Spraying fruit trees with urea is an important procedure with many benefits. First of all, it reduces the occurrence of the dangerous fungal disease of apple and pear trees, which is scab. Seehow and when to use urea to spray treesfor best results. In a moment you will find out how urea works on fruit trees and why the correctdate of urea sprayingis so important!
Urea tree fruit trees are best done in autumn, at the beginning of the leaf fall period
Growing fruit trees on the plot, we want to strive for the maximum reduction of chemical treatments and easier protection. This dependence is connected with the need to eliminate the source of primary infections occurring on our fruit trees, and thus the use ofurea spraying on fruit trees
Why is it worth using urea for spraying fruit trees?
Urea is a nitrogen fertilizer , well known and often used in plant cultivation. It is worth spraying fruit trees with it, which will significantly support the protection of the orchard against one of the most dangerous diseases - apple and pear scab.
The harmfulness of scab in orchards is very highIt has a negative effect on the condition of trees, which causes weaker flower bud formation, greater susceptibility of trees to frost damage, and reduced yields. Infestation of fruit with scab worsens its quality and contributes to a significant reduction, and sometimes even complete loss of the yield.
Symptoms of apple scab
Fig. shutterstock.com
Symptoms of scab are most often visible on leaves and fruits.On the upper side of apple leaves dark olive stains are formed, covered with a velvety coating. Dark, round spots appear on the fruit, in which the skin becomes necrotic. Over timethe peel of the apples hardens and becomes corkyA kind of scabby wound is formed, sometimes the peel of the apples may crack. Such apples are not suitable for consumption.The same symptoms of scab cause on pears.
Symptoms of scab on a pear
Fig. pixabay.com
The fungus Venturia inaequalis, causing scab in apple and pear treeshibernates on fallen leaves from treesIn spring, the mushroom bag spores are released from the fruiting bodies under the influence of moisture from precipitation. Spores can be carried with the air current up to several hundred meters.This wayscab infects our apple trees again
The scab-causing fungus hibernates on leaves fallen from trees
Fig. shutterstock.com
The risk of overwintering the mycelium of scab on fallen leaves, however, can be minimized . The urea fertilizer comes in handy here.
Urea is a nitrogen fertilizer that dissolves well in water.In addition to the supplied nitrogen, it stimulates the growth of the population of Pseudomonas and Erwinia species, which in turn cause faster degradation of the leaf tissue, on which fruiting bodies of the scab-causing fungus are formed .As a result of a well-conducted autumn spraying with urea, up to 90% of the fungus spores are killedIt is therefore a spray with a very high effectiveness in combating apple scab: -)
By spraying urea on fruit trees in the fallwe also make nitrogen transport faster to the wintering organs, and in these organs it creates reserves that enable rapid growth and development of trees in early spring.
How and when to use urea for spraying trees?
Spraying fruit trees with urea is performed in two times - both in autumn and spring.For spraying fruit trees with urea, we use its 5% urea solutionSo, in 10 liters of water, we need to dissolve 0.5 kg of urea.
Remember!Spray fruit trees with 5% urea solution. To do this, dissolve half a kilogram of urea in 10 liters of water (or dissolve 50 g in 1 liter of water).
Autumn spraying of fruit trees with urea should be done at the end of October , after the first frost, in the initial period of leaf fall, thoroughly covering them with urea solution. Why is it so important? Because at this point, tissue is formed that separates the leaf from the shoot, preventing fertilizer from entering the shoots. It is important that the maximum amount of nitrogen is absorbed by the leaves !
The trees are sprayed with urea at the beginning of the leaf fall
Fig. shutterstock.com
Urea used in the first leaf fall periodreduces the number of bag spores next spring. The later we spray fruit trees with urea, the lower its effectiveness will be. Urea applied too late, when most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, reduces the number of bag spores by only 50%, while when used in the first period of leaf fall, it can reduce their number by as much as 90%!
Remember!Urea spraying in the fall is highly effective when at least 95% of leaves are still on the trees!
The second spraying of fruit trees with urea is done in early spring , spraying the soil and leaves lying under the trees. It is best to perform this procedure in February, because thanks to this, bags with bag spores appear in fruiting bodies only in May and only a few of them reach the ability to sow.If urea spraying fruit trees in March, we will reduce the number of fruiting bodies to a lesser extent, but the treatment will also have a destructive effect on the development of spores of the fungus causing scab in apple and pear trees.Urea spraying fruit trees in spring is much less effective than in autumn , however, it is worth to perform this spraying as an additional spraying in case of heavy scab infestation, as well as in vows if you have forgotten to spray in the fall.
Urea, perfect for spraying fruit treesagainst scab, can be purchased in the shop of our guide. On the store's website, when describing urea, there is also other valuable information about the possibilities of using urea in the garden. Therefore, I invite you to the store's website also for valuable knowledge: -)
How to spray urea against scab is also shown in the video. See it at a glance again. Thanks to this, you will remember better what and how to do it. We invite you to watch an inspiring video: -)
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
