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What on earth is going on with my apple tree.
LesleyT
Posts: 18
Hello all
New problem I found today. My cooking apple tree died off this summer. I saw the bark on the trunk was lifting in places, but then today, when I was working near the tree I noticed this lot.
This rubbery fungus is pushing off the bark. Suddenly it's alive with the stuff. It's a kind of beige colour. Then on close inspection I found these strange things all over it. They look like tiny casts from something and all over are minute bugs/mites swarming over the trunk. They are smaller than a pin head and look like they have a tiny yellow marking on them.
I hope the pictures below help. Sadly the flash went off because it's so dark today.
Can someone help me please.
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Posts
The white jelly-like things are a fungus which is living off the now dead bark. The tiny insects will be fungus mites which are living off the fungus.
I fear the only cure is a saw and a fireplace. Applewood smoke does smell quite nice.
Thank you Bob & Steve. Sadly I don't have an open fire anymore. The fungus looks white from the flash, but they're actually a caramel colour.
My friend has offered to cut it down. But should I be worried about the fungus or the mites. Will either cause harm to shrubs close by when released by the chainsaw and the tree falling onto the lawn.
Do both only live on dead things. I worried that it might be a honey fungus?
Definitely not Honey fungus Lesley.
The vast majority of fungi found in the garden do only live on dead matter. In fact, fungi are one of a very few things which break-down woody matter and release the nutrients back into the soil for other plants to use. They are really gardeners' friends. The mites will disappear once the tree and fungus (their food source) has gone and are incapable of eating anything else, so no worries there either.
Thank you so much. That's a big worry off my mind. I know most fungi are good, but there's so many, too many to learn about them all. And I've never seen so many in my 58 years as there are this year. Wonderful to see, but can be worrying when they appear like this suddenly.
Thanks again
I think I recently heard that there are approximately ten times more fungi species than there are plant species which makes the mind boggle! There could be as many as five million!
Wow! They are beautiful this year. I've got clumps all over my garden, so many different types. I've taken some lovely photos this year of the fungi. It was just this one that worried me. There was a programme on TV recently all about the life fungi. It was absolutley fascinating.