Please help
My apple tree seems to be suffering.
I have always had such huge fruit crops each year but I have noticed problems recently.
Lots of fruit forming that seem to be unaffected, however the leaves seem to be looking in poor condition.
Please see the pictures and advise, I do not have a great knowledge in the garden!
Unhappy Apple
- Attachments
-
-
-
-
-
Hi Charman,
Your first pictures damage looks like canker damage to that shoot. Check down the shoot for a sign of discoloured or damaged bark.
The other pictures show the signs of the two major diseases of apples.
The shoots that have that white looking appearance have secondary mildew.
The leaves that have those brown lesions on them are suffering from Scab.
The Mildewed and cankered shoots remove and burn.....it's more important here that you spray the tree early next year to stop primary mildew ( which does far more damage as it attacks the blossom trusses ) this later season mildew is a source of spores for the spring infections.
The Scab on the leaves can spread to the fruit itself. It causes lesions on the fruits surface...not itself harming the fruits edability..but spoiling its appearance and if left untreated producing spores to continue onto next years crop.
All sprays that are available from organic Neem oil or Sulphur to Captan etc, can only protect against the disease by laying a protective coating on the leaves and fruit that stops the spores from geminating.
No sprays actually kill the already infected Scab.
So it's provention , not cure.
Some varieties are far more succeptable than others.
.
Your first pictures damage looks like canker damage to that shoot. Check down the shoot for a sign of discoloured or damaged bark.
The other pictures show the signs of the two major diseases of apples.
The shoots that have that white looking appearance have secondary mildew.
The leaves that have those brown lesions on them are suffering from Scab.
The Mildewed and cankered shoots remove and burn.....it's more important here that you spray the tree early next year to stop primary mildew ( which does far more damage as it attacks the blossom trusses ) this later season mildew is a source of spores for the spring infections.
The Scab on the leaves can spread to the fruit itself. It causes lesions on the fruits surface...not itself harming the fruits edability..but spoiling its appearance and if left untreated producing spores to continue onto next years crop.
All sprays that are available from organic Neem oil or Sulphur to Captan etc, can only protect against the disease by laying a protective coating on the leaves and fruit that stops the spores from geminating.
No sprays actually kill the already infected Scab.
So it's provention , not cure.
Some varieties are far more succeptable than others.
.
Hi Jona
Thank you for the quick and detailed reply.
Just one more thing you could perhaps answer.
Is there any reason why this would suddenly happen and to such an extreme.
This tree is a well established tree that has never seemed to have any issues, as mentioned before I always have had so much fruit from this tree.
Would this of happened from poor pruning, or pruning at the wrong time?
Could this be a result of damage or is it just an occurrence that happens?
Thank you for the quick and detailed reply.
Just one more thing you could perhaps answer.
Is there any reason why this would suddenly happen and to such an extreme.
This tree is a well established tree that has never seemed to have any issues, as mentioned before I always have had so much fruit from this tree.
Would this of happened from poor pruning, or pruning at the wrong time?
Could this be a result of damage or is it just an occurrence that happens?
Both these disease are weather orientated charman.
Actual pruning will not cause either to occur.
However pruning so you get good air movement through the tree can help.
Also with mildew, cutting off secondary mildew when you see it while the trees in leaf helps a lot as once the leaves drop in the winter it is more difficult to spot.
Look out in the spring for signs of blossom trusses that are mildewed and remove and burn.
Scab can come and go .....warm, wet weather is when it sporulates. A couple of protective sprays after bud burst and then any time in the early summer when the weather is humid will go a long way to keeping it under control.
Actual pruning will not cause either to occur.
However pruning so you get good air movement through the tree can help.
Also with mildew, cutting off secondary mildew when you see it while the trees in leaf helps a lot as once the leaves drop in the winter it is more difficult to spot.
Look out in the spring for signs of blossom trusses that are mildewed and remove and burn.
Scab can come and go .....warm, wet weather is when it sporulates. A couple of protective sprays after bud burst and then any time in the early summer when the weather is humid will go a long way to keeping it under control.