Using a spray bottle, spray on tops and bottoms of leaves until the mixture drips off. Dissolve ½ teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid soap in a gallon of water. Organic options won’t kill the fungus, but will prevent it from spreading. It is recommended to start by applying organic treatment options, working up to the more potent synthetic, chemical fungicides if necessary. However, if much of the foliage is affected and defoliation occurs, the plant will benefit from getting rid of the infection. Solutions: In minor cases of brown spot, there isn’t any need to treat the disease. Diseased or damaged stems should be cut right at the soil line and removed completely. Finally, you may prefer to just trim off dead or damaged portions of the plant to keep it looking its best as if it's possible. Branches that require a saw need to be pruned using the 'three-cut method', which prevents the bark of the branch from tearing and creating cracks in the trunk, which can be detrimental to the recovery of the plant. Pruning Saw is required if the branch is more than three quarters of an inch in size, pruning should be done in the direction of the 'Branch bark ridge' to the 'Branch collar' to allow for good healing. Branches that are too angled or too small should be removed. When pruning branches you need to leave the strong ones and remove the weak ones, keeping healthy auxiliary branches that grow outwards at about 45 degrees. This will increase ventilation and light, reduce disease infection and allow Blackthorn to grow more vigorously. Leaving these intact will allow the tree to have a more natural and open form. Ideally, you should steer clear from pruning any of the tree’s lower limbs.

Keep an eye out for any shoots that are becoming congested or are beginning to cross and remove them. This is the period when pruning causes the least damage to the plant. The best time to prune Blackthorn is between late winter to early spring.

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