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Dwarf fruit tree advice
peter_c
Posts: 6
in Fruit & veg
I planted a mixture of dwarf column fruit trees - apples and pears - a couple of months ago. They seemed to be coming along okay - they were bare when planted but all produced foliage. But now they've all suddenly starting wilting. They're not all as yellowed as the photo, but just as droopy. Any ideas what's wrong or how to save them? The soil isn't dry, the pots have drainage holes, and they're in shade so not in blazing sun all day.
0
Posts
If you are certain that the wilting is not caused by drought (because you have been manually watering them well in the past week or so) then I would do an emergency repot.
Incidentally, unless it was a torrential downpour, you should always water your potted trees even after a bout of rain since the catchment area of a pot is very small and may give you the false impression that the soil in it is soaking wet when in fact only the top surface is wet and the rest is bone dry.
The soil mix for the emergency repot should be free draining enough so that, even if you over water, it will not cause root rot - that the roots can still take in oxygen and grow.
The mix that I find works well is: one third loam top soil (or garden soil), one third compost, one third sharp sand and/or grit and/or perlite.
For the repot, do the following for each tree: trim off all of the leaves then remove the tree from the pot and inspect it carefully. Look for insect infestation on the trunk and branches. Tease the soil away from the root ball (most of it if you can) and inspect the condition of the roots - it should not smell bad or look rotten (cut off if they are).
Be sure to disinfect your secateurs or cutters in dilute bleach solution after processing each tree.
After repotting with the recommended soil, water well and place the trees in a location with dapple sun and a good air flow which is very important to reduce the chances of fungal wilt diseases from taking hold.
Try not to water again until the soil surface is touch dry.