk of developing pathology increases.

To avoid the common schütte, do not plant pines in low places with stagnant moisture. It is also not recommended to place conifers in heavy clay soil. To cope with the disease, the plant should be treated with "Cineb" or "Fundazol" . You can also use colloidal sulfur.

Snow Shutte

This type of schütte is considered one of the most common. To cope with the pathology, it is required to apply fungicides.

Diagnosis

Infection of plant needles occurs in October or November - at low temperatures below zero. In this case, the needles are covered with a gray-white coating, resembling a cobweb. It is a fungal mycelium that enters the stomata. This happens even in the thickness of the snow at a temperature of -5 degrees. The thicker the snow cover, the more trees suffer.

In spring, the needles of the plant acquire a reddish color and dry out, but do not crumble. After some time, the shade becomes ashen, and the needles become fragile. This indicates the maturation of fruiting bodies. The spread of spores is observed at the end of September and in October. Sometimes this happens in the middle of winter - during the thaw period.

How to treat

To avoid the development of pathology, it is recommended to plant plants in places without snow drifts and snowdrifts. They should be placed away from weeds. Of no small importance is the treatment with fungicidal substances. To do this, it is worth using colloidal sulfur, Benomyl, Bayleton. Such funds are recommended to be used after autumn precipitation. Thanks to this, the composition will remain on the plants before leaving under the snow cover.

Brown snow mold

This disease affects not only pines, but also cedars, junipers, firs and spruces. Infection occurs in autumn, when spores spread from dead needles. The fungus lives and multiplies under the snow. This occurs in conditions of high humidity.

Infection detection

When a plant is infected with brown snow mold, the needles are covered with dark mycelium in the form of a cobweb. He braids needles and branches, gluing them together. At the same time, the needles acquire a brown color and die off, but do not crumble.

Prevention and treatment

To cope with the disease, it is required to accelerate the melting of snow with the advent of spring. Of no small importance is pruning and burning the affected branches. You need to treat the disease with the same fungicides.

Weymouth Pines

This is a very attractive ornamental culture that often suffers from different types of schütte. Weymouth pine is parasitized by 2 species of fungi. When Leptostroma is affected, the needles on individual shoots suffer - they dry out and turn brown. There are small black bubbles along the needles - this stage indicates the beginning of fruiting.

How to cure

The old needles of the Weymouth pine most often suffer, but young needles can also be populated by pests. To cope with the disease, you need to use standard fungicides.

Schütte junipers

The development of pathology begins with the drying of individual small shoots of the plant. However, pathology can spread rapidly, covering the entire culture. Apothecia often appear on dried needles. To a greater extent, the rock variety "Sky Rocket" is susceptible to the development of the disease. Also, pathology often develops on scaly juniper of different varieties.

General protection recommendations

To avoid the development of schütte on pine, you need to follow these recommendations:

Don't plant trees too close. Too dense planting leads to a decrease in air circulation and increases the likelihood of developing a disease.
Every year, clean the territory of the site from fallen needles. Needles must be carefully collected and burned.
Plant plants in well-lit areas that do not have stagnant moisture.
Give preference to plants that can grow in certain climates.
Do not prune conifers with wet needles.
If you suspect the development of fungal infections, do not sprinkle the crown. Otherwise, there is a high probability that fungal spores will spread along with water.
Don't plant pine trees in shady places and don't form thick hedges from them.
Avoid stressors. These include dry weather, deep planting and mechanical damage to the root system. All this aggravates the course of the disease.
To prevent pest attacks and fungal infections. The fact is that all this aggravates the course of the disease and weakens the tree. As the branches wither and die off at the bottom of the plant, they need to be cut. This helps limit the spread of opportunistic pathogens.

In snowy winters, avoid accumulation of snowdrifts under young trees.
Use peat powder under trees. It helps speed up the melting of snow in spring.
Apply fungicides after the snow melts. The second time they are used when the growth reaches 2 centimeters in length.
Timely thin out plantings of conifers. At the same time, it is important to avoid strong shading of crops.
Give your plants quality care. In this case, it is imperative to use mineral fertilizers.

Schütte pine is a dangerous pathology that leads to negative consequences for the plant. In the most difficult cases, the disease can even cause the death of a tree.