Apple Tree Problem

[Trencherman]

Last Summer, whilst on holiday my apple tree (quite old) appeared to die off. We went away with it healthily in leaf and blossom and eight weeks later all appeared to have died. The weather had been very dry, then suddenly wet. Recently I have noticed the bark is peeling off. However, the tree is still alive and producing buds. Do I need to severely prune, lightly prune, spray with fungicide (which?) or face losing the tree? I do want to lose it as we are not allowed trees on our allotments unless we have special permission and will not be allowed to replace it.

[FB.]

A bit of a late reply (might have been seen faster in the fruity section )...


Without knowing what was wrong with the tree, it's hard to suggest what to do.

Spraying random chemicals, at irregular intervals, to target an unknown (or possibly non-existent) disease is not worthwhile.

Pruning "for the sake of it" won't help. In fact, too much pruning may hack the last breath of life out of what remains.

I suggest leave it alone, apart from a light prune to remove dead and diseased branches.

If you can post some pictures of the tree (full-view and some close-ups), we might be able to see why it is unhappy. Pics of any dead branches, peeling bark, discoloured bark may help to determine the problem.
A picture of the lower trunk, from the ground to a few inches above the graft would be useful.

Perhaps start a new topic in the "fruity" section if you manage to get some pics.

I suspect that the main problem is that it is a neglected tree, on a dwarf rootstock, where the roots just aren't strong enough to supply what the tree needs - unless you water it regularly.
Whatever you do, don't pour on lots of feed or you'll end up with even more problems. However, an inch layer of compost all around the tree, under the spread of branches, would be very beneficial to retain soil moisture and slowly release nutrients.

Not only might your tree be on dwarf (weak) roots, but the variety may also be one that is prone to the diseases that are prevalent in your climate. The very common varieties - such as Cox's, Gala, Braeburn and others are very prone to disease.

If/when the tree comes back to life in the spring, some once-a-week pictures would allow monitoring of what might be going wrong.

[Trencherman]

Apple Tree Problem

Thanks. Will try to get some pictures and then start a new thread in Fruit. Will keep you informed.