Happy Birthday Rick, but you sure aren't giving us much in the way of information about either your tree or your plans for planting it. Is it a container tree or bare root? Why is it so big? Smaller, bare root trees usually do better than large potted trees. Did you plant it in the ground yet, or will you grow on in the container? Where did your wife buy the tree, and did they tell her what rootstock it is on? If not, can she still ask them? All of these factors, plus several more, will determine when, if ever, your apple tree will bear fruit. Fuji is a late ripening apple, and I hope your season is long enough to allow it to ripen. Go down the road and look at the apples in the commercial orchard. Walk around and see how they are pruned. Then prune like they do. Your caps lock is stuck. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Drip systems are not designed for tree watering. If the root area is dry, then it's simply not getting enough water would be my guess. One does not water every "X" days.....one waters when water is needed and then deeply. That's the key word.

Regarding watering: Our problem is that we have squashes and tomatoes right around it and under and we water them regularly , so I am now wondering if it could be from overwatering? could it be? the why would the fruits start drying? Posting a picture of the whole tree. please let me know if I could send a better picture. Thanks! Will post in fruit forum.

I don't think it's water but more fire blight. There is new growth on the tree I thought was dead on the bottom. I removed all the branches that looked like they were infected and sprayed the whole thing. Let's see if that helps. My husband thinks it's my black thumb. :(