The young tree that seemed to die after budding out has come out with I don't know what now. My partner is sure it's growing leaves, but they don't look much like leaves to me. I think it is making a desperate attempt to survive, and some other part of the plant is trying to provide something that will do some photosynthesis.
See [url:be6rphlb]http://www.rdrop.com/users/machiya/plants/Apple%20oddities%20fr%20N.jpg[/url:be6rphlb]
and [url:be6rphlb]http://www.rdrop.com/users/machiya/plants/Apple%20tree%20oddities%201.jpg[/url:be6rphlb]
What is it doing? Help! Thanks,
mh
I sugggest checking to see if your tree has had above or below ground borers, it looks like one apple tree I lost this spring - its last effort was to put out a few leaves and partially open buds. Turns out it was completely girdled by borers.
If you have borers I'd carve them out asap. Good Luck! Del
Eeek - I just read an official government site on apple borers, and it's kind of horrifying. They attack healthy babies and make them dead babies. I didn't see anything when I nicked the bark in a couple of places, but I was probably not looking in the right place.
If I burn the poor tree, are the evil larvae likely to get its replacement, too? Now I need to find some M111 rootstock by August and start over. Probably hold a funeral first.
There is no guarantee of course that borers are what is stressing your tree. Under-surface voles girdling is another possibility, diseases that can kill a tree I am not familiar with. For what it is worth here is a photo blog I am in process making about borers. http://www.flickr.com/photos/4.....@N00/sets/ but a google search on apple borers is where to learn lots. There are several different kinds. I lost 2 trees this year to them, and found them in another 30.
MnDel, it looks like you're doing everything right, and thanks for the photos and advice. I hesitated to guess from Marsha's pictures what the problem is... It appears the latent buds have sprouted after the main buds failed? But it seems there'd be an obvious entry / exit hole if it were a borer?
I assume you're talking about Pacific Flathead Borers, and not (European) Shothole borers?
I've dealt with both; the Flatheads took out an Issai (not so) Hardy Kiwi, and the Shothole’s went after many of my young fruit trees... I'd say they killed a 3rd of them. I painted my bark religiously after that and the trees 'out grew' them. ...I'd actually squirted WD-40, using it's little red nozzle, into the Shothole 'holes.' It fit perfect, and the frass stopped! I think the trees are still alive..? this was a couple decades ago.
Here's some info on Pacific Flathead Borers:
http://www.tfrec.wsu.edu/InsectRef/Flat ... _borer.htm
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r602300811.html
And some info on Shothole borers:
http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/nurspest/xy ... dispar.htm
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/tfipm/shothole.htm
http://www.ento.okstate.edu/ddd/insects ... eborer.htm
Thanks Viron, I am in zone 2/3 northern edge of Minnesota. From what I have been able to tell from observation and websites I may have dogwood or apple bark borer, but till I catch a big grub, or an adult on the tanglefoot I put around the trunk, I won't know for sure. So far all damage is 1' to 7' high. In thirty trees, only one exit hole!, and that tree died . Del
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