Spring planting of apple trees, leaves curling and fading in color - Ask Extension
This Spring I planted a Granny Smith and Liberty Appletrees. We frequently 'dripped' soaked them for an hour. Now not so much, since the soil at the b...
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Spring planting of apple trees, leaves curling and fading in color #876713
Asked July 10, 2024, 3:51 PM EDT
This Spring I planted a Granny Smith and Liberty Appletrees. We frequently 'dripped' soaked them for an hour. Now not so much, since the soil at the base of trees are very moist.
Recently noticed leaves that were yellow/rust colored and this week some leaves are fading in color and curling.
I removed about a 7 inch radius of Mulch around the base because the soil was wet.
What do you think I need to do?
Dakota County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi Karen,
With our extreme rain amounts your trees may have been overwatered. Stop watering until the top couple inches of soil is dry.
Mulching new trees is good, but the mulch should never be touching or near the trunk, which can lead to rot and disease issues.
Here's the U of M guidance on watering new trees:
https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/watering-newly-planted-trees-and-shrubs
Another possibility is that your trees have chlorosis or apple scab. This site will help you narrow down the cause:
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/fruit/apple/
Good luck.
