I have two identical apples on my property. Planted last year in March, left tree is robust, right tree is in decline. If I'm your customer tell me why this is so? Ask me questions, give me recommendations.
Would like to keep this educational.
Newly Planted Apple In Decline
- Thread starter Raintree
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I have two identical apples on my property. Planted last year in March, left tree is robust, right tree is in decline. If I'm your customer tell me why this is so? Ask me questions, give me recommendations.
Would like to keep this educational.
I see lots of mulch. Voles love mulch. Check down towards roots to see if any gridling has happened.
I hate voles......
I hate voles......
Good observation, however there is only about 2 inches of mulch covering a soil berm ring. Wouldn't the rodents be problematic for both trees?
Edit to answer question, no rodent girdling.
Edit to answer question, no rodent girdling.
Check it.
The orange spots on the leaves look like cedar apple rust, but that won't cause that kind of wilt.
Rust is something to think about, any orange spots on other apple leaves, and any cedars nearby.
Correct, cedar apple rust is present, not the cause of decline. Rodents are also not an issue.
Planted to deep?
Plant in the burlap or cage?
Plant in the burlap or cage?
I lost three trees that size to voles, one after another, spaced 2 years apart. Lost two huge mullberry.
Voles were an epidemic here last two years, finally slowing down
Healthy apple
Unhealthy apple
Gamma Woods
ArboristSite Operative
Where are you located, and what variety are those trees?
It seems like an issue stemming from the roots, the mulch is pretty close to the trunk, I'm thinking they might not be drying out between waterings. Maybe the soil at that spot was just a bit more clay filled and not draining moisture as well as the other tree. Aerate the soil a bit, or excavate a section of roots and inspect the soil.
It seems like an issue stemming from the roots, the mulch is pretty close to the trunk, I'm thinking they might not be drying out between waterings. Maybe the soil at that spot was just a bit more clay filled and not draining moisture as well as the other tree. Aerate the soil a bit, or excavate a section of roots and inspect the soil.
Gamma Woods
ArboristSite Operative
Might be planted just a touch too deep as well. Were those grown from seed or grafted?
Good questions to ask, looking at the stump pictures what's your observation?
Planting with the burlap and basket is problematic however not in the short term. The trees have been in the ground from last March. Remember one is well the other is not.
Your getting warm, I'm in Northeast TN. Apples are Red Delicious, mulch bed installed properly, watering once a week. Clay soil with a pH of 6.2, full sun, soil moisture and drainage is same for both trees.
Why do you think it's an issue stemming from the roots?
More good questions, the trees are grafts. What do you see in the stump pictures to indicate being planted too deep?
More good questions, the trees are grafts. What do you see in the stump pictures to indicate being planted too deep?
Good question
Because what I see in your picture is mulch right on the roots and the tree looks sick right at the trunk above the roots in the mulch.
Also planting trees or anything in clay soil is a toss up for me, rolling the dice,
For example I've planted 6 trees in clay soil and 5 do ok and one just up and die after a year or two, usually does not come back alive after winter.
Good question
Because what I see in your picture is mulch right on the roots and the tree looks sick right at the trunk above the roots in the mulch.
Also planting trees or anything in clay soil is a toss up for me, rolling the dice,
For example I've planted 6 trees in clay soil and 5 do ok and one just up and die after a year or two, usually does not come back alive after winter.
Both trees are mulched the same way, the apple in decline doesn't have a mulch problem. Planting in clay soils does have challenges. General rule of thumb is 3% loss of newly planted material is acceptable. For this exercise in diagnosis we want to know why the apple appears to be wilting.
Gamma Woods
ArboristSite Operative
I think it is an issue stemming from the roots because it seems to be affecting the whole tree. It is wilting like the roots have rotted, or the roots have dried to a crisp and died. The tree is not pulling up the required subtance (water, air, nutrients), which is the task of the root system. The clay soil pushes me to believe root rot or grubs eating everything. At this point the best way to determine the cause is to dig up the tree and have a look. If the tree is ****ered it'll need to be replaced so you'll have to dig it up anyways, why not take a look (and maybe even pot it up just in case it'll bounce back).
You keep using the the concept of "correctly mulched". By whose standards? Mulch should never touch the trunk, winter mulched vs spring mulched vs summer mulched are very different scenarios and don't immediately believe that you've done something right.
You are correct, it is an issue stemming from the roots. It's obvious that the apple is wilting, there is other clues in the pictures that point to a root disorder. From the pictures who can diagnose what root issue is present?
Any diagnosis from looking at a few pics is a "guess",,
My SIL wanted to plant about 25 - 30 fruit trees, mostly apple,,
I took my post hole digger over, and dug ALL three foot deep holes for every tree.
There were SO many rocks, we broke a shear pin every other hole.
BIG rocks ,, bigger than a football on average,,
We would have never even been able to hand dig 16" deep,,
Anyways, we put compost left over from some unused mulch in every hole,
then planted the tree in some decent soil that was backfilled into the holes.
EVERY tree survived,, we were amazed,, I think it was pure luck that every tree made it.
Two years ago, my daughter wanted some random trees added to her yard.
We repeated the process, but, the holes were dug with a small backhoe.
I dug the trees with the same backhoe, only getting slightly more than minimal dirt.
The trees were sort of moved "bare root".
We planted maple, poplar, red bud, sycamore, and a couple other type trees.
We put about a cubic foot of peat moss under each tree and backfilled.
Now, three years later, all the trees are growing beautifully, except for one red bud.
I planted three sweet cherry trees at the same time that year.
One of the cherry trees just died. I went back and complained to the CO-OP where I bought it.
The lady tried to convince me that I had done something wrong,, but, then she gave me a refund.
THEN,, she admitted that they had a high number of those trees die.
Something was not right from the tree supplier.
Sometimes they make it, sometimes, they don't.
My SIL wanted to plant about 25 - 30 fruit trees, mostly apple,,
I took my post hole digger over, and dug ALL three foot deep holes for every tree.
There were SO many rocks, we broke a shear pin every other hole.
BIG rocks ,, bigger than a football on average,,
We would have never even been able to hand dig 16" deep,,
Anyways, we put compost left over from some unused mulch in every hole,
then planted the tree in some decent soil that was backfilled into the holes.
EVERY tree survived,, we were amazed,, I think it was pure luck that every tree made it.
Two years ago, my daughter wanted some random trees added to her yard.
We repeated the process, but, the holes were dug with a small backhoe.
I dug the trees with the same backhoe, only getting slightly more than minimal dirt.
The trees were sort of moved "bare root".
We planted maple, poplar, red bud, sycamore, and a couple other type trees.
We put about a cubic foot of peat moss under each tree and backfilled.
Now, three years later, all the trees are growing beautifully, except for one red bud.
I planted three sweet cherry trees at the same time that year.
One of the cherry trees just died. I went back and complained to the CO-OP where I bought it.
The lady tried to convince me that I had done something wrong,, but, then she gave me a refund.
THEN,, she admitted that they had a high number of those trees die.
Something was not right from the tree supplier.
Sometimes they make it, sometimes, they don't.
Gamma Woods
ArboristSite Operative
In my area there was a peculiar winter. Climate change exists, despite the adamant loud mouthed deniers. Cold weather doesn't kill trees, cold winters aren't responsible for damage, the warm periods in the middle of winter and the warm early "spring" followed by a late frost is what kills things. Freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw, freeze thaw. It messes with the typical cycle of plants. In my location (Ontario, zone 5-4) the peaches, sweet cherries, beeches and buckeye/hors chestnuts have suffered a terrible blow and my center is suffering a loss that is fast approaching the surge we got from the COVID gardeners. I mean, we expected a lot of these newbies to kill their plants but it's out of control this season.
