What does a dying crabapple tree look like?

What does a dying crabapple tree look like?

Dying branches You may notice that the branches are starting to fall off, become discolored, flaky, develop mushroom-like growths, or crack. If an entire branch starts to crack or begins to lose its foliage, this is a tell-tale sign that there is a serious issue with your tree’s health.

Why are the leaves on my crabapple tree dying?

The fungus, Venturia inaequalis, known as apple scab, is a leaf spot disease that can cause serious leaf drop on susceptible crabapple trees. Lengthy periods of rain this past May provided conditions for apple scab spores to develop. Damaged leaves become curled and yellowish with lesions, eventually turning brown.

How do you treat a diseased crabapple tree?

Prevention & Treatment: Prune out branches or infected twigs early in the season. If disease is severe enough to warrant chemical control, choose one of the following fungicides for use on apple trees and crabapple trees: thiophanate-methyl, myclobutanil, a copper fungicide or sulfur.

How often should I water my new crabapple tree?

During its first year of growth, crabapple trees need regular watering. Keep the soil evenly moist over the root zone, about an inch per week. Once it is well established, crabapples are very drought tolerant and shouldn’t need supplemental watering unless the season is extremely dry.

Should I feed my crab apple tree?

Once planted and properly established, crab apples need very little aftercare. bThey may need watering during prolonged dry periods in summer. Feed with a general granular plant food in spring. If any pruning is needed, it can be carried out at any time of year, although winter is the best time.

Why are the crabapple tree leaves turning yellow and falling off?

The answer is a fungal disease called apple scab. A fungus called Venturia inaequalis infects crabapple leaves early in the spring. Most people don’t notice the disease, though, until these infected leaves turn yellow and fall off the tree.