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I had a young apple
David Amos
Posts: 27
I had a young apple tree planted in grass land and noticed it was full of canker, trunk and branches. I never got fruit of it that wasn't covered in sooty spots. I dug it out at about 8yrs old and burned it. A couple of years later I planted a 2yrs old Apricot in the same place. Now 2yrs later the branches are dying back, leaves wilting and spots of set sap have formed. Too much of a coincidence and I suspect that stop is poison to fruit trees. Any ideas? I have cut the branches back into about 6 inches of good wood.
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Eeek dont know what went wrong with the header!!
has it got grass all around the trunk, as i know that isn't good for fruit trees but apart from that i can't help sorry.
Where are you David? Apricots don't grow well in most of the UK, especially in open positions - they usually need a sheltered spot such as by a south-facing wall. Sanjy is right about not letting grass grow near the trunk - a circle of about a metre diameter should be kept clear of grass and weeds as those compete for the nutrients that the tree needs.
I am in the East Midlands, The tree is protected from the prevailing winds by a 6ft fence and the neighbours conifirs. It is flanked either side by an apple and a quince tree and gets sun all day. I have now sprayed round the base with Round Up. It has started to sucker so must be in distress.
Oh dear - if the Round Up has got on the suckers or the bark of the tree then I think it's finished.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.