Apple Tree, most branches look dead

suej_2009

13 years ago

Hope someone can help, i have a 4 year old apple tree.

It came into blossom OK, then had new leaveas all over as expected. However these have now died and it looks like the main part of the tree is dead, however there are new leaves at the bottom.

We did have a late frost and a lot of strong wind.

Has it had it or should I cut the dead branches off, it will only be a foot tall if I do. We are just into summer here with 25c temps.

Thanks

Sue

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Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
hello in spain ....

it is very hard to tell you anything specific without a picture ...

but if the only growth is coming from under 2 feet .. i suspect it is dead above ...

whether or not any of that is the actual apple cultivar you planted.. is dependent on where the plant was grafted ...

if grafted below the live area.. your named cultivar will return

if the graft is part of the dead zone.. then all you have is understock growing ... and that might not even be an edible apple ...

can you get us a picture??

ken
suej_2009
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi Ken,

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
The growth is definitely below the graft. Is it even worth trying cutting it back or should I just dispose of it?

Thanks Sue
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one of the many scales??? though the way they are lined up.. makes me think insect ... i cant really focus on them .... you might want to visit the hardcore fruit peeps.. in the fruit forum ... cutting off the whole branch.. may have been a bit over the top ... lol .... you didnt happen to touch one.. and look at the underside, did you??? .. i thought not.. lol .. or the garden clinic/ pest forum .... ken
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I mistyped. The general consensus was the tree in the above photo was a peach, not an apricot. And after looking up pictures of immature peach fruits it looks like they were right. Theres another tree fused at the bottom of it that some people thought was apricot. Here are leaves of that tree (no fruit yet) I also forgot to put my zone. its 7b/6a the online runs through my county. Where Arkansas Missouri and Oklahoma meet Is the cold why apricots rarely fruit in your area Ken? Why do you think the peach did fruit last year but did this year if it wasnt pruning away dead growth Ken? Even in fruit trees that alternate heavy and light fruiting years they fruit some in the off years dont they?
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Thanks for your help/comments. I did have the lawn treated with weedkilling herbicide and fed with a granular fertilizer earlier in the year by Greenthumb, a well know lawn maintenance company here in the UK. I was wondering myself whether they sprayed too near the tree as the grassed area probably goes over the top of the tree's roots. However, the same treatment was done last year and the tree looked a whole lot healthier, so it could be the dry Spring and Summer. That said, the tree now looks almost like it is wilting all the time. I have fed it recently with some plant food and that doesn't seem to have improved the situation. I took off the bad branch (sawed it off) and the wood looks in good clean condition. All light beige/brown colour, no signs of disease.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
IMHO .... one can not even be sure that the understock is an apple worth eating ... so be done with it.. if space is at a premium...

if you have many acres.. or hectares ... and you like to watch experiments.. then leave it there.. and see what happens ...

ken
suej_2009
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Ken,

I think it will go, I'll repace it in the autumn and hopefully get a stronger specimen.
Luckily it was the only fruit tree that has gone that way, do you think it was just one of those things or could it have been the late frost.

regards

Sue
suej_2009
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Ken,

I think it will go, I'll repace it in the autumn and hopefully get a stronger specimen.
Luckily it was the only fruit tree that has gone that way, do you think it was just one of those things or could it have been the late frost.

regards

Sue

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Apple Tree, most branches look dead

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Apple Tree, most branches look dead

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