Apple Tree Problem

[DrDirtNap]

This is a Terry Winter Apple tree on MM111 rootstock around 3 or 4 yrs old. Top growth looks pretty good other than needing pruning. The issue is at the base of the tree. Looks like some type of fungal disease. If this was your tree what would you do?

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[Turkey Creek]

Fungus attacks dead wood regardless of the initial cause. Looks like it might have just been some type of mechanical injury to the tree and then it was slow to heal over. Good news is the tree is trying to heal, bad news is that the dead wood looks to make up a significant portion of the trunk.

I would leave the tree for another year or two and monitor the situation if the tree begins to look worse then I would replace it.

 

[DrDirtNap]

What's really odd about this is that there has been no mechanical damage to this tree. I wrapped the trunk in screen wire the day it was planted and the tree has been caged.


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[Bowsnbucks]

I see where you're going, Stu.

Chris - Would spraying the affected wood with a mild bleach & water solution kill the fungus in the damaged area ?? I'm a novice at apple trees ( 4 yrs. ) but you're not. Just a guess with the bleach / water.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I see where you're going, Stu.

Chris - Would spraying the affected wood with a mild bleach & water solution kill the fungus in the damaged area ?? I'm a novice at apple trees ( 4 yrs. ) but you're not. Just a guess with the bleach / water.

Might but dead wood is dead wood and the fungal growths will return at some point. The fungus is just eating the dead wood.

 

[Turkey Creek]

What side of the tree is the damage on?

I thought that might be a possibility, but I doubt SW injury is very common in Mississippi.

 

[DrDirtNap]

What side of the tree is the damage on?

The "lesion" at the base of the tree is on the Northwest side...if that helps with anything.
I was wondering if I should take a knife and perhaps cut out all the dead wood and then treat with bleach solution or maybe treat with a Ridomil fungicide solution. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks


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[DrDirtNap]

The "lesion" at the base of the tree is on the Northwest side...if that helps with anything.
I was wondering if I should take a knife and perhaps cut out all the dead wood and then treat with bleach solution or maybe treat with a Ridomil fungicide solution. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks


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I'll add one more thing. I've had a bad problem with burr knots using MM111 rootstock. You can kind of see one at the base of this tree. Perhaps a burr knot led to this ? I don't know...


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[Jameson]

...If this was your tree what would you do?

Probably just try to keep it trimmed to as few as branches as I could and short. My thought would be that the tree is probably going to break at that bad spot at some point either by the wind or a heavy crop load. I may be able to delay that by keeping the top as thin and light as possible.

Might plant another apple tree too close by and let it overgrow the one pictured.

Would also strongly consider cutting it to the earth and grafting to a sprout.

 

[H20fwler]

That sucks, tree has a great top too.

You might try coating it good with Tanglefoot sealer to see if it tries to grow out of it? Like others have said, it will probably do the tree in down the road.