Very poorly apple tree!

[Must try harder :)]

Hi, looking at some other threads here then I think I have come to the right place to get some advice about one of my apple trees! I have attached some pictures as that is easier than trying to describe it but generally this tree has not produced much (if any some years) fruit since we moved into our house about 8 years ago...

There seem to be several problems although I have no idea if it just one thing causing all the symptoms? As the season progresses I have also noticed that the leaves start to curl up and die, although this hasn't started yet this year and the leaves actually look better than I remember in previous years.

Any advice on what it is and how to get rid of it would be really appreciated. I am not actually worried about getting lots of apples but I really don't want to lose the tree altogether
Thanks very much
Debbie

[Kleftiwallah]

I cannot help with the first two (but the wound is an ideal place for diseise to enter your tree).

Number three looks like one of the squillion of bugs/ailments that apple trees get and I should 'monitor the situation' but don't get upset unless it gets a lot worse.

Now the good news! The growth on your tree twig is a type of lichen and is a good indicator of the clarity of the air around your tree.

Cheers, Tony.

[FB.]

Hi, MTH.

Can you put your location in your profile, as it helps a lot when giving advice due to large differences in soils and climates in different parts of the UK (or elsewhere in the world: the forum has a few non-UK members too).

Also if you know the variety, the rootstock, the approximate tree age or any other information can be very helpful to determine problems.

The first picture is a bit dark, but could be:
1. Burr knots (roots protruding from the branches).
2. Galls from woolly aphid damage (see comment on second picture) or gall-forming micro-organisms.

Whatever is in the first picture: it is not an imminent threat to the tree, although an accurate diagnosis would be preferred in order to ensure that it isn't a problem which will get worse.


The second picture (the white fluff) is woolly aphids, the scarring from which may be what is visible in the first picture mentioned above.
Several choices:
Blast them off with a hosepipe then spray with some soapy water.
Scrub off using a brush and a soapy water. The crushed aphids will "bleed" red blood so it can get messy.
Prune out smaller shoots.
Greasebands will reduce the ability of the aphids to migrate down to hibernate on the roots (the rootstocks MM106, MM111 and M116 are resistant to woolly aphid, so not many will try to hibernate underground).
Some varieties of apple are much more prone to woolly aphid attack than others. Some varieties resistant.


The third picture (the brown spots on the leaves) is probably scab. Most varieties will suffer from a little scab in wet years (such as this year). Only if more than a quarter of the leaf surface is damaged will there be a major effect on the tree. The leaves in the picture are maybe 5-10% damaged. Not anything to worry about - and not surprising in a very wet year. As long as the brown spots are't causing the fruit to split I would not worry too much. Some varieties get scab on leaves but not on fruits. Some are the other way round.
Even if the fruits are being split, it is not easy to do much about it on a large tree.

The fourth picture looks like lichens. They are very common on mature trees and aren't causing any harm - you'll also see them growing on old paths, roof tiles and gravestones.

.

So all-in-all, your tree is generally OK.

It has a woolly aphid problem which can be brought down to manageable levels.

It also has some dead and/or hollow and/or rotten branches which need further assessment as to whether they are best removed or left as they are.
A few pictures showing the whole tree would be helpful to determine whether some winter pruning would help prolong the trees life.

[Must try harder :)]

Thanks FB for such detailed response....I feel much more confident that it's not on it's last legs just yet

I am in Northampton, UK. It's a cox's apple tree, no idea of the rootstock, I don't really know how old it is but certainly very mature - the house is 1930's and there used to be an orchard in the area it was built....we had to remove a 100year old cherry when we moved in. I don't know if the apple tree was already here or planted afterwards - no idea if apple trees even live that long?

I have added a couple of brighter pics of the first problem, hope that helps?

I think I will scrub off the woolly aphids, it's the first time I have noticed them so hopefully they haven't been around for too long. The lichen (I thought it was disease!) and the huge nodules in pic one are what have been there for several years - so if the lichen is not a problem then that's a relief.

I've added a couple of pictures of the whole tree, not great ones I'm afraid but it's difficult to give a good idea of the overall shape. It was pruned well last October but had not been pruned professionally before that.

It has a jasmine and some sweet peas growing up through it - a dead lower branch is the support for a trellis! Not sure if this will be causing a problem or not?

Hopefully if I get rid of the aphids this year then it may do a bit better with the apples next year

Many thanks again for taking the time to answer
Debbie

[FB.]

I think that the tree is generally in reasonable condition for its age.
Without being able to inspect the whole tree closely to look for minor problems or minor needs for pruning, I don't think I can make many further suggestions.

The large lumps appear to have the white fluff of woolly aphids in places.
It looks like there has been a grumbling woolly aphid infection for many years for the galls to get that big.
However, it is possible that they are bacterial/fungal galls, and that the woolly aphids are just taking advantage. Chicken and egg: which came first; woolly aphids or the galls?
In any case, the galls are now too large to cut out, without risking further problems.

I don't see any urgent need for action apart from not leaving it too long before controlling the woolly aphids (it'll require a few attempts as you won't get them all the first time around).

Treat the old lady gently; if it really is a 100 year old Cox, it will not withstand much abuse.

If pruning is required, do not drain its strength by pruning while in leaf (except if absolutely an emergency to save the tree). Someone about a mile from me managed to kill their big old apple tree by pruning it last summer.
Most of the pruning of old trees (unless they are sending out masses of new growth) should be done in winter, with a minimal approach and only to remove dead, damaged or diseased wood.
Don't prune off more than about a quarter of the canopy of an old tree in any one winter.
Where possible, avoid cutting into branches more than an inch or so diameter - two inches at most - as the wounds may not heal properly and allow disease to enter. Again, there may be occasions when the one-to-two-inch rule must be broken when a large branch must be removed.

I'm surprised that you and your predecessors have managed to keep a Cox alive for almost a century.
Are you sure it's Cox, and not a close relative of Cox? Who said that it was a Cox?
If unsprayed, Cox's round here tend to last not more than about five years before they are killed by powdery mildew - or canker - or weakened by scab and killed by a combination of diseases and pests. The last Cox that someone planted nearby died when about 5ft tall, in 2011, from drought stress and mildew.

The lifespan of an apple tree can be 200+ years in occasional circumstances. The original Bramley's Seedling tree is around 200 years old.
The key to apples living a long time (apart from good soil and occasional good pruning) is generally varieties with fast growth rates which allow recovery from damage and good disease resistance which keeps them healthy - attributes often found in triploids (such as Bramley, Blenheim, Boskoop, Hambledon Deux Ans etc).

Two of my apple trees are un-named varieties taken as grafts from old, un-named trees which are thought to date back to the early 1800's; they're vigorous, hves features typical of a triploid, and appears to be virtually immune to all apple pests and diseases - just what's needed to stay alive for a long time.

Most apple trees die sooner - many die due to disease or lack of vigour (low-vigour dwarf rootstocks don't cope well with neglect).
The old "crab" rootstocks, once used for heavy standard trees were extremely tough and vigorous: if they couldn't fight off a disease, they just used their awesome strength to outgrow it.
The vigorous MM111 and M25 rootstocks used for apples today, should live for a century or more if grafted with a variety which doesn't have a disease weakness.

[Must try harder :)]

FB, thanks again for SO much info...it's invaluable and I will def be following your advice to get her back into shape and hopefully living for many more years

No-one has confirmed it's a cox, it is just a cox type apple (I only have VERY basic knowledge of these things!) also the pips rattle inside the apples and I was told that cox was the only variety that does that? Aside from that it could really be anything! The few we get are very tasty

I've two other apple trees of a similar age, one is the same type and the other has cooking apples - the cooking apple tree is extremely healthy and produces hundreds of huge delicious apples every year. The other cox (if that's what it is) is too tall so the apples just drop as it's impossible to pick them....it always has far more apples than this problem one.

Anyway, thanks again for all your advice....if we get some apples this year I will try to remember to post some pics here and then maybe you can tell me what variety it is