apple trees - Ask Extension
3 years ago we planted 3 apple trees. Two of them have some sort of problem. They are alive at the base but not at the tops. It looks as if their bar...
Knowledgebase
apple trees #871280
Asked June 03, 2024, 11:43 AM EDT
3 years ago we planted 3 apple trees. Two of them have some sort of problem. They are alive at the base but not at the tops. It looks as if their bark was injured and from the injury up the tree appears dead. The injury is taller than where a rabbit could reach. Our yard is fenced in, in town.
Can I just cut the trees back at the level of the apparent injury and wait a few years to see what happens? How do I prevent the last tree from having the same problem?
I cannot figure out how to upload a photo.
Stearns County Minnesota
Expert Response
Without a picture do the problems we cannot accurately identify the problem. You may find the following website helpful as you consider what the cause may be. Specifically check causes of branch dieback.
Animals other than rabbits can also damage apple trees—deer, squirrels etc.Usually the lack of top growth is an indicated the tree is in decline. Depending how deep the injury was it may have cut through the nutrient carrying layers of the bark-phloem and xylem.
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/fruit/apple/
Animals other than rabbits can also damage apple trees—deer, squirrels etc.Usually the lack of top growth is an indicated the tree is in decline. Depending how deep the injury was it may have cut through the nutrient carrying layers of the bark-phloem and xylem.
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/fruit/apple/
