What is this?

BrushyPines

5 year old buck +
I was getting the trees I wanted to plant this weekend and noticed this on one of the crabapples. I do not know what type of crabapple it is, Nativ Nurseries sends a variety of crabs including: Dolgo, Transendent, Chestnut, Centennial, Whitney, and Prairie. So it is either one of those or a mix of those. What is this? How do I treat it?Crabapple.jpg
 
It looks like Fire Blight to me. It also looks like something may have rubbed through that area. If that is the case, it is in a bad spot. If you cut it off at the shoulder, you could allow the blight to enter the main trunk. If you don't cut it off, it may spread anyway. Or the tree may have the ability to stop the infection where it is now. If that is the case, you will still have a weak limb. I graft, so I would cut me some scion wood well away from the infection. Then I would cut the limb off. If the tree dies, I would still have some grafts to replace it with. If I did not graft, I would cut it off and if the tree died, I would replace it with something more Fire Blight resistant.
 
I agree. Cut it off and hope for the best.
 
Are there any types of spray that will help the tree with this type of disease? Thankfully this is the only tree that I have noticed this on so far, which I find odd. 1 out of 10.
 
Not really any spray that would be useful after the infection. I've had a few trees that had infections low on the central leader and lopped them off as short as about 10" tall. Those have all pushed buds and recovered but none were a container tree.

I'd cut that one 4-6" below that branch and turn one of those little into the new leader and see if any other buds push that would become a better central leader.
 
If it were me I would just get rid of that tree period.
If it has FB trouble already you really don't want it anyway it will linger around trying to grow for years then die or be a runt and I wouldn't want it around other trees.
Just cut your losses and get a better DR tree to invest time in.
 
I asked the local nursery what they thought it was and they thought it was a fungus or from an insect and not fire blight.
 
Looks like sooty mold to me
 
Here are pics I took of the tree this past weekend. There are black spots on just about every leaf. What you guys thinking?


IMG_1129.jpgIMG_1130.jpg
 
Aphids. See the little green dots on the twig and leaf?
 
I sprayed Bonide fruit tree spray on it the same day I took the pic. Hopefully that will help get rid of them. How many times would you spray it?
 
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