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Crabapple Tree Trouble

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

New home, and landscaper just replaced with crabapples the two redbuds that died ( they came with bare branches in a March and never sent out buds or leave). I think the new trees are prariefire. Anyway, the trees have sparse leaves, and the leaves look pretty sick. Is this because they are shocked from being transplanted or are they in real trouble? Anything I can do nurse them back to health or are they going to need to be replaced too?

Thanks.

Featured Answer

Embothrium

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Do you remember which fungal disease?

The answer to this question is of interest because in the past anyway much of the appeal of 'Prairifire' was supposed to be that it was scab resistant. But crab apples also get mildew and rust for instance - as with their rose family relations the roses there is a trio of fungal banes that are of concern when selecting specific cultivars. And resistance varies with geographic location, because fungal strains mutate rapidly and differ therefore in virulence from one location to the next.

I planted one here but didn't keep it because I didn't like the summer appearance.

Comments (6)

User
Original Author
3 years ago
Update - the kind and knowledgeable people at Penn State Extension identified the problem as a fungal disease and advised to have them replaced.
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Just went out and took a closer look at it. First, most of the leaves are green and not healthy looking - but they are on the tree. They don't look spotted or have holes, etc., just dull gray-green. However, here and there among the green ones, I saw healthy-looking shiny purple leaves with purple stems. Many of the branches have what looks like dried moss on them. And, a few little hard purple fruits! As bad as this sounds, just having leaves on the tree is an improvement over previous years. Second, the suckers look healthiest of all - big purple leaves - much bigger than the leaves on the tree. They grow out of what appear to be tree roots that are barely under the surface. This tree is in area I have just begun to tackle. Removing old landscape cloth, putting down compost, watching what reemerges (like some beautiful staghorn sumac that was somehow surviving underneath ratty looking juniper.) It would be satisfying to feel I nursed this tree back to health but don't know if it would be an exercise in futility. Don't know if it ever was healthy. There are a variety of trees on this street but this is the only crabapple. Maybe that should be a clue that this isn't the place for them!
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"Cedars" in this case being certain species of junipers, not "white cedars" (arborvitaes) or true cedars, Cedrus species. And while the disease is unsightly and can disfigure fruit and cause some early leaf drop, it tends to be more of a cosmetic issue than seriously harmful. The good news is that there are a number of crabapple cultivars that have been bred specifically for disease resistance. And not just rust - also scab, fireblight and mildew resistance. Adirondack, Firebird, Pink Princess, PrairieFire, Prof. Sprenger and Sargentii are all very highly disease resistant cultivars but several others are rated very highly for rust resistance in particular.
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User
Original Author
3 years ago
This is what they wrote

”The tree is suffering from a fungal disease, probably apple scab, and will loose the damaged leaves, leaving the tree unable to make food. While a mature tree can withstand a certain amount of leaf loss, young trees have not yet built up a reserve to see them through stressful times.”
Embothrium
3 years ago
Funny that an Extension office wouldn't be more specific. Anyway maybe the previous scab resistance of 'Prairifire' has been overcome by new strains. Or there were strains around from the beginning that could infest it, in some areas. Such details are critical to whether or not a planting will be an attraction or a headache, for those who don't want to spray.
User thanked Embothrium
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Funny that an extension service would not be more precise. And that damage really doesn't look very much like scab (which Prairiefire is supposedly highly resistant to).

I also have to wonder about a university that would confuse 'loose' with 'lose' :-) It's a small point but would indicate that maybe the response was not generated by a trained pathologist but rather just a volunteer, who perhaps has not had all the training necessary to be able to accurately diagnose diseases.
User thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
User
Original Author
3 years ago
You could be right. This is where I sent the pictures. https://ask.extension.org/ask

In their defense, I thought the trees were prairie fire, but maybe a different variety was planted, so they only had my word to go on.

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