Rolling pear leaves

Curled leaves of a pear are a fairly common problem that most gardeners sooner or later face. Often this phenomenon is accompanied by a change in the color of the leaves, the appearance of brown and yellow spots on the leaf blade, and even shedding of foliage. As the causes of leaf twisting in pears, both errors in planting care and infectious diseases, as well as pests, act.

Why do pear leaves curl into a tube?

At the first signs of leaf twisting in a pear, the tree must be carefully examined - timely diagnosis helps to correctly determine the cause of the disease. Depending on what caused the deformation of the sheet plate, and choose how to treat the planting.

Improper care

In most cases, the cause of leaf curling is gross violations of agricultural techniques for planting and growing pears. In particular, the most common errors include:

• lack or excess of moisture in the soil;
• overfeeding of plantings or, conversely, lack of fertilizers;
• improper preparation of the tree for winter, as a result of which, due to low temperatures, the roots of the pear freeze;
• weakening of pears by excessive harvest;
• mechanical damage to the tree when caring for it, which can lead to infection of the pear with a fungus.

Contrary to the misconception, an excess of nutrients does not always benefit the plantings and harms the pear in the same way as a lack of fertilizer. However, leaf rolling causes, first of all, a low concentration of certain microelements in the soil:

1. Lack of calcium leads to the fact that the leaves first turn black, and then curl around the edges, upward.
2. The lack of a sufficient amount of boron in the soil is fraught with inhibition of the growth of shoots and a slowdown in the metabolic processes of the pear, especially in seedlings, after which the leaves begin to roll.
3. The low phosphorus content causes crushing of pear leaves and subsequent blackening of the leaf plate. If you do not correct the composition of the soil in time, the tree will completely lose its foliage. An insufficient amount of phosphorus in the soil is observed when planting in acidic soil and in the absence of organic fertilizing.
4. Lack of nitrogen is accompanied by lightening of the color of the foliage and its subsequent fall.
5. The leaves of a pear can also curl from a lack of potassium in the soil. Then the process is accompanied by the blanching of the leaves and the twisting of the very tips of the leaf plates down.

Diseases

Curling of pear leaves most often causes the following diseases:

• groove of the trunk;
• bacterial burn;
• powdery mildew;
• scab.

The furrowing of the trunk affects pears in March-April and appears as large cracks in the bark of the tree. Through these crevices, various fungal infections penetrate into the core of the plants, thereby disrupting the metabolic processes inside. This most often occurs in cloudy, wet weather, when a number of fungi are activated.

At the first stage of the disease, the pear leaves curl, as seen in the photo below. Then the infection spreads to the fruits, which are covered with dark spots. In the last stages of the disease, the tree looks burnt.

The sulcus virus is usually transmitted during shoot pruning or after pear grafting. Most often, this disease affects young seedlings about 2 years old.

A bacterial burn is expressed in the rapid blackening and twisting of the foliage, however, the leaves do not crumble. In the later stages of the disease, the death of the branches and bark of the pear is observed. Most often, a fire blight affects plantings during the period of prolonged rains. The infection spreads very quickly. Pear varieties that are not immune to this disease will eventually die. Varieties resistant to bacterial burns recover after 2-3 years.

Powdery mildew prevails over pear plantings in cool years with high air humidity. The peak of outbreaks of this disease occurs in the early spring, especially if the trees are thickening in the garden. It is at this time that it is recommended to carefully examine the leaves of the pear for possible infections.

The first sign of powdery mildew is the appearance of a whitish coating on the leaves. At the next stage of the disease, the leaf plate of the pear begins to turn yellow and dry. Ultimately, the leaves curl and fall off.

Scab is a fungus, the spores of which are carried over long distances by the wind. In windy rainy weather, the disease spreads very quickly.

The first sign of scab is the appearance of a brownish coating on the leaf plates of the pear. Cracking of the fruit and curling of the leaves begin shortly thereafter.

Pests

Typical pear pests that cause leaf curling include the following insects:

• aphid;
• pear itch;
• pear gall midge;
• pear pipe runner;
• leaf roll.

What to do if the leaves of a young pear are curled

When young leaves of a pear begin to curl, the most important thing is to correctly determine the cause of this phenomenon. Depending on this, a further plan of action is determined.

Agrotechnical measures

The twisting of leaves in a pear is often accompanied by a number of additional phenomena: the appearance of spots of different colors, plaque, the death of shoots, etc. These side effects help to determine what nutrients are needed for planting, after which the composition of the soil in the area of ​​the trunk circle can be corrected:

1. Lack of nitrogen in the soil, they are replenished by enriching the soil with ammonium nitrate. To do this, 20 g of the substance is dissolved in a bucket of water and the solution is poured under the root, preferably in the evening, when the evaporation of moisture is lower. Instead of nitrate, you can use a weak urea solution, which is used to treat pear leaves.
2. Lack of phosphorus corrected by introducing a small amount of superphosphate into the ground in combination with organic fertilizer. 15 g of the substance is mixed with 10 kg of manure.
3. Potassium deficiency corrected by loosening the trunk circle and then fertilizing the pear with wood ash or potassium sulfate.
4. If the tree lacks calcium, then it is fed by adding lime to the soil. To do this, the trunk circle is loosened and the soil is fertilized with 100 g of the substance. Before that, 2-3 buckets of water are poured under the pear. After 2-4 days, planting is fed with potassium sulfate, after which the trunk circle is mulched with humus.

The leaves on the pear also curl due to the drying out of the soil. With insufficient moisture in the soil, fertilizing is not absorbed by the roots of the plant, as a result of which the metabolic processes of trees are disrupted. It is not recommended to flood the plantings, since the high moisture content in the soil can provoke root rot.For better water retention in the soil after rains and irrigation, it is recommended to mulch the area of ​​the trunk circle. To do this, you can use:

• peat;
• weed grass;
• torn paper;
• bark or sawdust.

Chemicals

From curling leaves, affected by a fungus or pear virus, they are treated with the following chemicals:

1. If the cause of twisting is a bacterial burn, then the trees are disinfected with antibiotics. Enough 2 tablets per 1 liter of water. The solution is sprayed with the shoots and leaves of the pear. All diseased shoots are cut out with the capture of a healthy area, while the cutting tool is then thrown away.
2. Another remedy for bacterial burns is Bordeaux mixture, which is used for planting 2-3 times during the growing season.
3. Fungicides are effectively used against powdery mildew according to the instructions. The chemical drug "Topaz" is quite popular in Russia. It is impossible to delay the treatment of powdery mildew, otherwise the tree will die.
4. For scab, pears are sprayed with biofungicidal preparations, for example, "Fitosporin-M" or Bordeaux liquid. If these funds do not have the desired effect, the trees are treated with fungicides. For this, you can use the drugs "Skor" and "Fitolavin".
5. A mixture of potassium nitrate (15 g), potassium sulfate (15 g) and ammonium nitrate (10 g) has proven itself well in the fight against scab. The resulting mixture is sprayed with a pear from a spray bottle.

Sometimes the curling of pear leaves is caused by pests. In this case, the plantings are treated with insecticides or special chemical solutions.

It is recommended to use the following remedies against pear gall midge:

• Chlorophos;
• "Antiox";
• "Zolon";
• "Nexion";
• Dursban.

Trees that are affected by aphids are treated with the following drugs:

• Metaphos;
• "Antio";
• "Vofatox";
• "Decis";
• Trichlorol-5.

It is better to use biological compounds such as "Lepidocide" and "Bitoxibacillin" against the leafworm, not strong insecticides. Enzymes "Akarin" and "Fitoverm" are also suitable.

There are also a number of universal preparations that deal with most pear pests:

1. "Kinmix"... The drug is used in March or April, before the buds bloom. Dosage of the product: 2.5 ml of the drug diluted with 1 liter of water. The resulting mixture is diluted once more in 10 liters of water and the plantings are sprayed.
2. "Agravertin"... This product is suitable for pre-flowering trees. The proportions of the solution: 5 ml of the substance per 1.5 liters of water. The mixture is diluted once more with 10 L of water.
3. "Spark"... Enough 1 tablet per 10 liters of water. This is a mild drug, so it can be used both before flowering and during the formation of ovaries and fruiting.

All of these chemical treatments have an intense effect on trees. Their use must be carried out according to a number of rules, otherwise you can cause serious harm to plants:

1. Insecticides and fungicides are used exclusively as directed.
2. Chemical processing is carried out only at temperatures from + 16 ° C to + 25 ° C.
3. The last spraying of pears is carried out no later than 25 days before harvest.
4. Better not to delay treatment. In the early stages, planting is much easier to cure.

It is recommended to first fight the disease with folk methods and agrotechnical measures, and only then resort to treatments with fungicides and insecticides.

Traditional methods

Traditional methods of dealing with twisted pear leaves include the use of the following measures:

1. A good prevention of fungus is the treatment of trees with a solution of soda ash and liquid soap. The proportions of the solution: 50 g of soda and 10 g of soap per 10 liters of water.
2. An alcohol solution also effectively copes with fungal infections. To do this, water and alcohol are mixed in a 1: 1 ratio.
3. Copper-soap solution can help even in the late stages of the development of fungal disease. To do this, 150 g of grated soap is mixed with 5 g of copper sulfate and 10 liters of water are poured. The mixture is thoroughly stirred and sprayed with it not only the sick pear, but also the neighboring trees.
4. Planting against aphids is sprayed with a solution of celandine. It is prepared like this: 5 branches of celandine are finely chopped and poured with boiling water. 1 bucket is enough. The resulting mixture is infused for 5 days. Then 200 g of the solution is mixed with 10 l of water.
5. Since ants are carriers of aphids, pears protect them from them with glue belts. They can be replaced with cheaper fly tape. They also contain leafworm larvae, earwigs and cap moth, which provoke the twisting of pear leaves.

Preventive measures

The pear treatment can take a whole season and there is no guarantee that the process will be successful. That is why it is recommended to regularly carry out preventive planting treatments and other preventive measures so that the pear leaves do not curl up into a tube:

1. In March-April, trees are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid. It is prepared as follows: 100 g of copper sulfate is diluted in 8 liters of water. Then another 100 g of quicklime is added to the resulting mixture. A properly prepared solution has a bright blue color. Sometimes a dark precipitate falls to the bottom.
2. The appearance of leaf rollers and some other pests is prevented with the help of spring whitewashing of pear trunks.
3. It is possible to reduce the likelihood of getting a fungus due to the timely cleaning of fallen leaves.
4. To protect against pests, trapping belts or traps with bait are installed.
5. Sanitary pruning of the crown of a pear is necessary for the prevention of scab.

In addition, it is necessary to monitor the level of soil moisture and the fertilization schedule. It is also important to cover trees with high quality for the winter.

Conclusion

Twisted leaves of a pear are a frequent phenomenon, but in most cases it is fixable if the disease is not started. Moreover, a number of pear varieties resistant to infections and fungi tolerate leaf curling without much harm to development. The risk of disease is significantly reduced if the plantings are periodically treated as a prophylaxis against fungus and pests. It is also important to monitor the composition of the soil and the condition of the topsoil - it should not dry out.

More information about diseases of pears and other fruit trees can be found in the video below:

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