diseased apple tree

lizzG

I have a lovely cooking apple tree in my garden growing against my brick shed. It has been there for donkeys years.

problem is that is has a lot of white powdery stuff on it too.

i tried to cut it back the year before last but it grew back with the same stuff on it. also the leave grow all crinkly and it doesnt look well at all.

anyone know what it could be and how to treat it?? or shall i dig it up now and plant a lovely clematis to climb the wall instead??

thanks in advance
Lizz x

annie123

http://www.treehelp.com/trees/trees-diseases-powdery-mildew.asp

the above link should help.

markl_4

Hi Lizz,

Is the white powdery stuff look like fluffy whisps of mould?
And are some of the stems splitting open with sort of warty growths?

If yes, it is quite likely to be the Woolly Aphid which likes apple trees (ornamental and eaters). It overwinters in the tree. The fluffy whisps are not mould, they are the secretions of the woolly aphid.

You need to treat it with a chemical usually early in spring just before the buds start to burst open. Ask at the garden centre for the right thing, and follow the instructions carefully. You will need to repeat treatment every couple of weeks I believe. The chemical in the treatment is usually either bifenthrin or pirimicarb. It will only work when you can see the woolly blooms and / or the actual small grey-black aphids.

Some useful pics and info on this american site:

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/fruit/ef219.htm

Any cures they mention may not be MAFF/DEFRA approved so stick with the bifenthrin or pirimicarb solution in the UK.

Hope that helps!

Cheers
Mark

lizzG

thanks for yr replys.

I can't find apple trees on yr link annie and it doesn't look as bad as those pics in yr link mark. so not sure if it is that in the early stages or something different

it has been like this for a few years now ( at least 3 i reckon)
It is more powdery than the ones in the pics. It looks as if i could wipe it off.

I did try to hose it down and spray it with a washing up liquid solution (someone told me to do that) and it didn't help

thanks anyway. do you have any more suggestions

markl_4

Hi Lizz

Well, if it's not white and fluffy and more just a coating, then it might be powdery mildew.

The distorted growth of the tree might be it is really struggling after 3 years of prolonged attack.

The mould growth normally appears mostly on the top surface of the leaves but can be underneath too. Less so on branches. Leaves will tend to go yellow early and fall off, and you might find the flowers and fruit are not great and don't last as long as you would expect.

Generally speaking you need to remove the affected parts of the plant because the mould will spread in the plants vessels along the stems. After 3 years it might be totally infected?

Make sure the plant is getting decent water as this problem can happen on dry soils, and being next to the house it could be too dry? Also need to add lots of mulch - compost, manure, bark, gravel etc - to help hold the water in the soil.

You will also need a chemical spray fungicide to help kill it off. I'd suggest taking a bit of your problem plant to a decent garden centre, mention you think it might be powdery mildew and ask for the right kind of spray.

Here is the powdery mildew page on the RHS site. Their pictures don't always help, but if the description is right, hopefully the advice will help:

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0800/powdery_mildews.asp

Without a picture of your problem tree, it's difficult to diagnose otherwise.

Cheers
Mark

lizzG

I think you have it there mark. Those leaves on the bottom pic is just how they grow. I will go to the garden center and try to clear it up as i would prefer to keep it. My daughters paternal great grandad planted it when he lived here many years ago prob in the 60's so would be nice to keep it.

thanks alot for yr help mark.

TheDink

I have a mature apple tree in my garden. One of the main branches seems to be diseased - the bark is peeling off and the wood underneath looks orange. Does anyone know what this might be?

I am hoping that by removing the affected branch, I will be able to save the tree. When removing the branch should I cut it flush to the trunk, or leave a collar? And should I use tree paint to seal the cut or not?

I have picked up conflicting advice on this so would appreciate your input.

Many thanks

nodwah

I've been looking thru my books and can't find a disease that matches your description. But any that mention bark coming off seem to say it's lack of drainage - so is your soil water logged?
I think the up to date advice is to cut close to the trunk when you take the branch off as the tree will form a callus around the scar, wheras if you leave a spur it will die back and poss affect the rest of the tree.
Also any thing I've read of recent years says not to paint over a clean cut as the tree can heal itself perfectly well and you may be sealing in some sort of badness.

Penelope_Penguin

Hi, Sarah! I'd agree with Nodwah - cut close (don't leave a spur) and allow the wound to heal naturally.

Don't know what the problem is. Can you post a photo?

Penny. x

Lord_Gardener

Always cut any large branch away from the main trunk to leave a 6 inch spur. Then remove spur close to the trunk. This will stop the weight of the branch being removed peeling/damaging the main trunk. If possible burn the branch to destroy the disease.

BUBBLES_3

However you choose to cut off the branch, make sure that the first thing you do is to cut through the bark below where you intend making the sawcut. No doubt the branch will crack and fall before you complete the cut and the last thing you want is a large tear of bark down the main trunk.
If the tree seems to be suffering, try foliar feeding this spring and summer with Maxicrop or similar. You can do this easily with a hose end feeder like Superspray.