myk1, there are grapes growing wild up into 40' tall trees at the edge of my property. a few years ago, there was a small bunch of delicious seeded concord type grapes within reach. that's what inspired me to plant grapes. i wonder if it might also be a source of black rot. there's plenty of grapevines growing wild in my area, but i rarely see actual grapes. i try to avoid spraying, and prefer less toxic controls when i do spray. i dont know if grapes are a high enough priority to grow if they need frequent spraying. i grow tomatoes, and only sprayed them last year [due to the late blight outbreak in the northeast] my plants didnt get it, whether from spraying or luck, i dont know. i grow raspberries, which dont seem to need spraying. i wouldnt plant tree fruit because i know how necessary frequent spraying is. i was hoping grapes were more like the raspberries, or that i'd love them so much that i'd be willing to spray if needed. i thought there were only a few clusters, a meager crop, until i went to cut out the infected fruit and saw how bountiful the crop could have been. i'm still undecided. the one time spray of myclobutanyl sounds intriguing.

I agree that a serious fruit gardener has enough to contend with without handicapping themselves by having chemical war waged against their trees in the soil. Also I believe that it is more than simply poisoning- established black walnuts are extremely competitive as their roots are extremely prolific in areas where they grow. I have recently established an orchard in the vicinity of these trees and the density of black roots in the area is remarkable. I have the area around each individual tree spaded with a King of Spades type solid steel, long handled shovel just as BW's show signs of growth. So far so good, but I'm sure the roots will eventually go under depth of spade work. As usual, it is the peaches that have been most sluggish- they tend not to compete well against established trees when transplanted. I've often thought that some kind of heavy fabric or copper screen set in the planting hole might be affective if it was part of the original installation.

--Sunnishine, interesting that you mention The McCartney Rose. Mine (a 1-year ownroot plant) was black to the ground and beyond this spring. It has made one small shoot which also looks sickly. --"Is it in the soil?" Yes, but that's no particular concern. Fungal spores are everywhere always. --The galloping black crud that consumes whole stems is probably Botrytis. It often starts in canes that were pruned while dormant or in premature growth that was frozen. --"What about Daconil?" It is potentially effective against several types of canker including Botrytis. The systemic Immunox is also effective against Botrytis. It might be useful to spray one of these after pruning in spring and after repruning for canker. Since spores are everywhere, sterilizing pruners isn't enough to protect wounds. --Although Wilt Pruf and other anti-transpirants don't give any protection against cold, they might protect against canker if a fungicide such as Daconil were added to dormant-strength anti-transpirant. This might be applied in November and again after a premature grow-out/freeze or after spring pruning. This is just my speculation; there has been no controlled test of it. --As Ann said on another thread, when pruning out canker, try to prune 1" below the visible infection.

In the Puget Sound area there are all manner of issues that can affect apples, depending on variety. Anthracnose and scab tend to be very common, especially with older trees and those not selected for disease resistance or climate suitability. And trees that have been neglected for a period of time (no spraying, no pruning, etc.) can develop increased issues compared to those tended with more care. Powdery mildew with apples is also common, again depending on variety. And tends to show up earlier in the season on apples than on most other plants. It is more a cosmetic concern than anything seriously harmful, although you may notice some early leaf drop. I'd suggest you take a sample into your local nursery - Swanson's in Ballard is an excellent resource - for a correct diagnosis. It is a bit late in the season to do much correction but they can recommend a proper course of treatment going forward and guide you to pruning resources. Anthracnose (aka perennial canker) is the most serious issue......it generally denotes a steady downward decline although the tree may still live for many years. Just not attractively or productively. Sometimes it is best to know when to cut your losses :-)