blossom wilt/brown rot

[openspaceman]

This tree shows no particular signs of decay, a few hollow branch stubs, but has deteriorated over the last few years with blossom wilt and codling moth resulting in much premature loss of apples. Up till now there have been enough to eat, I often juice the windfalls, the apples do not keep. This year it looks like there will be very few left to fully ripen.

 

First picture 2017 second now. I had made some feeble attempts to prune out the dead shoots.

 

 

Tree was here and mature 45 years ago but is probably much older as the house was built in 1862.

[openspaceman]

23 minutes ago, sime42 said:

Nice Sedum. Doesn't surprise me, asbestos is probably an ideal substrate for it.

Yes, first the moss came then the sedum years later

[sime42]

By way of a follow up.

 

This is the apple tree I ruthlessly cut back last year. It's obviously completely out of shape now, since I had to cut so much out, but what remains is now covered in blossom and new shoits. With no signs of blossom wilt/brown rot or whatever the affliction was. Yet.

 

We'll see how the fruit look in a few months.

 

 

 

 

[slack ma girdle]

I normally recommend removing all flowers both wilted and healthy, making sure that you pick up fallen material,  and spraying the tree with Jays fluid the following autumn once the leaves have dropped (picked up as well).

Most trees bounce back in a couple of years.

[openspaceman]

On 16/06/2024 at 22:26, sime42 said:

Interesting. Based on the scant evidence of our two trees then, it looks like degree of savagery is the key to success.

 

 

Prompted by your post today in the"apple tree help" thread here are a couple of photos of mine today:

I thought it was going alright, it has set a heavy crop of young fruit but I noticed a bit of wilt on the lowest branch, s cut it off today.

 

[sime42]

Good prompt, thanks. I need to check mine carefully again.