Replanting Diease. How Long Must I Wait?

Question

I just bought a home and unfortunately one of my fruit trees appears to be afflicted with a terrible fungal infection. The arborist I talked to recommended just cutting it down and planting in a different section of the yard, as the soil is currently contaminated with the fungus. What he didn’t tell me what how long it would be before I could plant fruit trees in that part of the yard again. One year? 3 years? Forever? There has to be a way to be able to plant there again. Help!

Answer 1

Without knowing which disease it is, I will not be able to tell you how long it will remain in soil. In the case of viral pathogens, it will be permanent. If you plant a completely different and unrelated tree species, then it will , likely not affect the new tree. Unfortunately, planting the same tree in the spot will lead to another dead tree.

If you would like to attempt to remove the pathogen, you could try solarizing your soil. This article will help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/projects/how-to-solarize-garden-beds-to-eliminate-garden-pests-in-the-soil.htm