Saving a Poorly Cooking Apple Tree

Hi everyone,

It's my first post to the forum and I was wondering if you could help!

There has been an apple tree in my parents' garden for well over 40 years and in the last few years it has unfortunately deteriorated.

Last year the apples fell early and there were far fewer of them. The leaves this year have come through curled and brittle, there appears to be a lot of lichen growth on the bark and the trunk bark now has a split running from a dead branch.

I would like to try and save the tree, and any advice would be great. We have a pond in the garden and would like to avoid (if we can) using any chemicals which may affect the wildlife in it.

I have included 3 pictures:

Picture of dead branch and split trunk bark (circled)
Curled, brittle leaves (circled)
Growth (lichen?) on branches - this is all over the tree

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Hi Chris5000

Firstly the lichen is not an issue to the tree. Lichen is an epiphytic organism that is using the tree just as a place to live on, like it does with rocks and gravestones. It causes no harm to the tree at all.

The most probable reason for decline in garden trees is neglect and improper tree care/pruning. Without seeing the tree fully it's difficult to really establish what's going on with it. My first guess would be that it is suffering from waterloss caused by drought conditions and possible damage to the bark and underlying water-conducting vessels.

A few more photos of the tree, including any previous pruning cuts, the location in which it's growing and form of the crown may help to diagnose the problem for you.

 

Hi HarmonyArb - thanks for your response, it is really helpful as it gives me a few clues. Great news about the lichen; my concern was that it would be affecting the bark in some way but I'm glad this is not the case.

This makes sense because we are in a pretty dry area (South Essex). Now you mention it, the lawn is drier than I remember it and there are dry patches (see pic below)

I've included some which hopefully will help; particularly the pruning cuts you mentioned. It hasn't been pruned for the last two or three years at least. There are some areas where smaller branches have died off whereas others have survived.

Thanks again for your advice on this; it really is a great help.

 

Thanks for the extra photos. The tree doesn't seem to be in a terrible way but it could probably benefit from some basic TLC. From the pictures and symptoms described here are a few points that you may want to consider:

1. The tree is probably suffering from drought and needs a thorough drenching. If allowed to get into a permanent wilting state then the tree may never recover. Remember that the roots will spread out a fair way from the stem, so don't simply water the base of the tree, but soak as much of the surrounding ground as possible.
2. The soil is probably compacted and does not allow for easy penetration of water and soil oxygen. Aerate the ground by using a garden fork or hollow-tine aerator and fill with a coarse sand and compost/soil improver mix. The tree could also probably do with a feed.
3. Improper pruning techniques have resulted in open wounds and deadwood that can house harmful wood-decaying fungal spores. Follow up-to-date pruning guides to minimise harm to the tree and reduce the chance of any sort of infection.
4. Removing and dead, diseased or damaged branches will open up the crown and may promote new, healthier growth. Again - make sure you follow pruning best practice.

If you're really serious about conserving this tree then I would consider carefully removing a circle of lawn 1m out from the stem (although ideally going as far as the drip line of the crown), gently digging or raking the soil to break up the compaction but without damaging the important root hairs, then add a well-rotted organic manure to the soil. Cover with a mulch such as woodbark and make sure to keep any kids and pets off the area. This will allow the roots to absorb water and nutrients from a weed-free and decompacted ground.

Hope this can be of some help to you and your tree.


Matthew

 

Thanks so much for all this really useful advice Matthew, and sorry for the delay in responding! I have the bank holiday to work on the tree and will reply to the thread with any results.

Thanks again!
Chris.