Apple scab

[irisgirl]

Hi,
My Golden Delicious apple tree has scab.
It started last year and the fruits were marked but reasonable enough. I never knew last year to clear away apple and leaf fall thru the winter.
This year, the young fruit is prolific and was going great, even tho the leaves were quite blotchy and sickly looking.
The last couple of days, the leaves have really drooped and the fruit has started to wizen.
I read somehwere that it's best to remove all infected leaf and fruit growth.

I'm not sure what to do and would love some advice.

Thanks

[burnie]

I too am watching mine,had a bit of scab last year and as I'm organic I don't want to spray,if it can be avoided.Have you read the thread about growing apples without sprays?

[irisgirl]

Hi, I'm organic too..I shall go have a read now.
I just don't know what to do with the foliage and fruit. It all looks so ill.

Thanks

[FB.]

My G.D. only has troublesome amounts of scab in very bad years and scab is worst on the leaves, rather than the fruits - which seem somewhat resistant.
Fruits and leaves tend to become more scab resistant as the season progresses. Young leaves and shoots are very easily infected.

You must get a lot of prolonged wet periods in your area if scab is crippling your G.D.
I wouldn't grow G.D. in a wet part of the UK, but I never had your area down as "wet".
Removing the affected leaves won't help G.D, although such measures can help to reduce scab in some of the modern varieties, if it's a small tree, due to the way their Vf resistance gene works (e.g. Liberty, Saturn, Gavin, Rajka and other "organic" types). Personally, I find most modern varieties and well-known varieties to be somewhat "hyped-up" and would not recommend them.

But "droopy leaves" and "wizened fruits" sound like lack of water.
My G.D leaves tend to get large, light-brown, tatty holes in them when scab attacks.
The "wizened fruits" may be the "June drop", where trees (especially young trees) normally shed a lot of their developing fruits. The fruits often shrivel and yellow before dropping.

If your problem really is scab, then your G.D will have to live with it, or be sprayed. G.D is fairly vigorous, so can tolerate scab damage a bit better than many varieties.

I periodically update my perceptions of the disease resistance of the apples that I grow. My latest interpretation (which is regularly subject to slight changes) is here:
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ons_32270.html

Here was a thread that I put up last autumn, after a particularly difficult season:
Apple scab damage


Have a read of this link to pages talking about apple scab and "Mills Tables" for predicting scab attacks:
Mills Table for Apple Scab


.

[littlemark]

Here's a technique for reducing the incidence of scab which may or may not appeal...
YouTube - UMass Fruit Advisor - 03/19/09; Apple IPM, Saving Early Season Scab Sprays

Mark

[irisgirl]

Thank you all for your help and interesting info.
My tree is definately not suffering drought, I water often when we don't get heavy rain and for the past few weeks I've been giving it a twice weekly drink of Phostrogen and seaweed mix.
It had potash early spring, I've given it superphosphate and recently epsom salts (also foliar fed).

The nurseryman where I work told me to keep up the good feeding to give the tree strength and gave me a sachet of Sequestrene plant tonic (iron, magnesium and manganese) to perk it up.
He suggested I foliar feed too.
most of the apples are shrivelling but the larger ones aren't so bad.

I'll have to see how it goes and if I have to throw wee on the leaf fall early spring, I will

Thanks again.

[adrian901]

Apple Scab

Hi
You will find a good description, pictures and instructions on what to do about apple scab at Apple Scab & Pear Scab

Other things you might think about are:

1. If you tree is relatively young, it will not yet be cropping well and you should reduce the amount of fruit on it.
2. Dropping fruit in June is not unusual - it is called the "June drop".

Good luck

[burnie]

Sadly my apples are splitting this year,the scab is rather bad,might have to resort to something nasty next year.

[adrian901]

Sorry - are they splitting or scabby. If they are spliting you probably have Apple Fruit Split instead. That is much easier - a steady supply of water is all that is needed.

[adrian901]

Apple Trees with Splitting Fruit

Sorry - are they splitting or scabby? There is a big difference. If they are splitting you probably have Apple Fruit Split instead. That is much easier - a steady supply of water is all that is needed.