Don’t let your beautiful soursop tree wither and die! Educate yourself on the pests and diseases that can harm your tree and how to fend them off!
Soursop is known for its prickly exterior and its bittersweet taste. People have really taken to the fruit and are planting the tree in their own backyards!
However, what most people don’t realize that growing soursop trees is complicated. If you’re not careful, your tree could wither and die right before your eyes! Here are a few pests and diseases you need to keep an eye out for when growing soursop trees.
Be Wary of Pests:
The seeds of the soursop fruit are incredibly poisonous which has led people to believe that they are enough to keep away pests and insects. That could not be more further from the truth!
What people don’t realize is that there are plenty of pests that don’t target the poisonous seeds but the roots of the tree instead! Some common offenders include mealy bugs, root grubs, carpenter moth larva, and scale insects etc.
Luckily there are plenty of pesticides commercially available that are great at killing these pests and can be found at your local drug store. Be careful to use them in moderation as they can adversely affect the pH of your soil!
Disease:
There are plenty of diseases that can stunt the growth of your soursop tree. By attacking the roots and leaves of the trees, these diseases can effectively cut off the nutrients your soursop tree desperately needs to survive. Major diseases that can ruin the growth your soursop tree include root rot, anthracnose, and pink disease.
How Do I Prevent Pest and Disease Damage?
Because of the varying nature of the diseases and pests that can harm soursop trees, it’s very hard to highlight one method that can help fend them off. Here are the best two ways of dealing with some of the most common soursop offenders.
Weeding:
Weeding is the process of removing unwanted plants in the soil around the soursop tree. These small plants attract the aforementioned pests and can thus be disastrous to soursop trees.
Experts claim that ring weeding is the best method for ensuring the growth and safety of soursop trees.
Pruning:
Pruning is the act of removing decaying or already dead branches from a tree. These branches act like catalysts and speed up the decay of your soursop tree. Moreover, dead branches also block sunlight from reaching healthier branches which further leads to decay!
Therefore, it’s crucial for you to remove these unhealthy branches from your tree before they start affecting the healthy ones! Experts argue that water sprouts and dead twigs should also be removed.
Are you looking for fresh and ripe soursop? We at TKO Farms consider ourselves experts in soursop farming. You can always get in touch with us to learn more about our crop and yield.
We also offer investment opportunities in Belize! Learn more about our teak businesses and invest with us today!