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Will my Apple tree make it?

andrewshazelandrewshazel Posts: 14
edited May 2019 in Problem solving
This has got worse over the last 3 years and I think my Apple tree is past saving.

It started with a bit of that I think was brown rot affecting the fruit, then brown root, blossom wilt affecting the blossom and fruiting spurs. Last year I tried to prune out the affected spurs and made sure I collected all the the diseased fruit. I had nice blossom this year then in the last week many of the fruiting spurs have turned brown / wilted and some have even died back. At the weekend I noticed white fluffy clumps appearing around where the bark is split. Is it past saving? I'll attach pics.

Posts

  • andrewshazelandrewshazel Posts: 14
    edited May 2019
    This shows the brow dieback on the spurs.
  • andrewshazelandrewshazel Posts: 14
    edited May 2019
    There are several areas where there is this white fluffy growth. the area underneath it is sticky.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Difficult to tell without more photo's, but the most likely is canker, with the dead bits being where canker has 'ringed' the stem further down, stopping the sap getting to the wood beyond.  Have a look at the RHS advice on apple canker.
    The fluffy stuff is woolly aphid and is a very minor problem unless there is a lot.  Even then, it won't kill whole twigs like that.  You can just brush those off with a stiff plastic brush.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • andrewshazelandrewshazel Posts: 14
    Thanks Bob. I've checked out the HRS website. You're right about the wooly aphids, so I won't worry about that. I think is brown rot / blossom wilt ( same fungus) as I would guess about 30% of the fruit spurs are brown. I'm not looking forward to getting my ladder out to cut out the dead bits lol
  • green fingered finchgreen fingered finch Posts: 278
    Those pics could be of my tree! It looks exactly like that, only worse! Is the advice to cut out all the wilt affected branches? Or is there any other treatment or solution?  :#
  • andrewshazelandrewshazel Posts: 14
    I’m sorry your tree is affected. I would say about 30%-40% of the fruit spurs have gone brown. It’s happened in just the last couple of weeks.
    A lot of the fruit went brown last year as well as a bit of this browning on the blossom. I took off all the infected fruit I could find and cleared up any on the ground, but it’s come back worse this year.
    Im gonna prune out all the dead bits I can reach/find making sure I cut back to healthy wood. The tree is in a flower border, so I’ll clear plants from around it’s base, give it a feed and keep it well watered, just to help lessen any stress on the tree.  There  doesn’t look like there is a spray you can use ( I don’t like spraying anyway!) but I think there is anecdotal evidence that sprays for rust/ black spot might help. I do spray my David Austin roses.. the I might do the tree as well.. might help a bit?
    Sad, I planted the tree the year before me and hubby got married :(
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