Apple Tree Leaf - Is this Blight?

[ChristaCarol]

Alright, I did a little more research as far as pruning goes, and it figures my trees totally don't look how they're suppose to hah!

I also have some leaf issues, not sure if it's blight? Or something else? And there is a little guy that likes to hang out on my Delicious tree, is he friendly or will he hurt my tree/apples?

I've included pictures for anyone that might be able to help. Thanks in advance. I just want to try and do it right.

My Leaves:
[img]https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/ChristaCarol/Appletreeleaves.jpg[/img] [img]https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/ChristaCarol/Appletreeleaves2.jpg[/img]

The Bug:
[img]https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/ChristaCarol/DeliciousBug.jpg[/img] [img]https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/ChristaCarol/DeliciousBug2.jpg[/img]

The trees:

My Delicious doesn't look as bad (shape wise) as my granny. I know it isn't time to prune yet, but come the time I'd love some help or ideas on what to clip. I've already read some about this and think I know where to start but I'm still not very confident in this whole endeavor.

Delicious:
[img]https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/ChristaCarol/Delicious1.jpg[/img]

My Granny Smith is a year older, and totally deformed compared to what they are supposed to look like. I am not getting any 'produce' on any of the bottom branches (more than likely due to the canopy shadowing them), all my apples are coming in at the top and on the right side, nothing on the left at all.

[img]https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/ChristaCarol/GrannyApple2.jpg[/img] [img]https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/ChristaCarol/GrannyApple.jpg[/img]

I will take the pictures down after a while if I need to for the bandwidth of the forum. I tried to make them as small as I could while still being able to see what was in them.

[MaineDesigner]

I think maybe your insect is the Western Leaf-footed Bug [url]https://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hemipt/Leaf%20footed%20bug.htm[/url]
We don't have them up here but they don't sound like they are good guys.

Your trees don't look bad considering that they are very young trees. It is too early in their development for upper limbs to be significantly shading lower limbs. I would probably partially cut back but not totally remove (yet - you will want to in a few years) the lowest branch on the Granny Smith. It also looks like a lower branch is trying to take over as the leader on that tree and I would also cut that back to a point below the central leader (to an outward facing bud in both cases). The Delicious appears to be headed toward an open vase shape while the Granny Smith seems to want to be a central leader. Without actually being there to walk around the tree it is difficult for me to give you advice but you have at least a year or two to go before any pruning becomes urgent.

[ChristaCarol]

Yes that's the bug! Ew, creepy looking guy. It mentions harmful to pistachio plants, I'll have to look around about apple trees and see what else to do to get rid of it if it IS harming them other than wasps (I hate wasps!)

So in my observation I was wrong then, it's the Delicious that's more vase shaped! Well, at least it isn't something I need to worry about now. Thanks for your help on that. It's still overwhelming and even perplexing at the thought of pruning. I'm afraid I'll cut the wrong thing! I'm sure I'll be asking around again after the season is over.

If anyone knows anything about the Western Leaf-footed bug let me know. I'll go do some research.

[MaineDesigner]

I don't have a real good sense of the height of your trees but by the time they hit twelve to fifteen feet you will want to start thinking about curbing vertical growth. Much more than that and they become too difficult to maintain. We have an apple tree on our property that long predates us that is now about 35 feet tall. I don't really want to cut it down but that size definitely qualifies as out of control.

[ChristaCarol]

Ok, I think my eldest, which is the granny smith, is about 10-12 feet (husband says 10). So definitely will be working on it this fall.