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Isaac Newton Apple tree help

CastorTroyCastorTroy Posts: 4
in Fruit & veg
Hi,

Last year we planted a small apple tree to celebrate our son Isaac's birth.

We chose a Isaac Newton apple tree which came on m106 root stock. 

https://www.habitataid.co.uk/products/apple-tree-isaac-newton-tree 

Today I noticed what looks like some form of rot/damage at the very base of the tree 

I can best describe it as a dry flaky scab which disintegrates if I pick at it. It seems quite large in respect to the size of the tree as its quite small at the moment. 

Its below the bulge in the trunk which I think is the graft point with the rootstock. 

The tree seems to be starting to develop buds so its still alive but I'm just worried that this is some sort of disease/canker. 

I'm very much a beginner when it comes to the garden at the moment. Is there anything I can do to treat/save the tree, its not really in a position that I can cut / remove. 

thanks in advance for any advice. 


Posts

  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    I don’t know exactly what kind of disease this is, but I would suspect your tree is unlikely to survive for long, as the canker is likely to spread around the trunk, which will prevent the movement of sap. I hope however that I’m wrong. It looks as if it has got in at a point where side shoots were cut out of the rootstock, and tbh I suspect this is a problem that arrived with your tree from pruning on the nursery. I’d suggest you alert them to it ASAP. The rootstock area doesn’t look very healthy to me in general, compared to the graft. IMO they should give you a healthy replacement. 

    Having said this, it may be that others will have more detailed experience of growing this rootstock and may be able to reassure you. My thoughts are based on my experience of growing trees in general, not this rootstock in part. 

    It’s actually quite weird that the top growth is doing so well and the rootstock is ailing—the point of grafting is to give the top growth the vigour of the rootstock! It almost looks as if they should just have rooted a cutting of the Isaac Newton and have done with it...

    Incidentally my local botanic garden has the offspring of the original tree. 

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