Crab apple tree showing dsitress
We are wondering what's going on with our crab apple tree. The leaves are dropping and have brown spots on them. See photos. Thank you, Sheryl
Montgomery County Maryland
1 Response
Hi, your leaves are infected with a rust disease (cedar-apple rust or cedar-hawthorn rust). You may see a fair amount of leaf drop this spring. Rake up and dispose of as many infected leaves as possible to reduce the amount of innoculum available to infect the alternate host- Eastern red cedar. Weather is a large factor determining the severity of the disease year-to-year. Repeated severe infections can weaken the tree and cause dieback.
https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/cedar-apple-rust
https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/cedar-hawthorn-rust
Jon
