Scab is a fairly common disease that can affect apple trees. It is quite difficult for a summer resident to cope with this disease, but it is possible. In the article we will provide effective advice and practical advice from experienced gardeners who will give knowledge on how to get rid of scab on apples.
What is dangerous and where does it come from
Trees die extremely rarely from apple scab, but yield always suffers greatly. Fruits are deformed, become small. There are practically no nutrients and vitamins in them. What to say about taste and state of preservation. Apple trees do not tolerate the winter frost, and the trees lose their attractiveness.
The causative agent of this disease is a marsupial fungus. It is common in temperate climates, and especially loves a wet and cool spring, since such conditions allow disputes to develop. The yield on the affected fruit trees falls markedly, the development of the fruit is uneven. It is important that apples lose their taste not only in the current year, but also in the next 2-3 years.
Important! Scab scabs tolerate adverse conditions. They may remain viable until the next season, being on the surface of fallen leaves and bud scales during the winter period.
Signs of appearance
The most easily affected are young upper leaves. This usually occurs in early May. On the leaves at the beginning there are light spots that are not always noticeable. Over time, the surface of these spots appears velvety brown-olive color. Pedicels and ovaries are gradually affected. The foliage may even dry out and fall off. Directly on the fruit, the disease manifests itself in the form of round dark hardened spots. The fabric of apples can crack.
Prevention
Disease prevention should begin in the fall and continue in the spring. Proper and most importantly, timely care of the fruit crop will help prevent the disease or, in extreme cases, significantly reduce its negative impact.
Did you know? Judge the duration of the existence of scab in Europe can be the picture "Dinner in Emaus" Caravaggio, written in 1601. The picture clearly shows a basket of fruit. On the apple, which is depicted there, the damage characteristic of scab is clearly visible.
In the autumn
It is necessary to begin preventive measures in the autumn period. The first step is to scrape and remove all fallen leaves, branches and fruits from the site. Additionally, you can clear the bark on the trees, because it can winter fungus. This bark will need to be sanitized using a solution of copper sulphate or whitewash. Later it is necessary to dig up the radical soil, so that disputes do not develop in favorable conditions for themselves.
In the spring
It is equally important to observe the proper agrotechnical cultivation of apple culture. Considering that scab spores develop well in conditions of increased dampness and when the garden is thickened, trees should be planted deliberately. Apple trees should grow in a place where there is a sufficient amount of sunlight. From time to time it is necessary to carry out sanitary cleaning of garden trees.
It is worth noting that an excessive amount of fertilizer applied under the tree, or vice versa, the lack of dressings will necessarily affect the spread of the disease. As a preventive measure, it is possible to spray apple trees with the “Agat-25K” biological product, it is permissible to do this even during the growing season. 
You can process the garden Bordeaux liquid (1%), but this should be done before the buds bloom. If necessary, such a procedure can be re-run after the apple has faded.
How to fight
If the scab is still manifested on the apple, you need to know how to deal with it.
Folk remedies
Apple scab treatment can be done using traditional methods:
- Mustard solution. This tool can be used to cultivate garden trees several times per season: during the period of the green cone, in the process of budding, before the tree begins to bear fruit, and as soon as the fruiting begins. To prepare the mustard solution, you will need 80 g of mustard powder for 1 bucket of water.
- Saline solution. Such a remedy for scab on apples is quite effective. The fact is that salt can slightly push back the beginning of the growing season of apple trees, in connection with which it is less affected by scab. Spraying of trees should be carried out in early spring, while the tree is still at rest. On 1 bucket of water take 1 kg of salt.
- Infusion of horsetail. This infusion will help if you use it after the leaves bloom. It is rather a preventive measure. It is necessary to fill the bucket with 1/3 of a horsetail, add water to it and insist for three days.
Did you know? Juicy ripe apple is composed of iron, which is able to increase hemoglobin in the blood. Also present are salts of magnesium and potassium, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the heart muscle.
Chemicals
Chemical preparations for scab on apple trees are selected depending on the time of year. For example, before winter and early spring, stronger poisons are used, but after flowering and during the period when the garden is bearing fruit, sparing preparations should be used.
- In the autumn, soon after the leaves fall off and the fruits are collected, it is necessary to spray the apple trees with copper sulfate solution, based on the calculation of 1 liter of water - 3-5 g of copper sulfate.
Folk methods of dealing with aphids, ants, the Colorado potato beetle, weeds, onion flies, carrots flies, slugs are sometimes not inferior in chemical efficiency, and harm is much less.
- In early spring, be sure, before the buds start to wake up, it is necessary to process apples with Bordeaux mixture (3%). If the trees do not have scab, then as a preventive measure they can be sprayed once every three years.
- Approximately 2-3 weeks after the flowers have faded., softer fungicides should be applied to them. These include "Chorus", "Rajok", "Skor".
- Given the fact that scab is able to get used to the same active substance, the fungicides need to be alternated. "Strobe", "Zircon", "Kuprazan", "Fitolavin" and many others are also suitable.
- Among other things soil under apple trees in autumn can shed 10% solution of nitrate or urea.
Important! The fruit tree will be less exposed to fungal diseases, if it is enough phosphorus and potassium, and if there is no excess of nitrogen.
Resistant varieties
A good option that will help avoid such a problem as a scab will be the selection and planting of a sustainable variety. But here it should be remembered that one variety in different climatic conditions may behave differently. There are varieties that are generally not affected by scab. There are those who are weak. And there are those that almost always suffer from such an unpleasant illness.
- Apple trees that are absolutely resistant to scab: "Jonathan", "Ligol", "Pepin Saffron", "Orlovy", etc.
- Varieties that are subject to illness in rare cases: "Orlik", "Welsey", "Antonovka Zolotaya", "Mleevskaya Beauty", "Lobo", "Anis Scarlet", "Renet Kursky", etc.
- Apple trees, which are very susceptible to scab: "Papirovka", "Snow Calvil", "Melba", "Rennet Semerenko", "Borovinka" and others.
The problem when growing an apple tree can be aphid and ants, Codling moth, shchitovka, leafworms, moths.
