smom41
New Member
Hi!
I am really in need of some apple tree advice...I am no gardener, btw, so please bear with me.
My mother has a green apple tree in her backyard that is obviously having severe problems. It was planted 25-30 years ago and had been bearing fruit just fine. Matter of fact, it's sort of an extended family heirloom. She's made apple pies and homemade applesauce from that thing as long as I can remember.
She never did much to it beyond watering it well and occasionally fertilizing it. Well, her husband decided to prune it about three or four years ago and by the time he was done, it sort of looked like a telephone pole. She was convinced that he'd killed it (and didn't talk to him for days). The next year it had a lot of new growth, leafed out in the spring, but didn't bear fruit. The following year it leafed and she got a small crop. Last year, again, new growth, leafed and a good amount of fruit. All was forgiven.
Well, this year is another story. As far as I know, he hasn't touched the darn thing, but it has not even leafed and it's already June! (Not a single bit of green. Looks like it does in the winter.) It was sort of a drier than normal winter this past year (we all live in the SF Bay Area). He does have a lot of flowering plants and the like beneath the tree (the rest of the backyard looks like 'gardening central'. There are several trees very close by. This a relatively small backyard.
He depends a lot upon drip watering systems, whereas she would just stand there forever with a hose and do it herself. Since he's taken over, she hasn't dealt with the tree.
This is the issue. She thinks that he's killed it because of lack of water. He thinks that the nearby pine tree killed it (whatever that means). My husband broke off a small branch and it looks green on the inside, which hopefully is a good sign.
Do you think that it's dead? How can we tell for sure? And can you give me ANY advice as to how to attempt to resuscitate this tree?
I might also add that he is "Mr Miracle Gro". I'm sure that it's been fertilized, but could over-fertilization do this? Could it be a tree disease? If so, what do I look for?
I told her that I would search the internet and try to get some advice. She's really upset about this. I am too...Feeling like we should have some sort of funeral or something. The darn thing looks so strange...Dab smack in the middle of the yard with every other plant/tree around it looking fine and healthy.
Any sage advice that you have would be greatly appreciated! Even not sage advice would help. I just don't know where to start with this...
Thanks in advance!
I am really in need of some apple tree advice...I am no gardener, btw, so please bear with me.
My mother has a green apple tree in her backyard that is obviously having severe problems. It was planted 25-30 years ago and had been bearing fruit just fine. Matter of fact, it's sort of an extended family heirloom. She's made apple pies and homemade applesauce from that thing as long as I can remember.
She never did much to it beyond watering it well and occasionally fertilizing it. Well, her husband decided to prune it about three or four years ago and by the time he was done, it sort of looked like a telephone pole. She was convinced that he'd killed it (and didn't talk to him for days). The next year it had a lot of new growth, leafed out in the spring, but didn't bear fruit. The following year it leafed and she got a small crop. Last year, again, new growth, leafed and a good amount of fruit. All was forgiven.
Well, this year is another story. As far as I know, he hasn't touched the darn thing, but it has not even leafed and it's already June! (Not a single bit of green. Looks like it does in the winter.) It was sort of a drier than normal winter this past year (we all live in the SF Bay Area). He does have a lot of flowering plants and the like beneath the tree (the rest of the backyard looks like 'gardening central'. There are several trees very close by. This a relatively small backyard.
He depends a lot upon drip watering systems, whereas she would just stand there forever with a hose and do it herself. Since he's taken over, she hasn't dealt with the tree.
This is the issue. She thinks that he's killed it because of lack of water. He thinks that the nearby pine tree killed it (whatever that means). My husband broke off a small branch and it looks green on the inside, which hopefully is a good sign.
Do you think that it's dead? How can we tell for sure? And can you give me ANY advice as to how to attempt to resuscitate this tree?
I might also add that he is "Mr Miracle Gro". I'm sure that it's been fertilized, but could over-fertilization do this? Could it be a tree disease? If so, what do I look for?
I told her that I would search the internet and try to get some advice. She's really upset about this. I am too...Feeling like we should have some sort of funeral or something. The darn thing looks so strange...Dab smack in the middle of the yard with every other plant/tree around it looking fine and healthy.
Any sage advice that you have would be greatly appreciated! Even not sage advice would help. I just don't know where to start with this...
Thanks in advance!
