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Is this apple canker?

Anna33Anna33 Posts: 316
edited January 2022 in Problem solving
Hi, photos below hopefully speak for themselves. I've got limited experience of growing apple trees so I'm not familiar with the problems they face, but noticed this on one of the apple trees in the garden, and a quick Google seems to suggest it is apple canker. We've only been in this garden just over a year, so this tree was here before us. I've only ever given it a quick prune earlier last year to chop out some congested branches, and didn't notice this level of damage then.

My questions are:
1. Is this apple canker? If not, what is it likely to be?
2. If this IS apple canker, then how quickly does it spread?
3. I've got 2 older apple trees the other end of the garden - approx 30m away - but I can't see any signs of damage on them. However, they are due for a late winter shaping prune - how can I prevent them from getting infected??
4. Is there another fruit tree that I can plant in place of the diseased one (doesn't have to be apple). It's clay soil, acidic, and in an area where chickens used to live so hopefully high in chicken poo nutrients...







Posts

  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Oh dear the damage looks quite extensive.  The usual "cure" is to cut back to clean wood and burn or dispose of the damaged wood.  In this case I don't think it's salvageable.    I think if you act promptly it should not affect the others. As for a replacement I think it's your choice really but I would wait a while till you have had a chance for things to settle .
    AB Still learning

  • Anna33Anna33 Posts: 316
    Thanks - I really suspected it was canker after checking online, but good to get this confirmed. And before I hoiked the whole thing out (which will be really sad - it's one of the few things I liked about this area of the garden) I wanted to check on here first before blindly chopping it down.

    Are there other fruit trees that would also be susceptible to canker that I should avoid? I'm fairly open to anything, but don't want to pass the problem on to a new tree.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    edited January 2022
    As far as I'm aware, apple canker only affects apple trees.  (Other fruit trees (plums, for instance) also get canker but I think it's a different bacterium... maybe @pansyface knows for sure.)  But it's important to sterilise your loppers and saws so you don't spread the disease from one apple tree to the others.
    Edited to add:  some apple varieties are more resistant to canker than others, so it's worth seeking out a resistant variety if you're planning to replace your tree.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Anna33Anna33 Posts: 316
    Thank you @pansyface, it's reassuring to know that it's not something I've done/failed to do, but that others have lost trees to this as well.

    I will be sad to chop this down, but the tree isn't big or mature enough to have historic or sentimental value, or to try and attempt any remedy given the copious sites where canker is showing.

    Looking through the websites about this, several say it's most likely on damp, acidic soil (yes to both of them...!), and given the tree was previously in a chicken run (previous owners kept chickens at that end of the garden), the info above about nitrogen in manure seems relevant as well.


    Does anyone know if I would be restricted in what I put in place afterwards - eg if I was thinking about a plum tree or similar? How long should I leave it before replanting anything in that spot? Should I did anything in to the soil to try and reduce nitrogen/balance out the soil levels?
  • Anna33Anna33 Posts: 316
    Ah, lovely (!) But forewarned is forearmed, this is good to be aware of, thanks!
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