Once you’re growing a fruit tree, chances are you’ll eventually see problems occurring on the leaves, stems and/or fruit. This series of videos looks at some common fruit tree diseases and insects that affect the most common fruits gardeners grow. Often the best controls are cultural and occur early in the season.
I cover insects and diseases on apples, pears, plums, peaches, cherries and citrus. Contact your local Cooperative Extension or Master Gardeners in your state for details on specific diseases and insects in your area and their control.
Written by Charlie Nardozzi.
Fruit Tree Insects
What’s Eating my Apples? Dealing with Common Apple Pests by Annette Frahm and Cisco Morris in Seattle, Washington. Cisco discusses apple maggot and codling moth insects, the damage they cause, and how to control them organically using panty hose and traps.
Codling Moths: How to Keep the Worms Away Organically by Grow Organic Peaceful Valley in California. Tips on preventing codling moth insect damage, plus organic sprays, panty hose and baits to control them.
Plum Curculio: This Could be Why You Don’t Get Fruit by James Prigioni in New Jersey. Covers the plum curculio insect, the fruits trees it attacks, the damage and why we should be concerned. Also covers organic controls, including garden sanitation, tree shaking, collecting adult insects. and kaolin clay spray.
Keeping worms out of Backyard Cherries with Spinosad Bait by Washington State University. Slide show illustrating the cherry maggot insect pest, its damage and controls using spinosad bait.
Cherry Tree Limb Spreading and Peach Tree Borers by Oklahoma Gardening. Shows how to spread the limbs of cherry trees for good crotch angles, then covers controls for the peach tree borer. Suggests chemical and organic controls.
How to Control the Peach Tree Borer with Nematodes from New Mexico State Extension. This video covers peach tree borer damage and how to use beneficial nematodes to control peach tree borer insects.
How to Control Pests and Diseases on Citrus Trees by Oxley Nursery in Australia but the pests and controls are applicable for U.S. gardeners, as well. Mostly covers the basic insect problems such as leaf miners, scale and gall wasps.
Solving Insect Problems on Citrus from Logees Greenhouses in Connecticut. A good look at the most common citrus insect pests, such as mealy bugs, scale and spider mites. Offers some good organic controls for home gardeners.
Fruit Tree Diseases
Fungus Among Us: Apple Scab and Powdery Mildew on Apples from Annette Frahm and Cisco Morris in Seattle, Washington. Cisco talks about two common apple diseases; scab and powdery mildew. He covers how to control these diseases with resistant varieties, good sanitation and good pruning.
Gummosis on Peach, Plum, Apricot and Cherry Trees by Colorado State University. Good basic slide show on what gummosis disease is, how to identify it, symptoms of the damage and how to control it.
Black Knot on Cherries and Plums by Clemson University in South Carolina. James Blake talks about black knot disease on cherries and plums, including identifying the damage, why it’s a problem and what to do to control it.
How to Prevent and Treat Fire Blight in your Organic Orchard by GrowOrganic Peaceful Valley in California. Covers fire blight disease on apples and pears, including the disease life cycle, damage and controlling this disease with proper sanitation, resistant varieties, pruning and organic sprays.
Preventing and Treating Fire Blight by Oklahoma Gardening Classics also talks about fire blight, offering more suggestions on pruning and spraying.
How to Treat Citrus Greening Disease by This Old House, based in Massachusetts. Roger talks with an expert about greening disease on citrus, causes for the disease and how home gardeners can prolong the life of the tree using pruning techniques, compost, and compost teas.
Citrus Problems by Central Florida Gardener. This video offers a quick look at nutrient problems, disease and insect damage on a variety of citrus trees with some practical home gardener controls.
