Unattractive sight: Remove fruit mummies in winter so that the fruit tree stays healthy

Created: 01/11/2023, 7:30 p.m

By: Ines Alms

Winter offers a good opportunity to pick orphaned and withered fruit from the fruit trees.

Otherwise there could be no harvest next season.

Wrinkled, moldy fruit on the trees is particularly unpleasant to see on leafless branches in winter.

But these so-called fruit mummies not only disturb the aesthetic perception, they are also dangerous for the tree.

Because these are often attacked by pathogens of the Monilia fruit rot, which can later infect freshly growing fruits during the ripening period.

Fruit tree in winter: remove fruit mummies, otherwise there is a risk of crop failure

Tart cherries are often infested with Monilia fungi.

© blickwinkel/Imago

Monilia fructigena and Monilinia laxa are the names of the culprits.

The fungi perch on old fruit and can severely decimate next season's fruit crop by triggering fruit rot or peak drought.

Since even high sub-zero temperatures cannot harm these fungi, they migrate to the healthy fruit in the spring. The risk of infection on a tree is particularly high in the case of small injuries to the fruit.

Not only that: According to the

, the pathogens can lead to the death of trees and spread to other plants via wind, rain and insects.

All types of stone and pome fruit can be attacked by Monilia.

You should therefore check the following fruit trees in particular for fruit mummies:

• Apple

• pear

• sweet and sour cherries

• quinces

• plums

• reneclodes

• peaches

You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter of our partner 24garten.de.

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The

advises picking off dried and shriveled remains of the fruit and disposing of it in the organic waste bin - not in the compost.

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In order to prevent the pathogens, the

portal recommends regularly inspecting the fruit trees during the next ripening period and immediately disposing of rotten fruit and fruit mummies.

Proper pruning of the fruit trees is also very important.