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Dead apple tree

George CareyGeorge Carey Posts: 8
in Problem solving

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Last year my only apple tree looked a bit sick and produced no apples. So far this year there are no buds sprouting. The bark looks brown/black and is cracking.

I cut a branch today and near the main trunk the wood is brown. Further out  there is a brown central core. 

I am fairly certain the tree has had it but would like to know what the disease is and how the tree might have caught it. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I'm sorry George, I'm afraid I agree with you - I think that tree's a goner image   There could be many reasons why - we'd need lots more info for even an educated guess.

    Do you want to plant another apple tree?

     


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • George CareyGeorge Carey Posts: 8

    Thanks Dove. I am not sure if I want another tree. That one was 25 years old and produced lots of fruit. I would also be concerned that there was something in the soil that would kill a new tree.

     

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    If it has been there and fruiting for 25 years it's hard to think of something in the soil that would kill it unless something has changed, other than honeyfungus - have you lost any other trees/shrubs?

    Just a thought, but from your photo it looks to be planted very close to the fence -  plants positioned close to a fence notoriously suffer from drought as fences and walls create a 'rain shadow' - coupled with this we had a very long very dry spell last year.  Could your tree have suffered from drought last year?  Did you give it plenty of water through the dry spell?

    If it was affected by drought, that could have weakened the tree and allowed some sort of infection to strike.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • George CareyGeorge Carey Posts: 8
    image

     

    There is an outlet from a rainwater downpipe quite close to the tree, so if anything, over watering may have been a factor.

    The tree was against a fence - see photo above from 2011

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    But we hardly had any rain for months and months last year - at least here in East Anglia we didn't.

    What an absolute  picture that is - such a shame it's gone image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • George CareyGeorge Carey Posts: 8

    image

     

    Well, its too late now! The tree is down.

    All branches close to the main trunk had the brown colouration.

    I cut it off about 3 inches above the soil level. There is a nasty brown bit in the wood, and the bark near the brown stuff is soft. It looks like something has got in, perhaps through a crack in the bark.

     

     

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    Is it normally that wet around it?

     


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • George CareyGeorge Carey Posts: 8

    image  No, I hosed it down to get the debris away for a better view.

     

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    Ah, phew!  - I hoped it was something like that image

     

    It would be lovely to have something covered with blossom growing there to replace the apple tree - but next time try and plant it about 18" from the fence and slope it backwards image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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