I'm writing this on behalf of my neighbor who has shared her garden with me. She is older and doesn't have any access to a computer. She's had this apple tree for many years. And within a very short time, the whole tree looks like this over all of it's branches. It flowered and set fruit. And now all the tips are dying off. What is happening?
I'm not sure is relevent or not because I'm not educated enough but I'll throw it out there. She had something on one of her juniper trees that I had IDed. It was a couple of galls of cypress apple rust. could that in any way be the problem with what's going on here?
Here's a picture of the whole tree. The apples were ones that were huge. about 1lb each. and had a blush, not red. Thank you very much. Andrea
Let's hope that it is not fire blight. Here is a link. http://www.caf.wvu.edu/Kearneysville/disease_descriptions/omblight.html
It looks like fire blight to me. Look at the photos in the first link. Cedar-apple rust starts out as spots on the leaves.
Fire blight is a bacterial disease that can kill the entire tree if left alone. It attacks apple pears and some other members of the rose family. In the spring it is spread by bees, but birds and the wind can carry it also. There is no cure, but it is possible to get rid of it. It may take a few years for the tree to recover. Part of the recovery process will be to remove all flower buds before they open next year. Finding and getting rid of the overwintering host will also help. It is a lot of work, but worth it. All the affected branches must be burned or bagged and disposed of. Dispose of any of the leaves that fall off as well.
Pruning tools will have to be sterilized. Ideally, after each cut. Denatured alcohol, Lysol disinfecting spray or bleach, at the rate of 1 to 9 with water can be used. With alcohol and bleach, you have to wipe the pruners and saw dry or the tools will rust. The Lysol won't cause them to rust.
Make each cut in healthy tissue about 12" below any visibly affected area. Bagging each branch as it is cut will help to keep the disease from spreading even more. Fruit on infected branches must also go. You may be able to save the unaffected fruit. Since the infection is introduced through the flowers, all buds must be removed from the tree next year to prevent re-infection, at least until the tree had recovered and is healthy again. Your neighbor may also want to consider getting apple trees that are more resistant. Finding the host plants is also important. Although that may be impossible to remove the host plants.
I lost a medlar tree to fire blight. I later found out that medlar trees are very susceptible to fire blight. About a year later, my Granny Smith apple got it. By the time I pruned all the infected branches, the tree looke awful. Getting rid of the buds the following spring was a pain in the neck, and other places, but the tree began a slow recovery. I also discovered that the city had planted rows of Bradford flowering pears about a mile away and pyracantha shrubs up the hill from us — both fire blight hosts. Mother Nature took care of the problem, for the most part. The small pyracanthas died within the year and the Bradford pears looked so ratty that the city had to remove quite a number of them and replaced them with trees not susceptible to fire blight. I lucked out. Sometimes it may be impossible to get rid of the hosts.
Good luck
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/Kearneysville/disease_descriptions/omblight.html
http://www.fireblight.com/
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3024.html
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville/disease_descriptions/omcar.html
The first picture is definitely fireblight and the second looks like cedar apple rust. I wouldn't worry about that now, the fireblight is a much more severe problem. It is rampant now due to the cool wet spring we have been having in the mid-atlantic.
Scott
I just read through all the links. Thank you so much for all your help. I just talked to her. It's involves just about every tip of her tree. It's about 8 years old. On the branches that there is fruit, will that develop into an apple to eat? After that, she's going to cut it down and burn it. They are an older couple and I think that this involves too much work. They will be selling the house within a couple of years and moving back to Hungery. My kids are like grandchildren to them and that was one of the things that they did. Pick an apple from the tree, and cut it up on her bench swing and enjoy it together. So, the tree is more of a sentimental tree for them than anything. I didn't know if I can save a few of the apples that are growing on the lower branches. The apples are about the size of a quarter now. Thanks again for all your knowledge, it's greatly appreciated. Andrea
P.S. Oh, I almost forgot to ask. I have 2 apple trees, that are 2 years old and are too little to fruit. Will this affect them? Or stay around to affect them later? Also, I have a Montgomery (or something like that) Cherry tree that is 4 years old. Most of it's blooms didn't produce any cherries. Does fireblight affect cherry also? I didn't see any information on that. Sorry for all the questions....
If the apples are growing on healthy tissues, then they are perfectly OK to eat. Any apples that are located within the blighted area, the fruit is probably not fit to eat. The damaged fruit, if let on the tree will become mummified
If the affect areas are not removed the disease will continue to spread both on the trees affected and to others as well. It might be to your advantage to help your neighbor prune her trees to get rid of the infected twigs. If infected materials are left on the tree or the ground, the bacteria will overwinter, living to infect rose family members next year. Cherry trees, members of the rose family, are also susceptible to fire blight. In the future, look for fire blight resistant plants
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0542/ANR-0542.pdf
Ohhhh. O.K. Then, Maybe I'll tell her not to wait for the apples then. It's all over the tree. I don't think there's a large spot that isn't affected. Thankyou for all your help and information. She has told me that this area doesn't like fruit trees and roses. I wonder if this is why. I'll have to make sure I take care of the trees and roses I have also. Thanks again, Andrea.
You're welcome. I hope you get the fire blight under control in your neighborhood.
Veronica
Well, I just went out, and saw her chopping what was left of the stump. I looked up my cherry tree, from what I read, and if I got it right. Sour cherries are resistant. My other 2 apple trees aren't but they look O.K. but I'll have to keep a close eye on them from now on. I have roses and flowering quince too. I have to check on the cultivers. Thanks again! Andrea
