White mold on my apple trees

[jonny the plant pot]

Just noticed I've got white mold on my apple trees can anyone advise on what spray I need.

[FB.]

Some pictures would help.

It's probably woolly aphid. Sprays won't get past the 'wool'; you'll need to scrub them off with a suitable scrubbing brush or toothbrush (they will 'bleed' red so wear gloves).

You'll also need to check every couple of weeks because you won't get them all first time and they will quickly return.

If you leave woolly aphids sometimes predators (ladybirds, hoverflies, lacewings, parasitic wasps) clear them or keep them under control but some varieties are hopelessly susceptible and can end up covered all over within a few weeks with the result being severely deformed, brittle, galled and stunted branches which split and break easily and diseases such as canker can get into the split shoots.

Which varieties do you have? How old? Which rootstock?

[jonny the plant pot]

Will take photo in the morning thanks for the reply

[jonny the plant pot]

[FB.]

Probably woolly aphid.
Possibly some canker there too.
It might take a lot of work to bring that tree back to full health and production - in fact it might be too bad to be worth trying to salvage it, especially if it's going to suffer repeat attacks of both woolly aphid and canker.

Which variety and rootstock is it? Is it worth saving?

Why is the tree such a peculiar shape? Is it possible that the fruiting variety grafted onto the rootstock has been pruned off, leaving just the rootstock behind?

[fishpond]

It looks to be a weak tree.
When was the last time it was fed & mulched?

[FB.]

It looks to be a weak tree.
When was the last time it was fed & mulched?

It won't be happy with woolly aphids sucking the sap out of it and (presumed) canker filling the tree with fungal poisons.

[FB.]

Unless the tree is a rare variety or for some reason precious (a gift etc) I would dig it out and burn it at the first opportunity.
Knowing which variety and rootstock would help decide if it's worth trying to save.
Taking grafts from trees which are sick - especially cankered - doesn't have high success rates.

[fishpond]

It is possible that the Woolly Aphids are there in such great numbers because the tree was so weak/unhealthy through underfeeding/undernourishment in the 1st place.

[FB.]

It is possible that the Woolly Aphids are there in such great numbers because the tree was so weak/unhealthy through underfeeding/undernourishment in the 1st place.

Possibly, but woolly aphids seem just as capable of attacking vigorous trees as they do weak trees.

Vigorous trees provide lots more sap for them to feed on - sap being what these aphids need. I've seen (and have had) strong healthy trees covered in woolly aphids which especially seem to like feeding on younger shoots at the point where a leaf joins the stem

Weak trees are weakened further and may be killed either due to the aphids themselves or due to secondary infections (fungal such as canker) which get into the wounds and splits the aphids cause.

[jonny the plant pot]

Don't know what tips of apple tree it is it came with the alotment will scrub the tree and treat it with spray.
If that fails then it will be for the chop.

[FB.]

Don't know what tips of apple tree it is it came with the alotment will scrub the tree and treat it with spray.
If that fails then it will be for the chop.

One scrub probably won't get all of them. It'll need looking at again in a couple of weeks and might need several assaults on the woolly aphids to eliminate them.
Spray won't have much effect because the wool protects them.
Woolly aphids can produce winged forms just like other aphids, so they may fly-in in future. Have a look to see whether someone else has an infested tree nearby.

The key to managing woolly aphids is to not let them get established on a tree.

The tree itself is in poor condition . It'll take time to clear the aphids and time to deal with the canker (if that's what it has).
In its current form it doesn't look well-shaped for good cropping so it might be some years before you get any fruit. If/when it does fruit, you might find that it's just the rootstock which remains after someone hacked off the grafted bit. If you're nurturing a rootstock there's a good chance that it will only produce small, poor quality fruits which more resemble crab apples than eating apples.

[jonny the plant pot]

responding well to treatment.