Virtually any garden design can be improved by the inclusion of a fruit tree, or, if you have the space, a number of fruit trees. Fruit trees can produce the most amazing displays when in blossom and, of course, you have the advantage of it bearing edible fruit later in the year. If you are in the process of designing a garden and it includes a fruit tree, such as a plum tree, which produces pitted fruit it will be necessary for you to investigate ways in which to avoid disease as these types of tree are prone to be susceptible to disease.

A sadly common fruit tree disease is Brown Rot which is a fungus that appears on fruit. Usually it develops on fruit that has fallen from the tree and been left to rot. As Brown Rot is a fungus it can spread very quickly as fungus produce lots of tiny little spores which, due to their size, are highly mobile.

For fungus to grow successfully it requires the right conditions which are mainly areas which remain damp and offer a suitable source of food. Obviously there are many parts on a fruit tree that could prove to be highly suitable and it is for this reason that an outbreak of Brown Rot can spread so quickly. Luckily we can help to reduce the suitability of the environment for fungal growth by simply pruning the fruit tree correctly.

A good strong and healthy tree with vigorous growth will be more able to avoid infection, or, if it does develop disease it will be well equipped to recover from it quickly. One of the ways in which we can ensure that our trees remain in peak condition is to prune them regularly. Pruning trees is vital to their well being in many ways and, in the case of fungal diseases, pruning helps to increase air flow through the branches thus minimizing the number of places which would be suitable for fungus to establish itself.

As well as pruning our fruit tree to avoid fungal infection and disease it is extremely important to continually monitor it for any signs of disease. One of the most important things to remember is that you must remove, isolate and destroy (by burning) any part of the tree that appears to have fungus. It is also strongly advised that you clear up any fallen fruit as soon as you see it and do not allow it to stay on the ground to rot, that’s asking for trouble!

Of course there are many other fungal diseases which may infect your fruit tree, one of which is known as cytospora canker. Although fungal it’s appearance is greatly different to Brown Rot and appears on the branches rather than upon the fruit. Dark, soft, areas appear on the branch and a callous forms which oozes gum. The most common place for it to appear is in a wound that is not fresh.

Just like the treatment for Brown Rot the answer to cytospora canker is, again, pruning. It is incredibly important that you prune a fruit tree correctly. If it is done incorrectly you are simply inviting trouble as the wound will take far longer to heal and will be more likely to become infected. If a fruit tree is badly infected by cytospora canker the only option is to prune it back hard and hope for the best. Making sure that such pruning allows for the free flow of air and light will help speed up the healing process and therefore reduce the risk of fungal infection.

Fungal disease can be a real nuisance in any plant but in a fruit tree is can cause a great deal of stress for the tree and ourselves (because of the loss of the crop). Brown Rot and cytospora canker are but two fungal diseases of which a gardener should be aware and we strongly advise that you investigate this topic a little more to ensure that you understand the problem and learn how to deal with it if it should appear in your garden. Any knowledge of tree care is always beneficial but with fruit trees you need to take extra special care if you want to be rewarded with a fine looking tree that produces much blossom and plenty of fruit every year.