What's going on here?

[ruskbucks]

I have 4 30 year old apple trees in my yard. The last couple years they have been getting black and bark look like it is dying out. Anybody know why? Is there something I can spray or do to cure this. The branches look like they are dying but there is new growth coming out of them all over.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

It might not be a bad idea to cover the black area with a coat of a 50/50 mix of interior white latex paint and water. Damaged areas that are dark can collect the sun in winter and cause SW damage on trees. It is possible that the start of that damage is related to SW injury or just some other random disease or injury.

I've seen dark areas like that on smaller branches on several of my trees. I generally cut the branch off if I can, but if it is a large branch I just coat with white paint to prevent further sun scald and hope the tree heals by itself.

 

[bigboreblr]

That aligned with any particular direction. Mainly south or north. South would be sun scald. North coudl be some sort of mold or fungus. A general anti-fungal might help.

IF, If your getting insects burrowing in those bad spots, or just tucked right under, you can spray mineral oil / water solution to kill the larvae. Doesn't work on all insects though.

Definitely ID it well before doing anything.

 

[ruskbucks]

That aligned with any particular direction. Mainly south or north. South would be sun scald. North coudl be some sort of mold or fungus. A general anti-fungal might help.

IF, If your getting insects burrowing in those bad spots, or just tucked right under, you can spray mineral oil / water solution to kill the larvae. Doesn't work on all insects though.

Definitely ID it well before doing anything.

It is on the north side of each tree. These are all standard size tree. Even know they are 20ft apart some of the crowns are touching. Would the trunks get moldy from not getting enough sunlight? The other trees in the yard are getting bigger every year to so they could be getting less sun every year.They throw out a ton of fruit still every year.

 

[bigboreblr]

I have to look at whats left of my old trees and see if they have that. A bit of pruning to get them more light in those spots might not hurt, if your overdue on pruning.

Not sure what the early season oil spray does for molds and mildew. Might not hurt to try. I got to be a bit careful at my home with trees, there's a big apple orchard about a mile away.