Apple Tree Trouble

[Moho81]

Last year the drought hit my apple tree pretty hard now this year all the apples are pitted with brown spots and varying shades of green (green apple tree). I want to get this tree healthy again. Is there a recommended brand of spray to use? Anything to be sprayed in the fall or is it just mostly a spring thing? 

[Otto]

I have used Bonide Fruit Tree Spray for almost everything, it is both an insecticide and a fungicide.  The instructions will tell you when to spray - during dormancy, at leaf break, before bud set, after fruiting, and in late fall.  You may need to occasionaly add another fungicide or insecticide depending on what happens during the year.  This spring and summer were exceptionally wet, so rust, spotting and leaf rot were very common.  The Agway folks should be able to give you good advice - bring in a sample of the leaf or bug.

My guess is that the Bonide will solve 95% of your issues.  That, and good pruning. 

PS: my ornamental crab trees look like crap too, I am hoping that next year they bounce back.  

[Curmudgeon]

This has also been a bad year for fire blight here. Where my apples don't have good air movement, there are a lot of dead lower branches. I think I lost a pear, which are more susceptible.    

I'm less optimistic than some on the magical properties of pruning. I've seen many a wild apple that is healthy and vigorous but has never been pruned.

Regarding top working - grafting new varieties onto wild trees - anyone who is handy should be able to do it successfully. I taught myself from written instructions years ago. I am certain there are videos on line.  

[stubborn1VT]

Nothing magical about pruning.  It invigorates the tree, promotes growth, allows for light and air to reach more of the tree, and allows the tree to put its energy into fewer branches and more fruit.  There is a reason that fruit orchards prune their trees.

[Curmudgeon]

Right, it isn't pruning that is magical, it's the thinking. If someone approaches a tree that they have no history with, and it is not thriving, they should not prune it! Not until it's nutritional needs are met and it is growing normally.

A vigorous, ingrown wild or feral tree is a whole different thing.  

[Five Seasons]

20 hours ago, growalot said:

I have one wild Apple tree that is 40 ft tall We'd have to get a lift truck to prune the top out because the trunk is too small for a ladder..has apples every year.

if it's dying you can cut 1 or possibly 2 big trunks right off. if it's healthy it'll sprout new growth at the cuts. If it's just for deer, the apples will fall and I wouldn't mess with it. 

I brought 6 very tall and very old and dying and in some places rotted trees back to life. The pics are all on photobucket, but in some cases i cut most of the tree off. The next year i had new growth at the cuts. i thinned the new growth and apples once again appeared just 6' off the ground and the tree was completely rejuvenated. heck you can even graft on a new species. i also needed to cut down some of the broad leaf trees that had grown up around them to let the light back in. sucked the deer right in, gave me good wood for the smoke and good wood for the fireplace.

[G-Man]

On 9/8/2017 at 7:58 PM, Rebel Darling said:

 

 

Started losing leaves a little over a month ago. Still leaves at the top, and the fruit (albeit only two dozen or so) is still hanging.

I'm thinking it's currently alive, but stressed as hell, or straight up dying...


I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

 

 

Leaf spot or a myrad of fungi can do that if still green it may come back proper pruning this winter will work wonders

[G-Man]

21 hours ago, Moho81 said:

Last year the drought hit my apple tree pretty hard now this year all the apples are pitted with brown spots and varying shades of green (green apple tree). I want to get this tree healthy again. Is there a recommended brand of spray to use? Anything to be sprayed in the fall or is it just mostly a spring thing? 

Leaf spot is from leaves left on ground..and malathin(sp) and sevinwill take care of Apple maggot

 

[LET EM GROW]

My apples are doing well. Have 2 or 3 different varietes. and some crab apples. They arent super populated with apples but the bunch that are on each tree look good. I have a very old tree about 20ft off the back porch of my camp that has got to be near 48" diameter, and is completely hollow up to about 6ft high. Only a few inches of cambium layer and trunk support the whole tree. Other than that it looks very healthy. Slowly starting to thin over the years, but i think its just "over the hill" .. Tree is maybe 20ft tall 

[land 1]

going to try and prune some of my wild apple trees this winter see what happens and drop trees around them blocking the sun and see what happens wont touch the ones that seem to put out alot of apples start with the half dead ones and poor producers and learn from the results i get there

[Rebel Darling]

Apple blossom round three...


I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

[Rebel Darling]

During the second week of February, I sawed off the top 1/4 of the limbs, and cut off a majority of the suckers.

I didn't spray anything, but did buy all of Grow's recommendations at Agway.

Looks like I'll have apples come Fall.


I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

[LET EM GROW]

Apples usually just need a good heavy trim at the right time of year.

I released all of mine that were not looking to well recently.

Full sun and no competition now. Might lose some apples this year since i was a little late, but that is fine i have enough to go around. 

[chas0218]

20 hours ago, Rebel Darling said:

During the second week of February, I sawed off the top 1/4 of the limbs, and cut off a majority of the suckers.

I didn't spray anything, but did buy all of Grow's recommendations at Agway.

Looks like I'll have apples come Fall.


I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

I did the same but lightly trimmed some of the wild apple trees around the property. I will hit them hard this following year. I had tons of apples but lots of dead and water sprouts.I'm hoping to get a lot more time to trim this coming winter. last winter it was a scramble every weekend to get all my firewood restocked.