paradeshi
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Anna Apple Leaves Browning

Hello there fellow gardeners!

I recently planted a Anna apple tree, Moro Blood Orange, turkey fig, blueberry and blackberry. I'm concerned about my apple tree because I noticed that the leaves have been turning brown on the edges and discoloring on some leaves. I am attaching a few pictures for you to look at.

I used potting soil when I planted all these trees made by Sta-Green I dug about 3 feet down, added the potting mix, planted the tree and surrounded the empty area with more potting soil by mixing the native soil in layers. The soil in my backyard looks like clay. I then topped it off with mulch. I can see that there is fruit on the tree but I'm afraid it will not last because of what I see is happening to the leaves.

The orange tree does not show any similar signs yet. The blueberry very slightly. The fig tree is starting to show those signs now and the blackberry seems untouched by these issues. What do you think? I would appreciate any help from you guys in keeping my plants alive and fruitful!

Thanks,

Sunny P
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JONA
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Location: Sussex. England

Hi Paradeshi
My first instinct is this is water desiccation. How has the weather been for you lately?
After planting, the trees often have a struggle to replace the water they are losing through their leaves from the root system that has been disturbed on planting
This causes the edges of leaves to dedicate as they give up the effort.
Water well and give them time to recover. They should grow out after a while.
Do NOT wet the leaves in strong sunlight.....it will agrivate the problem by scorching.

RamblingRiver
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I've been told that when establishing new fruit trees it's best to cut the fruit off to the first year so the tree can focus all of its energy in establishing a better root system. Something to consider

paradeshi
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That is good advice so far. Thank you! It's been raining pretty much lately but the forecast says we're not going to have rain for a while pretty soon. If it weren't raining I would water once a week. The fig tree I mentioned earlier is doing the same thing now. The entire tree is drooping and the leaves starting at the bottom are withered and look burnt. Should I cut off the fruit? And was my choice of fertilizer ok?

JONA
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Usually fruit trees do not require heavy fertiliser applications. As long as the soil is fairly healthy they cope remarkably well.
But, they can have this problem early after planting where the roots struggle to keep a balance between the top of the tree and the amount of active root.
This is all the more difficult if trees that are carrying fruit and are two or more years old. These larger trees have to suffer a greater shock on planting. The trees top structure is losing water far faster than the roots can replace it....so...the leaves start to desiccate.
As Rambling has said....removing the fruit will help the tree to adjust.

Fertilising fruit trees can be a thorny problem. On the whole a yearly top dressing of a balanced fert is fine. If the tree is cropping heavily then a high potash boost in summer can help.....but again if the grass is growing right up to the trunk then that itself is a great potash source.
If the tree is growing healthily don't over use nitrogen....especially around blossom time. It can cause fruit drop as the nutrient surge encourages the tree into a growth surge just at the wrong moment. At the same time a good nitrogen boost after harvest can encourage good bud formation as well as a quicker decomposition of the leaves as they fall.
Urea sprays are the cheapest and quickest ways of getting this boost to the tree.

paradeshi
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That is interesting. Thank you for your valuable advice! It seems to me that the first thing to do then is to cut off the fruit and then what do you think about this idea? Is it silly for me to dig around the tree and take away the fertilizer and add just the native soil with some mulch maybe? Not sure if that helps, and because it's clay.

JONA
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Location: Sussex. England

No...Leave the root area alone Paradeshi.
Any excess will soon flush away.
We grow on solid clay in our orchards....it's a great soil type really. Although it takes longer for a tree to establish, once it's growing away well it gives a firmer hold and it holds its nutrients far better than light Loams do.

paradeshi
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JONA,

Thank you so much for that advice. I will not touch the root area. Thank you!

AlyceJones
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Such a good discussion helped me alot

paradeshi
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JONA,

I was so happy when I saw the tiny beautiful green leaves budding after our last conversation. Unfortunately, I did not get to see the tree bloom. We had a lot of rain here and I think it may have been too much water that it died :( As you could see in my initial post with the photos I had made a hedge around at the base that could hold water. You think that was not a smart move?

JONA
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So sorry your tree never made it paradeshi.
Don't give up though.
Just a few tips when planting into clay.
Plant in the spring rather than the fall. Clay soils retain water and newly planted roots just sitting in wet soil for three months or so will rot instead of growing.
Make sure that when you dig the trees planting hole that you break up the sides to make sure you are not just making a giant pot for the tree. It's very easy to smear the sides in clay and make the hole a water container.

Plant dormant trees. A tree that is already into growth ( especially a large tree) can suffer a severe check when planted as the roots try to balance the water uptake to the transpiration rate from the leaves. This is magnified if the tree is pot bound.

paradeshi
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Great suggestions JONA. Thank you for that! How would you describe a plant in dormancy?



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