Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Apple tree orange gunk

Aleksandra GrudkaAleksandra Grudka Posts: 10
in Problem solving
My young apple tree (Elstar) developed some unpleasant disease.
it’s got orange gunk running down the trunk, see photos. Today a whole branch came off and the trunk revealed that the orange deposit was located at the join. Can anyone advise or suggest a remedy, please. 

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I've never seen anything like that before, but whatever it is, it's definitely not good news for the tree.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Aleksandra GrudkaAleksandra Grudka Posts: 10
    I agree! First there was just a handful of the orange stuff on the other side of the tree and today I noticed it had also spread round to that branch which came off in my hand … can’t tell if it’s a parasite or a fungus… 
  • Aleksandra GrudkaAleksandra Grudka Posts: 10
    yes. In Essex. I ordered the tree from a UK website, it arrived from Ireland with a tree passport. Looked healthy and produced a nice batch of fruit last year. This year - nothing. Nothing else seems to be affected, but I only have this one apple tree. Other fruit trees are plums and a quince, which are fine.  
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
     From the RHS pest alerts...

    The flat-headed apple tree borer (Alerted 10/2019)
    The flat-headed apple tree borer, (Chrysobothris femorata) is native to North America
    and was recently intercepted in Europe on Juglans nigra logs imported from the USA.
    This pest can attack more than 30 species of deciduous trees commonly present in
    the UK, including most fruit, forest and shade trees. Maples, apples and poplar are
    the most common hosts, but other hosts affected include chestnut, beech, ash, oak,
    elm and Prunus species. Feeding activity disrupts the
    transportation of water and nutrients in the tree and
    the beetle can kill young trees within a year. Larger
    trees can be damaged and killed in successive years
    with stressed trees being the most vulnerable. The
    main pathways for entry are planting are Plants for
    planting, wood, wood chips from countries where C.
    femorata occurs.

    This is  a serious pest in USA.

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I agree - you should send the supplier, an email with the photos you've posted here and ask them what the problem is.
    I've been on this forum  a long time and seen all sorts of strange tree problems and usually the problem is identified and solved. But I've not seen that before I'm sure. 

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Sign In or Register to comment.