Olive trees are known to be cultivated to obtain olives or olives and their oil. However, apart from olive groves, olives can also be found in gardens and terraces or entrances to homes or premises, since they are also widely used to decorate. In this EcologíaVerde article we want to talk to you about the olive tree repilo, one of the most common diseases of olive trees. So, we invite you to learn first-hand everything you need to know about the treatment of the olive tree repilo and its prevention to take the best possible care of your tree.
What is the olive tree repilo and its symptoms
The Spilocaea oleagina is the name given to fungus that causes this disease typical of olive trees. Also popularly known as vivillo or spot of the peacock of the olive treethe olive scab is one of the diseases that is most combated in large olive grove plantations, since it directly affects the crops.
Fortunately, its symptoms make it very easy to identify. This fungus appears as dark circular spots with a yellowish border on the upper surface of the leaves. In fact, this fungus can also spread over the back and nerve of the leaf until it turns completely dark and ends up withering. It is also possible for the leaves to take on a whitish or grayish hue, but this is much less common.
When the disease spreads through the olive tree, it is capable of affecting not only the leaves, but also its fruits: the olive. If so, it is possible to observe elongated, dark-colored spots on olives causing it to deform. Finally, not only the fruit ends up falling to the ground, but also the peduncle. This so characteristic fact of the olive repilo makes it even easier to identify the disease even in time to apply the treatment. If not treated in time, it also causes early defoliation that negatively affects the production of new fruits and ends, in the worst case, with the loss of the tree.
In this other post you can learn more about this and other diseases of the olive tree.
Treatment of the olive tree repilo
As always, here we recommend the use of organic homemade fungicides, a solution that you can make at home and that will not harm the environment. On our page you can find different methods and recipes to make them, although one of the simplest and most effective is the one made from milk, which is also a fertilizer and a source of nutrients for the plant. Treat the olive vine with a milk fungicide:
- Just mix 8 parts of rainwater (or one that has been left to stand for 24 hours and without using the bottom) with 2 parts of milk, preferably skimmed.
- Add 20 grams of baking soda to the mixture for every liter of fungicide made and mix well.
- Apply it by spraying with a sprayer daily for the first 48 hours, always at sunset, or the days after it has rained, and repeat the application once a week.
- It is important to check that it is applied well throughout the plant, especially in the affected area, and remove leaves and branches in poor condition. This fungicide also acts as a foliar and healing fertilizer, so it can even be used preventively and to reinforce the health and resistance of the plant. If you have already had fungal problems before but you have solved them, it never hurts to get ahead and apply prevention treatments when the wet seasons of spring and autumn arrive, which are the ideal times for their proliferation.
Here you can learn more about Milk for plants: benefits and how to use it.
The application of chemical fungicides and plant protection products should be reserved only for large farms or cases where the extent and severity of the problem are so large that organic methods are not a viable option.
We also recommend these articles on Homemade fungicides and Homemade fungicides for fruit trees.
How to prevent the olive tree repilo
As with most fungal-related illnesses, it is best control temperature and humiditysince they usually prefer mild temperatures, around 18ºC or 22ºC, and a relatively high degree of humidity to develop.
It is important to know that water, whether from irrigation, rain, dew or even fog, is the preferred medium for this type of fungus. Therefore, they must avoid possible flooding. With these factors in mind, it will be during the fall and spring period where there is a higher percentage of contagion.
So, as always, we recommend that during these months keep your olive tree in a well ventilated area and that you do, if necessary, prevention pruning that favors the entry of light and air throughout the glass. Here you can read about when to prune an olive tree and how to do it.
After this, it is recommended to perform a copper-based treatment on the lower area of the olive tree, since it is where the repilo disease usually begins. It is also possible to use nitrogen fertilizer to combat it, as long as its use is not abused.
Now that you know all this about the olive tree repilo, we recommend you read this guide on the Care of a potted olive tree so that you can offer the best to your tree.
If you want to read more articles similar to Olive vine: treatment and preventionwe recommend that you enter our category .
