Apple Tree - Black Spots/Leaves falling off

Hello, my dad bought an apple tree about 6 years ago and we have had problems with it ever since we got it.

First of all the tree got no fruit on it for a couple of years. We read that its not uncommon for trees to take a couple of years to get used to the soil etc so we just left it.

Then the leaves on the tree started to fall off and it developed nasty black, dead spots on the remaining leaves. By the end of the year almost all of the leaves had fallen off and it was a weekly task to pick them up off the floor.

So, we phoned the company whom we bought the tree from and they told us it was some sort of deficiency in the tree and that we should feed it epsom salt. We did that but it didnt help.

Last year we counted around 12 apples but they, along with all of the leaves dropped off before they where bigger than a cherry.

Now, this year things have started to look up. For all there are still lots and lots of leaves with this black stuff on they havnt fallen off. We havent had any leaves fall off over the last three or four weeks and too our suprise, we actually have apples on the tree! The apples are a pretty good size, maybe 3/4 the size of the ones you buy in the shop but they still have those horrible black spots all over them!

We have had some nice weather over the last month so that may have contributed to its recovery, or it may be the epsom salt working its magic - or it may be something else.

So, does anybody have ANY information that might help.

Does anybody know what it is or what causes it?
Is there perhaps a way to cure or help the tree?

Thanks in advance.

Sean

 

Right, first of all the seller is talking nonsense. Epsom salts will have no effect on this problem which sound almost 100% like Apple scab.
See here http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0702/apple_scab.asp
We have a problem with this, penalty of living in an area with clean air. I sprayed with a Copper sulphate based fungicide every other week last year and most of it has gone. I really ought to have carried on doing it this year but for one reason or another it has not been done, silly me.

 

First of all, thank you for your fast reply.

I just did a google image search for Apple Scab and it looks exactly like the condition the tree has.

I will write down the names of the fungicides listed on that website and take them to my dad.

Thanks again for your help.