Proper care for Apricot trees - Ask Extension
Hi, I wanted to know the proper treatment for my apricot trees, I have a few issues with them, there appears to be some dark snap around the base of o...
Knowledgebase
Proper care for Apricot trees #876848
Asked July 11, 2024, 2:59 PM EDT
Hi, I wanted to know the proper treatment for my apricot trees, I have a few issues with them, there appears to be some dark snap around the base of one of them. The second issue is that I have pest eating the leaves and holes in many of the leaves. I wanted to know how to safely treat the plants without endangering small kids or pets that use the yard? I will say I have noticed Japanese beetles on the leaves recently but there were holes prior starting in the springtime prior to their arrival. Any help would be much appreciated Thank you.
Wayne County Ohio
Expert Response
First, the dark sap oozing from trunk/branches. It looks like it might be something called Perennial Canker or Cytospora caused by a fungus and typically effects cherry, nectarine, peach, plum and apricot
Cankers are areas of dead cambium and bark and can occur on stems, limbs, and twigs. They are off-color, usually oval-shaped, and usually slightly sunken. Dark amber gum may exude from the canker edges. Cankers enlarge yearly or advance down side branches. Spores spread this fungus during wet weather, and successful infections occur in weak or wounded tissue.
Following is a link to Utah State University Extension site with more info, pictures and treatment options. Two pdf files are also attached with more info.
https://extension.usu.edu/planthealth/research/backyard-apricot-pests
As for the holes in the leaves, the Japanese Beetle is the most likely culprit. There are a number of insects that attack apricot trees but they mainly attack the fruit itself. You didn't mention any problem with the apricot. Following are a few more links to University Extension sites with more info about insects that attack apricot trees:
https://extension.illinois.edu/fruit-trees/pests
https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/apricots-in-the-home-garden
Cankers are areas of dead cambium and bark and can occur on stems, limbs, and twigs. They are off-color, usually oval-shaped, and usually slightly sunken. Dark amber gum may exude from the canker edges. Cankers enlarge yearly or advance down side branches. Spores spread this fungus during wet weather, and successful infections occur in weak or wounded tissue.
Following is a link to Utah State University Extension site with more info, pictures and treatment options. Two pdf files are also attached with more info.
https://extension.usu.edu/planthealth/research/backyard-apricot-pests
As for the holes in the leaves, the Japanese Beetle is the most likely culprit. There are a number of insects that attack apricot trees but they mainly attack the fruit itself. You didn't mention any problem with the apricot. Following are a few more links to University Extension sites with more info about insects that attack apricot trees:
https://extension.illinois.edu/fruit-trees/pests
https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/apricots-in-the-home-garden
