Flowering crab tee - Ask Extension
Our flowering crab trees had great blossoms but leaves are now drying up and falling and there are no crab apples. We've noticed other crab apple tre...
Knowledgebase
Flowering crab tee #874326
Asked June 23, 2024, 6:10 PM EDT
Our flowering crab trees had great blossoms but leaves are now drying up and falling and there are no crab apples. We've noticed other crab apple trees in distress. Has something happened to the trees this spring? Any advice? Thank you.
Ramsey County Minnesota
Expert Response
Crab apples may be suffering from apple scab which is a fungal disease and facilitated by wet weather. It causes leaves to turn pale and drop. Depending on where the trees are growing the soil may be too wet and the trees are wilting because of too much water. Too much water causes root rot and because the roots are bad the tree wilts.
Too much rain and pollination doesn’t happen and that will affect how much fruit is produced. I wish I had more than speculation to offer.
Too much rain and pollination doesn’t happen and that will affect how much fruit is produced. I wish I had more than speculation to offer.
Thank you for your response. I hope the disease is not terminal.
It is rarely more than a nuisance.
https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/apple-scab#:~:text=Apple%20scab%20is%20the%20most,olive%2Dgreen%20to%20brown%20spots.
https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/apple-scab#:~:text=Apple%20scab%20is%20the%20most,olive%2Dgreen%20to%20brown%20spots.
