ChristaCarol
Full Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 11:04 am
Location: Texas

Are my apple trees dead?

I have two apple trees, both are very red (trunks, limbs) I visited a garden store earlier this weekend and they had trees for sale. They were already blooming and were regular gray colored in their trunk/limbs, etc. Mine aren't blooming yet. The place has a 1 year guaruntee. Are they dead? Or dying? And what would cause this? Nitrogen? Some kind of something it needs or is getting too much of? Should I give them a chance or just exchange them?

Newt
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 10:44 pm
Location: Maryland zone 7

Hi CristaCarol,

Here's your original post with the photo from last fall.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=18712&highlight=#18712

When you visited the nursery were the Mollie's gray in color too? In looking at the picture I noticed the limbs appear to be a bit redish last fall. That may be the habit of the tree and is ok. You mention two trees so I'm thinking they are both the same variety. Some trees leaf out later and bloom later then others. That is why you need certain varieties of apple to cross pollinate as they don't all bloom at the same time. You may be seeing ornamental apples budding and blooming now. If you can, call the nursery or go over there and ask them if the same species of tree is in the same state of growth as yours. If their trees are in pots they could come out of dormancy sooner as the pots warm up more quickly then the ground.

To tell if the tree is still alive GENTLY scrape a branch to see if there is green under the bark. I suspect your trees are fine. It can take a year or two for newly planted trees to fruit.

I did some searching about Mollie Delicious. From this site:
https://www.allaboutapples.com/varieties/var_m3.htm
Tree Characteristics: Slow to bear and a tendency toward biannual bearing. Growth habit is moderately vigorous and spreading. One of the easiest to train.
Pollination info:
https://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/searchpolpartner.aspx?id=MOLDEL
Mollie's Delicious is self-sterile and requires a pollinator to produce a crop.
This page has some characteristics.
https://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/product.aspx?id=MOLDEL&v=4

I also found this but still nothing about the trunk or limb color.
https://www.berkeleyhort.com/plants/p_fruittrees_apple.html
'MOLLIE'S DELICIOUS'
The preferred 'Delicious' apple for the San Francisco Bay Area. The fruit is large, yellow with a red blush, sweet, aromatic, juicy, good flavor. Excellent quality. Bears at an early age. Requires a pollenizer like 'Fuji'. Needs little winter chilling. August harvest. On M-111 rootstock which dwarfs trees to 85% of standard size. The grower feels that "this is the best all around rootstock for apples. Induces early and heavy bearing. Tolerates wet soil, dry soil, and poor soil. (Please note that "tolerates" is not a synonym for "likes", "prefers", or "thrives in"). Resists woolly apple aphides and collar rot."
I'm not sure that is helping you, but do call the nursery where you purchased to find out about trunk & limb color.

Newt

ChristaCarol
Full Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 11:04 am
Location: Texas

Newt, as always, yes you did help. I know I'm such a newb, and it's my own fault because I don't give myself time to research. Actually, one is molly delcious the other is Granny Smith so I can cross pollinate. The Granny just now started blooming yesterday. I will scrape gently and check the molly. As always, you're so much help. Sorry for being a nusaunce!

Newt
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 10:44 pm
Location: Maryland zone 7

You aren't a nuisance at all! Glad you figured out which ones you have. 8) Let me know how the 'scraping' goes.

Newt



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