Japanese crab apple tree - Ask Extension
I have what I believe is a Japanese crab apple tree in my yard and it is in awful condition. I don't know it's age as we just bought this home in Febr...
Knowledgebase
Japanese crab apple tree #874606
Asked June 25, 2024, 11:15 AM EDT
I have what I believe is a Japanese crab apple tree in my yard and it is in awful condition. I don't know it's age as we just bought this home in February. The leaves are falling off, there is spots on the leaves and there's many bare branches. The branches at the top are still quite full and appear to have a good amount of leaves still, and some small fruit, but there are spots on those leaves also. Is my tree dying?
Midland County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello,
This tree looks to have a fungal disease called apple scab. This is a very common problem with crabapples. At this time in the year, there is not much you can do for it except raking and bagging leaves to prevent re-infection next year. This year is a bad year for fungal diseases due to the high humidity and frequent rains. Typically this disease does not kill the tree, but just makes it look unsightly. If you want to prevent this from happening, treatment needs to happen at the beginning of the season when leaf buds just begin to green. Spraying needs to be done at intervals through the spring until flower petals have dropped. Read more about this here:
https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/apple-scab#fungicides-to-protect-ornamental-crabapples-from-apple-scab-3652960
Since it is a larger tree, you may need to consult an arborist to do the spraying. We recommend consulting an ISA-certified arborist for tree work. Find one here: https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist
I hope this is helpful.
Thank you for contacting Ask Extension.
Ruth
This tree looks to have a fungal disease called apple scab. This is a very common problem with crabapples. At this time in the year, there is not much you can do for it except raking and bagging leaves to prevent re-infection next year. This year is a bad year for fungal diseases due to the high humidity and frequent rains. Typically this disease does not kill the tree, but just makes it look unsightly. If you want to prevent this from happening, treatment needs to happen at the beginning of the season when leaf buds just begin to green. Spraying needs to be done at intervals through the spring until flower petals have dropped. Read more about this here:
https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/apple-scab#fungicides-to-protect-ornamental-crabapples-from-apple-scab-3652960
Since it is a larger tree, you may need to consult an arborist to do the spraying. We recommend consulting an ISA-certified arborist for tree work. Find one here: https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist
I hope this is helpful.
Thank you for contacting Ask Extension.
Ruth
