Cultural control (Silver leaf)

  • Some trees may recover from silver leaf if vigour is increased by fertilisation or other cultural practices.
  • Affected trees should be monitored and grubbed and burnt as soon as they die, before silver leaf fruiting bodies appear.
  • Avoid pruning, especially major tree restructuring, during wet weather, when wounds are more likely to be infected by silver leaf.
  • Wood from affected trees should not be stacked at the orchard edge as the fungus will fruit on the dead wood which will provide a large source of inoculum.
  • Neighbouring trees and hedges should be checked for dead branches and signs of the fruiting bodies.
  • Affected branches should be removed and burned.