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  • What’s wrong with my plum trees?

    Created by Joseph Wright on October 8, 2017 at 6:08 pm

    Hello,

    I can’t find anything about what’s happening to one of my two plum trees. The tree bore fruit this summer but then the leaves turned black and are still on the tree 2 months later. My other tree is fine there are really small areas on a few branches that are peeled back slightly.

    Thank you for any advice.

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  • October 10, 2017 at 9:54 am #254363

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    Hello Joseph!

    I’m sorry to hear about your plum tree problems! There are a few different things that can cause leaves to turn black, but by the sounds of it, you may have Fire Blight which is an aggressive bacterial infection. Characterized by reddening of the leaves (which turn black shortly after), it is something that is to be taken seriously as it can infect surrounding trees and kill them off with ease.

    The most effective treatment for Fire Blight is to prune off affected branches about a foot down from where you see damage. Be sure you are sterilizing your equipment throughout the entire process so as to keep from spreading the bacteria to healthy growth. After pruning, apply a good product for bacteria/fungal infections, such as Actinovate Lawn & Garden.

    Once you are confident you have rid the tree of infected branches, be sure to keep them away from other trees (or any other plants in the rose family) and cart them off to the dump or burn all of it so as to destroy the bacteria.

    You can find more information on this disease on our Planet Natural Research Center. I will include a link to the section on Fire Blight and products for it down below!

    https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/fire-blight/

    Hope this helps!

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