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Fruit & Orchards

Cinnamons Spice Apple Tree- Something is wrong?

17 years ago

Hello,

First let me start off by saying hello! This is my first post Ive been trying to get on this webpage for a longtime, but had problems getting the registration to work- but it worked this time! Anyways to my question. Last fall I ordered a Cinnamon Spice apple tree- Semi Dwarf (I believe its an m7 rootstock). It has been slow to leaf out- very slow. The tree appeared to finally start to leaf out, but the leafing buds turned brown, and seemed to dry out. Oddly it did leaf out right above the graft union- nice and green there. Im not sure if the tree is dying on top, or if its just being slow. The tree is basically a whip with a few small branches off the sides. Not sure if I should cut it back or not, or just give it more time. I did order other apples with it, they leafed out but are whips too! Thanks, I look forward to using this message board.

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Comments (8)

applenut_gw
17 years ago
Deep Creek:

Do you mean to say that it is leafing out below the graft union and brown and dry above it?

If so, it sounds like the graft failed. You can allow the rootstock to continue to grow and then bud graft onto it this August.

If the green is really above the graft union, scratch the wood near the top with your thumbnail. If it is soft, green, and moist, give it more time. If it is brown and hard, cut it back until you see green.

Small trees are the best way to have a healthy, robust tree. Transplanting an older tree is traumatic to the roots, and trees grown in pots often have misshapen roots.
deepcreeklake
Original Author
17 years ago
The green is above the graft union- not suckers or anything. It started to leaf out on some of the small branches above but turned brown, and stopped. The leaves that turned brown are not crooked or burnt looking (like fireblight) The tree was barerooted, and planted in the fall. Seems kinda odd to me, all the other apple tree i planted from bareroot on the same day leafed out ok. If I can figure out how to post a pic on here ill try to post one.
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I don't know where you live but a multi grafted espalier apple tree would fit in nicely there. Check out your local nurseries.Some do carry them allready growing well. But before you do that if you don't know much about apple growing. Rip out that tree and start now reading past posts on growing and caring for apple trees. This is a great place to read plenty of old posts about growing apple trees. Then by next spring you will be prepared to grow again. My espalier I bought at a local nursery has four different apples on it and fits snugly in a small area of my veg garden.
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Brandon, thanks for the info on planting. This is new to me, and I just couldn't imagine anything young taking root in the dense soil I had to hack through to dig the hole so amending it seemed to make sense at the time. I can see how it would create an artificial tub now. I guess time will tell if the tree fully takes. I'll try to gauge the soil dampness better. With the sun around here, the surface dries out very quickly. It may well be that I'm not watering enough, though I'm not sure how to judge what's happening down at the bottom of the roots. jqpublic, I'm zone 9 by zip code but San Jose can be in the 8s too. In any case, the apple trees in the neighborhood seem to do very well. (and Ken - don't worry, I'm tickled pink that it set fruit so quickly. I just don't want to kill it!) Thanks for the help, everyone.
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A tad difficult to see details. But the brown areas look like a combination of superficial feeding (a long time ago) plus a shortage of water, probably brief and some while ago. In either instance, it's too late to do anything. For the critters, just keep a watch next year and squish when you see them. That said, the amount of critter damage in the images is insignificant for the tree's health.
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Alexander, use the camera icon below the message box to insert your picture directly in your post. People are leary of clicking links and it is an extra step they are expected to take.
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applenut_gw
17 years ago
Do the thumbnail test outlined above. If the bare root plant had scrawny roots (only one or two) then it may die back as soon as hot weather hits.

Applenut
deepcreeklake
Original Author
17 years ago
I just did the thumbnail test the branch is still green up top under the bark. Maybe the fluctuating temps are wreaking havoc on it. We had frost a week and a half ago, then it hit way hot for this area. The problem seemed to occur well before the heatwave. The tree is Stark Bros tree, they have a one year guarantee, so if it fails ill just have them replace it- just hate having to wait for it to grow out longer. Thanks for your response Applenut!
greenwitch
17 years ago
FWIW, I got one apricot tree from Stark Bros. and it was healthy but half the size/caliper of those from Raintree, Dave Wilson Nursery or One Green World but comparable price.
I am no expert but I would cut the leader back by half to relieve the burden on the (insufficient) root system (as above so below). It will grow back once the roots get established. I cut all my new trees down to 24" above the graft union. The one I did not, because I want it to provide shade, had a skimpy root system and did not show signs of life for many weeks after all the others were fully leafed out - I should have cut that one back too.
hoseman
17 years ago
Do the thumb nail test again in a couple of weeks. I expect it will be dead. There is something wrong with the tree's plumbing system from the area of the graft up. Maybe the graft failed. The green you see is probably the green coming from the area of the graft, mostly likely from the rootstock.
deepcreeklake
Original Author
17 years ago
The green leaves coming out is a few inches above the graft union- they are small green limbs sprouting there. The upper half seemed to start leafing out, when all the other apple trees were breaking dormancy, but then that one stalled out, and browned. I planted that tree last fall while it was dormant. It looks like a few bud area, are starting to grow out new red buds, but I could be wrong. I agree with the caliper size of Stark Bros, they are alot smaller than other! I order some pear trees from Raintree, they were way more healthier, and thicker!
kansascityurbanfarm
17 years ago
Does anyone know where I can buy a Cinnamon Spice Apple tree? Stark is sold out and Lawson's is no longer shipping. I'd love to have one to plant this spring.

Dave W.

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