I should add more info to help you guys consider my problem - I am in the midlands of SC. The trees are irrigated regularly to equate to at least an inch a week. Trees are spaced in 20 foot rows, 15 feet apart. I have around 400 trees total. the land is loamy clay. Other varieties that do well are pristine, gibson golden, fuji, winesap.

I've heard that they can have problems with calcium deficiency. Maybe that's the problem, and you can save your tree.
Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden and New Mini Orchard

Andrew,
I planted my two honeycrisp in 2005, on a 111 interstem--the only rootstock I could find that year. They too have been disappointing, with leaves that look generally unhealthy (brown and curled), and very little fruit production. They are the worst looking of all my trees.

I'm hoping for more info too.

Good luck,
Marc

I fed calcium nitrate last year and no imrovement.

That's weird. My tree is looking particularly crummey this year. Kind of curled leaves. I live out west. My trees are basically planted in adobe with lots of mulch on top. Not likely a calcium deficiency, that's for sure.

could it be possible that honeycrisp is just a dud for most people? Or maybe there is some closely held key to good growth...

Honeycrisp does get the "crinkly yellows" in mid-summer heat. I don't know what causes that.

My understanding is the calcium issue is really just a concern over bitterpit in the fruit. Foliar calcium is the usual solution.

I have heard many times that it is a variety that does not perform all that well in warmer climates. I don't know if that is a reference to it's fruiting character or overall growth. But I hear this from folks in Z5. Z7 would seem a bit of a reach if that is true.

If you are thinking a nutrient definciency of some kind, get a tissue sample of some leaves and send for analysis. You could also have root damage.

I have a single Honeycrisp on M26, and it is definitely a non-vigorous tree, which so far seems really nice for my small orchard. Very little pruning so far required. It has, however, grown very large, high-quality apples. I am extremely pleased with the fruit quality. It has also resisted any scabbing on the leaves, but a few apples did have some depressed black spots near the blossom end which is either scab or I don't know what. This tree is becoming my favorite, at least for the earlier season non-keepers.

Andrew, I to am having the same type of folige( yellow and brown leaves). I have 25 HC on bud-9--Half of them are growing reasonable well-- Half don't seem to grow at all! If there is anything good I can say about them it is that they were loaded with apples this year! Hard to figure it out!

I visited two local orchards today and the Honey Crisp apples were huge. Maybe the micro climate in southern RI is better for the variety. The leaves were just starting to turn yellow, but its fall here and leaves are beginning to drop and turn yellow on all fruit trees.

I have Honeycrisp on M27 and another on M111 and both lacked vigor. I though it was our climate, until I grafted it onto an established Fuji, and that limb put on 3 feet of growth this year. Turns out the M111 was choked by roots of a nearby shade tree and the M27 had too much shade. The apples I do get are excellent despite the very hot September. It will certainly do well in a hot climate with the right conditions; finding those conditions may require a soil test.