Fruit trees leaves dying - Ask Extension
The bottom leaves are dead on my 10 yo, 15' plum tree and now beginning on my 3 yo sour cherry tree! My apple trees looked spindly this spring and I f...
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Fruit trees leaves dying #870999
Asked May 31, 2024, 5:24 PM EDT
The bottom leaves are dead on my 10 yo, 15' plum tree and now beginning on my 3 yo sour cherry tree! My apple trees looked spindly this spring and I found 2 types of caterpillars in curled up leaves.
Chittenden County Vermont
Expert Response
Hello Jane, and thank you for contacting the UVM Extension Master Gardener program with your question.
I am sorry to hear about the challenges with your fruit trees this season!
Thank you for including the photos of the trees with your question. Do you think you could also capture any close up shots of the caterpillars and the "curled up leaves"?
There are several possible causes of the leaf drop on these trees, and seeing the caterpillars could help us determine if or how they might be involved.
I'll continue our research and hope to hear from you with more photos.
Thanks,
Michelle
I am sorry to hear about the challenges with your fruit trees this season!
Thank you for including the photos of the trees with your question. Do you think you could also capture any close up shots of the caterpillars and the "curled up leaves"?
There are several possible causes of the leaf drop on these trees, and seeing the caterpillars could help us determine if or how they might be involved.
I'll continue our research and hope to hear from you with more photos.
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle, I should have mentioned one problem at a time… the caterpillars on the apple trees are gone onto moths or ?
I didn’t see any on the plum or cherry. Could it be drought? We have sandy soul. Jane
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 3, 2024, at 10:21 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Hello Jane:
The plant pathologist looked at your images, and following is what she provided:
Fruit trees are susceptible to several leaf rolling caterpillars. They
typically do not do that much damage. Once they are rolled within the leaves they are pretty protected but you could handpick or spray with spinosad/Entrust (organic) if they are still exposed. How widespread is the damage?
The trees look a bit weak and have a lot of branches that should probably be thinned out to provide a better tree structure. If trees are not pruned on a regular basis they are more prone to additional disease and insect problems. You can thin out
branches now and remove any dead or weak wood. Here is more info: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/pnw400
The plants should also be fertilized every spring but the amount
depends on the age of the tree. For example, a 3-5 year old apple tree can take 1-3 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer. This can be a split
application, in May and June.
Let us know if you have further questions.
The plant pathologist looked at your images, and following is what she provided:
Fruit trees are susceptible to several leaf rolling caterpillars. They
typically do not do that much damage. Once they are rolled within the leaves they are pretty protected but you could handpick or spray with spinosad/Entrust (organic) if they are still exposed. How widespread is the damage?
The trees look a bit weak and have a lot of branches that should probably be thinned out to provide a better tree structure. If trees are not pruned on a regular basis they are more prone to additional disease and insect problems. You can thin out
branches now and remove any dead or weak wood. Here is more info: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/pnw400
The plants should also be fertilized every spring but the amount
depends on the age of the tree. For example, a 3-5 year old apple tree can take 1-3 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer. This can be a split
application, in May and June.
Let us know if you have further questions.
