Pests and diseases of honeysuckle: methods of treatment and prevention
Honeysuckle is a fairly rare plant in a garden or summer cottage. But its fruits, thanks to its unique composition, help in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. In addition, the culture has good decorative data. Honeysuckle's disease resistance is average, so gardeners often have to “help” these bushy plants.
Honeysuckle Disease
Plant diseases are divided into fungal and viral. Each of the ailments is able to destroy the aboveground and underground parts and lead to the death of the bush.
| Disease | Signs and Symptoms | Treatment and prevention |
| Ramulariosis | Light spots on the leaves gradually increase and darken | "Fundazol" - spraying (10 g per 5 l of water), ash solution - watering the root zone and spraying (100 g per bucket of water) |
| Cercosporosis | Brown spots, drying and falling of leaves | Bordeaux liquid - spraying with a 3% solution |
| Powdery mildew | Powdery coating of leaves and stems | "Miklobutanil" - spraying (30 g per 10 liters of water), moderate watering |
| Tuberculosis | Red tubercles on bark and branches, shrub drying | Bordeaux liquid - spraying with a 3% solution, removing damaged branches |
| Common cancer | Yellowing and wilting of leaves, black spores on the shoots | Bordeaux liquid - spraying with a 3% solution, removing leaf plates, shoots with visible lesions |
| Leaf mottling | Red and brown spots on the leaves, yellowing, falling off | Removing leaves or the entire plant |
| Mosaic of crescent | The growth of side buds, fading of individual parts of the bush, the leaves are rough | Removing sinuses or part of the bush |
Fungal
Fungal diseases lead to leaf spotting, drying out of branches, and quick death of plants.
Important! The causative agents of the disease are able to transfer winter in the near-stem layer of the earth, in dead parts of the plant. When preparing the culture for wintering, it is necessary to move the fallen leaves and branches off-site and burn.
Ramulariosis
Grayish-white spots appear on young foliage of honeysuckle in early spring. Over time, these spots become darker, increase in size and become shapeless. In addition to leaves, ramulariosis can affect the stems and stalks.
Cercosporosis
The fungus leaves brown marks on the leaves with a reddish edging. After a short period of time, the leaves dry out and die. Affected parts of the plant are removed and burned away from the site. After that, the bush is sprayed with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
Powdery mildew
One of the most common diseases of many cultures, manifests itself with insufficient or improper watering. Foliage is covered with powdery white spots that are capable of creating a coating on the entire plant. Growing conditions are of great importance - honeysuckle planted in shaded areas is more susceptible to this fungus.
To exclude the defeat of powdery mildew, it is necessary to carry out prophylaxis - to clear the area from plants that create shade, to provide moderate but regular watering and top dressing of bushes. If the plant could not be saved, then it is treated with fungicides.
Read more about why edible honeysuckle does not bear fruit.
Tuberculosis
In the branches and bark of the plant, reddish tubercles form, which spread to neighboring shoots, which can lead to complete drying of the bush. The causative agent of the disease “survives” the winter inside the stems and again manifests itself in the spring. The second phase of fungal activity occurs in August, when the plant is weakened after fruiting. The main method of combating tuberculosis is the removal of affected branches and burning them.
Common cancer
This ailment is also called European cancer. It affects foliage and honeysuckle shoots through wounds on parts of plants. Favorable development conditions for this type of fungus are a warm climate, excessive watering or prolonged rains.
Important! When the bush is damaged by ordinary cancer, contact with diseased parts should be carried out only in protective gloves, which are then burned together with removed branches and leaves.
Manifestation. Foliage fades, begins to turn yellow and becomes lifeless, and gray spots with blackening from spore formations of fungi appear on the upper parts of shoots. In this case, sanitary trimming and processing with the same Bordeaux liquid will help.
Viral
Some types of viruses can also seriously harm honeysuckle. Therefore, gardeners must be prepared to deal with them.
We recommend finding out why honeysuckle grows poorly.
Leaf mottling
The disease is transmitted by nematodes and is determined by the manifestation of rounded spots of dark red or brown color on the leaves. After a short time, the foliage turns yellow and falls. The fight against mottling is carried out by sanitary cleaning of damaged leaves with their subsequent burning. In difficult cases, it is necessary to get rid of the plant.
Mosaic of crescent
This virus is also able to spread nematodes. Also, the mosaic spreads through planting material when the affected plant is propagated by cuttings or root division. With the disease, the activity of side kidneys in the sinuses increases, due to which the plant thickens, and the leaves on the main shoots poorly develop due to an insufficient amount of nutrients. Bushes become low, and the branches dry out.
Honeysuckle Pests
In addition to diseases, the culture can be attacked by a variety of pests.
| Pest | Signs and Symptoms | Treatment and prevention |
| Honeysuckle tick | Leaf wilting and curling | "Actellik" - spraying (7 ml per 10 liters of water), "Confidor" - spraying (1 g per 10 liters of water) |
| Honeysuckle aphid | Sucks juices from shoots, the plant fades | "Actellik" - spraying (7 ml per 10 liters of water), "Confidor" - spraying (1 g per 10 liters of water) |
| Acacia false shield | The shoots wither, the plant looks weak | “Actellik” - spraying (7 ml per 10 liters of water), “Rogor-S” - spraying (6 liters per hundred square meters of land) |
| Apple Speckled Scalp | The shoots wither, the plant is weakened | “Actellik” - spraying (7 ml per 10 water), “Rogor-S” (6 l per hundred square meters of land) |
| Willow shield | Branches fade, the bush weakens | "Actellik" - spraying (7 ml per 10 liters of water), "Rogor-S" (6 liters per hundred square meters of land) |
| Honeysuckle striped sawfly | Holes appear on the leaves or only a mesh remains | "Karbofos" - spraying (75 g per 10 liters of water), "Kinmiks" - spraying (30 ml per hundred square meters of land) |
| Currant or rosette leaflet | Leaves are folded and tangled in cobwebs. | "Karbofos" - spraying (75 g per 10 liters of water), "Kinmiks" - spraying (30 ml per hundred square meters of land) |
| Leaf miner | Strokes in leaves, followed by shedding of leaf plates from a plant | "Karbofos" - spraying (75 g per 10 liters of water), "Kinmiks" - spraying (30 ml per hundred square meters of land) |
| Speckled Moth | The appearance of spots on the leaves, yellowing, wilting | "Karbofos" - spraying (75 g per 10 liters of water), "Kinmiks" - spraying (30 ml per hundred square meters of land) |
Honeysuckle tick
A microscopic insect hides in the shaded parts of the plant, where it sucks juices from leaves and young shoots. After this, parts of the plant wither, leaves twist, become corrugated and stiff. To combat this pest, the insecticides Actellik, Confidor and Rogor-S are used individually or in a mixture (in accordance with the instructions for the preparations).
Honeysuckle aphid
There are several types of aphids that parasitize on honeysuckle:
- cereal
- apical;
- spruce.
In accordance with the name, each of them has an origin - cereal passes from ears, spruce from coniferous trees, and the apical one is “native” to the culture. The fight against aphids is carried out with the use of insecticides - " Actellic ", " Confidor ", etc.
Shields
Another parasite that prefers to eat the sap of garden plants is scale insects. It spreads through the bush at the larval stage, sticks to the bark and sucks the juices.
The following insect species are dangerous for honeysuckle:
- acacia false shield;
- apple spotted scale;
- willow scale.
It will be useful for you to find out what soil honeysuckle likes.
Acacia false shield
During the summer season, this type of parasite can damage a large number of crops, including honeysuckle. The insect sticks to any part of the plant and covers itself with a kind of shield. Throughout the summer, scale insects remain in their favorite place. In mid-autumn, eggs are laid for the offspring of next year.
Apple-tree
In spring, the larvae quickly spread throughout the garden with the help of wind or clothing of people passing by. The principle of operation is the same as that of the acacia subspecies - active suction of juices from a bush or tree and arrangement of egg laying for the future.
Willow
The lifestyle of the willow scale insects is not much different from its "relatives" - at a young age she is able to move around and choose for herself a suitable place for suction. This parasite spends the rest of its life there, before the onset of cold weather. Females leave a clutch of 50–80 eggs under the bark. Against all types of scale insects, Actellik or Rogor-S insecticides are used, which need to be treated with bushes twice during the summer with an interval of two weeks.
Honeysuckle striped sawfly
Less dangerous for honeysuckle are leaf-eating caterpillars that only feed on foliage and do not lead to impaired movement of the juices. One of the biggest honeysuckle lovers is the honeysuckle striped sawfly. The dominance of these insects can spoil both the appearance of the plant, when only veins from leaves and stems remain, and its productivity.
Currant or rosette leaflet
The insect at the caterpillar stage folds the leaf of the plant, braids it with cobwebs and settles inside, eating greenery. After this, the foliage dies. The greatest damage to the leaflets is done to young seedlings, eating around the tops of the shoots and preventing the crown from forming.
Leaf miner
This insect makes moves in the leaves of honeysuckle and other garden plants, disrupting the appearance and weakening them . During the lifetime (1-2 weeks), an adult female lays hundreds of eggs. Without emergency measures, the number of parasites on the bush grows exponentially.
Speckled Moth
The caterpillars of this moth also “mine” the leaves of plants, destroying the inner layer. This leads to a loss of leaf juice, wilting and yellowing. The larger the bush, the more attractive it is for a given insect.
The fight against leaf-eating and mining insects is carried out by spraying twice during the season with insecticides - “ Karbofos ” or “ Kinmiks ”. Processing is carried out in accordance with the instructions for the product in relation to berry bushes.
Prevention of Honeysuckle Diseases and Pests
Pest and disease control is carried out annually and more than once. This is the only way to protect the bushes from the influence of insects and fungi at different stages of their development and distribution.
Did you know? Honeysuckle is not only a tasty and healthy berry. Its aroma is present in the perfumes of such well-known companies as Adidas and Avon.
Spring processing
Spring prophylaxis is carried out at a time when fungal spores begin to awaken and larvae from eggs hatch. For this, both fungicides and insecticides are used. All early, spring sprayings are carried out before the beginning of abundant flowering.
Fungicides and insecticides
Prevention is carried out in mid-March - when the plant is not yet in the phase of active vegetation. Of the fungicides, a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid or a 3% solution of copper sulfate is used. With a small area of damage, you can do with the removal of leaves and shoots manually. But it is better to spray with the indicated preparations so that the plant safely blossoms and forms full-fledged fruits.
If the scale of the infection is massive, then in this case you can not do without insecticides. Most often, the already mentioned “ Actellik ”, “ Confidor ” and “R ogor-S ” are used.
We offer you to read what edible and decorative honeysuckle is.
Folk ways
Despite the effectiveness of chemicals in the fight against ailments and parasites, many gardeners prefer to use folk remedies that have been tested for centuries. Watering the root zone with boiling water with the addition of a small amount of potassium permanganate is considered to be the best folk method. An infusion of tobacco in hot water, which is sprayed with bushes, helps the pests well.
Wood ash, which gardeners scatter in the basal zone or lightly dust it with plants, helps qualitatively from diseases and pests. Another way to use the ash is to insist it in water and spray it with this composition of the bush.
We advise you to learn more about where it is better to plant honeysuckle in a summer cottage.
Autumn Prevention Work
In autumn, it is not always necessary to carry out prophylaxis - if during the summer after spring spraying fungi or parasites were not found on the honeysuckle, then you can leave the bush alone. In this case, the next spring treatment will be enough. If parasites began to develop again in the culture, then the plant should be sprayed with fungicides and insecticides. It is possible to slightly reduce the dosage (by 20-30%).
Rodent Control: Vole Mice, Hares
In addition to various insects and fungi that can annoy the honeysuckle, larger representatives of the fauna can harm and even destroy the bush. Fighting rodents in some parts of the country is no less important than countering the smallest insects. The main pests are hares and mouse voles, which breed in large quantities. In the cold season, they are massively looking for food, and are not averse to gnawing honeysuckle.
Did you know? Only a few species of honeysuckle are edible. The most famous inedible species of this plant is familiar to everyone since childhood and is called the “wolfberry”.
How to scare away honeysuckle
To get rid of the invasion of rodents, use the following methods:
- preventive;
- physical;
- chemical.
Prevention The absence of fallen leaves and dry leaves is already a big plus. And if the site is surrounded by a high fine-meshed fence, then hares will not be able to penetrate the landing area. The presence in the immediate vicinity of hedgehogs or feral cats will also help scare away rodents.
Physical methods are mechanical protection of trunks from omnivorous rodents. A wide variety of materials are used for tying shtambov: coniferous spruce branches, raspberry shoots, juniper or hawthorn branches, reeds, sunflower stems. Effective is tying with an agri-net or a fine metal net. Earlier, roofing material was actively used, but when it was wrapped around the trunk, it stuck and the boom did not breathe.
Chemical solutions that can be used to cover boles cause controversy among gardeners about the need and benefits of their use. But various mixtures of clay, manure, " Karbophosphorus " when applied to the trunk frighten off lovers to enjoy wood in the cold season.
Correction of consequences of nibbling plants
Large circular damage to the trunk is likely to lead to the death of the bush. But with less deformations, it is worth fighting for the plant's health if it is restored correctly. If there is a bite on half the ring of the bark, the method of bridge stock is used. To do this, cuttings are cut from another plant, which are inserted under the bark below and above the damaged area, tightly tied. This method will restore sap flow through the stocks, and the bush will be able to fully develop.
Honeysuckle is a fairly unpretentious plant. But if the bush became sick or was hit by pests, you need to start the struggle for its health as soon as possible.
