struggling apple tree

[boots]

I inherited an apple tree (bramley I think) and for several years it has fruited very well, but the last couple of years it has been poor,the new branches are black and very brittle, it is absoloutly covered in lichens would this cause any problem,if not could anyone cast any light on why the tree appears to be struggling,I would hazzard a guess the tree is approx 15-20 years old and is situated in the middle of my lawn.

[Capsid]

The lichen shouldn't be a problem. Do you prune it annually to optimise fruiting spurs?

[boots]

i pruned it last year when i noticed it was struggling

[Jeanied]

15-20 years is no age for a Bramley! It must be struggling for another reason. When you pruned it, was the wood core diseased? Any sign of honey fungus round the roots?

[boots]

no sign of either there is a lot of bark missing from the tree ????

[Jeanied]

You may want to investigate for apple canker then.

[boots]

will do thanks

[FB.]

Bramley is usually reasonably resistant to canker and other diseases, although would be more susceptible in the wet Western side of the UK.

The possible causes are many and varied.
Any chance of a picture? I think that a few close-ups and a "full tree" shot would soon help to identify the problem.

In my experience, in the Eastern side of the UK, Bramley is pretty resilient.

I have a Bramley of my own and it gets serious abuse.
I never spray it or do much to care for it - and I actually encourage pests onto it because it's so tough. The pests then attract predators, which I can then "transplant" onto less-tough fruit or veg.
Most years, my Bramley is covered in aphids and woolly aphid and despite the horrific damage (curled leaves, twisted stems and split bark), it just keeps going strong - growing better than any other of my apples.

[Jeanied]

Hmmm, * strokes chin - Newcastle - could this be fire blight? I think a photo is needed, really.

[FB.]

Bramley is generally considered to be reasonably resistant to fireblight.......and fireblight would prefer the warmer and wetter parts of the UK. Surely the NorthEast would be too cold and probably not quite wet enough.

It is quite possible that the tree isn't a Bramley.

Or perhaps has an unusual disease, or nutrient deficiency.

Some pictures would really help.

[Jeanied]

Boots' description just reminded me of my sister's sorbus tree, FB, which was happily growing on the outskirts of Newcastle - and now seems to have fireblight, however they are quite susceptible, I know - it was the symptoms that seemed similar. Now we need the photos Boots - over to you!

[FB.]

Yes, the description might be fireblight.
But Boots seems not 100% certain that it's Bramley.
I would be surprised to hear of a Bramley succumbing to FB in the East of the UK, but anything is possible; no apple or pear is completely immune - it's just that some are more resistant than others, while certain locations and soils are more prone than others.

The dead bits might also be lack of water or nutrients.
If it's a Bramley, but is on a really weak rootstock, it's possible that the roots just can't grab water and nutrients quickly enough before the grass steals them.
It is better to have a small tree on a strong root (e.g. Court Pendu Plat on MM111) than to have a large tree on a weak root (e.g. Bramley on M9).
Although both trees may reach the same size, the MM111 roots will grab nutrients and water more quickly than the M9 roots, so will compete better with the grass.

[boots]

cheers fb will post a picture asap I'm not %100 sure if it is a bramley as I say I inherited it and very much a novice to fruit and veg hopefully the pic will be of help

[boots]

hope these can be of some help

[FB.]

Hmmm......it just looks like an ageing tree that has sufferered long periods of neglect, followed by hard pruning, followed by further long periods of neglect.

Any chance of some close-up pictures of the "diseased" parts?