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Leaf loss, newly planted flowering crab #873034

Asked June 13, 2024, 7:07 PM EDT

We planted a prairie fire flowering crabapple tree two weeks ago. This week, inner leaves throughout the tree have started to die (turn orange, some with spots. see attached photos). Is this a problem with my planting job? Fungus? Something else? We've had a wet two weeks since planting. And the tree was planted where we had planted and lost the same species five years ago. We thought the first one died due to wind damage (it was wind whipped in a storm the year it was planted).

Ramsey County Minnesota

Expert Response

Hello Nick, happy to help.

This looks like pple scab, a common problem during cool wet springs like we've been having this year. It's rare for apple scab to do real harm to your tree. Practicing good hygiene is the best approach to keeping it under control this year and into the future. The best remedy is to clean up all the fallen leaves and fruit as quickly as you can while it's happening. And then clean all the leaves and fruit that fall from the tree in the fall. The spores on the tree's material left under it can splash back up and cause more fungal symptoms. Those spores also overwinter on the ground (if the leaves and fruit aren't cleaned up) and reinfect the tree during next spring's rain. Be sure to dispose of the debris by burning, burying, or hot composting. If you compost be sure your compost reaches temperatures that kill fungi and weed seeds. If not, sending your yard waste to a city processor is the better option.

Here is more information about apple scab.

Good-luck!

eGardener Replied June 22, 2024, 10:42 AM EDT

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