The best tips to combat

Which conifers can be attacked by pear rust?

The pear grating affects exclusively juniper species. In particular the Sadebaum (Juniperus sabina), a subspecies of juniper, is susceptible to the fungal disease. Native varieties such as Juniperus communis, on the other hand, cannot infect themselves or other plants with pear rust. Other conifers such as cypresses or thujas are also not attacked by the fungus.

How do you recognize the pear grating on juniper bushes?

The fungus overwinters in juniper. Between March and May you can see the reproductive organs in the form of small dots on the affected shoots. They swell up when wet orange cones from a gelatinous mass. The size of these fruiting bodies depends on various factors such as the weather, the severity of the infestation and the type of fungus. As soon as the weather gets drier again, the fruiting bodies shrink again and are difficult to see.

How does a conifer get infected with pear rust?

The reason for the strong multiplication of the pathogen is the Variety of junipers and their different types are suspected. This increased sharply in the 1990s together with the spread of pear grating. The fungus only survives when juniper and pear trees grow in close proximity to each other, as it kills the juniper in winter and the pear in summer pear tree uses as a host.

What damage does pear rust cause to conifers?

Juniper is relatively robust against an infestation with pear rust. He's going through the fungus hardly damaged. However, the sight of the orange jelly is not particularly appealing and at the same time the infestation can spread further through a pear tree in the neighborhood. It is therefore recommended to treat the fungus.

How do you combat pear rust?

1. Identify yours juniper species precisely and determine whether it can be attacked by pear rust.
2. Check your juniper bushes regularly from March to May Signs of pear rust.
3. Remove affected shoots generous. You can dispose of them in the compost.
4. If the infestation is already too severe, you must remove the entire plant removed.

How can you prevent re-infestation?

• Remove infested pear leaves early so that they cannot form any aecidians, whose spores are transferred back to the juniper bushes in autumn.
• Fertilize Regularly feed your juniper bushes to make them more disease resistant.
• Water the juniper during dry periods.
• Decide between juniper and pear tree and remove one of the two plants.
• Speak yours too neighborhood on the pear grating. The spores can be transmitted up to a kilometer away and are therefore not limited to one's own property.