Leaves on an apple tree dry after flowering: how to save a tree

There are a lot of reasons for the drying of apple leaves in summer: improper care, weather conditions, soil, etc. If such a phenomenon is detected, measures must be taken as soon as possible to prevent the death of the tree. The article will help you find out the answer to the question, if the apple tree dries, how to save it.

Common mistakes when growing an apple tree

Inexperienced Gardeners usually make the following mistakes when buying and planting an apple tree:

• Buying the largest seedlings. The roots of large seedlings are usually severely damaged. As a result, the tree does not take root well. His frequent illnesses are also likely. Small and young seedlings without a large crown and strong roots are slightly damaged when dug up and take root well. Also, seedlings up to two years old show rapid growth.
• Saplings with open roots should not be planted earlier than September and later than October, as they will not survive the winter.
• The next mistake is to prepare the hole right before planting the apple tree. According to the rules, this must be done in 2-3 weeks, so that the earth subsides and the root collar subsequently is slightly above the ground line.

Apple tree is the most popular fruit tree in Russian gardens

• It is also not recommended to plant the apple tree too deeply. On the other hand, very shallow planting should also be avoided (especially in dry spring), because the roots can dry out and the tree does not adapt well to new conditions. To plant the apple tree correctly, you need to put a guide rail across the hole and place the seedling so that the root collar is 4-6 cm above the rail.
• The large amount of minerals creates an environment that kills special bacteria. They convert the fertilizer into a form that the roots can absorb. Therefore, the introduction of a large amount of mineral fertilizers into the hole when planting a tree is a big mistake. Also, you can not use poorly decomposed fertilizers (for example, fresh manure), as they will only harm the apple tree.

Seedlings should be purchased from a specialized store where only professionals work. It is also good that such seedlings are perfectly adapted to the climate of the region of their future growth.

Unsuitable climatic conditions

Most apple trees require a cool, humid climate to grow well. A harsh winter and rainy spring and autumn are what you need, because the apple tree requires more cold than other fruit trees. Excess sunlight won't hurt either. Most apple varieties grow well in climates where temperatures above +30 are rare, and if the leaves on the apple tree dry when this indicator is exceeded, some gardeners turn on air fans for cooling.

Leaves on apple trees can dry for a variety of reasons.

Wrong vaccination

Mistakes when grafting apple trees also contribute to the drying of leaves:

• Blunt knife. A good knife, with which you can graft a tree, should not crush, but cut the wood of the apple tree, otherwise the scion and rootstock will not grow together well. To do this, it must be sharpened well.To test the sharpness of the knife, you need to take it vertically in your left hand and try to cut ordinary offset paper or shave off the hair on your hand. If difficulties do not arise, you can use it to graft a tree.
• Slowness. An inexperienced gardener takes too long to plant trees. The whole process should take 15-30 seconds, because after 60-90 the cutting can be considered dry and weathered - it is no good. In order to meet this time, it is recommended to practice on breeds that you do not mind (eg willow).
• Loose strapping. To avoid the death of the cutting, the strapping must be tight (otherwise voids will form in which the connective tissue does not grow). Do not be afraid to make the strapping too tight, because in this case, after 10-20 days, instead of the first one, it is enough to impose a second, weaker one. In addition, due to the polymeric materials from which the straps are made, constrictions have become a rarity.

Only a well-sharpened instrument should be used for inoculation.

Malnutrition

To avoid the question of what to do if the branches of the apple tree are drying up, special attention should be paid to feeding the garden trees. The following types of fertilizers provide excellent nutrition:

• manure;
• bird droppings;
• humus
• peat-manure compost.

In general, apple trees are not particularly picky about the soil. It is enough that it is fertile and not very acidic: pH from 6 to 7 (you can deacidify with lime before planting).

How to revive a tree

Even if the gardener managed to understand when a young apple tree dries up, what to do, he is not immune from a problem in adult plants. It happens that growth stops and dried leaves are observed in trees that are 5-10 years old. The reason for this may be the close occurrence of groundwater.

Unfortunately, this problem is almost impossible to deal with. Of course, the amount of groundwater can be tried to be reduced by drainage. In this case, you will have to dig through almost the entire garden, but there is no guarantee that the water will never return or that this will help at all. There is another option - to grow fruit trees on dwarf rootstocks, which have shorter roots, but then you need to make sure that they do not freeze in winter.

Also, the apple tree leaves dry from fungi. They spread gradually and cause the tree to die slowly. There are two main types of fungi:

• The first one penetrates through thin branches and goes on to the trunk. As a result, the apple tree dries up. The reason for the danger of this type is that damage on the bark may not be noticed. To detect the fungus, you need to cut off the dried tip of the branch: if the cut is dark, then the problem exists.
• The second type of fungus attacks the trunk and its main branches. Its popular name is black cancer. This type of fungus is immediately detected, as a wound or rot appears on the bark.

You can save a tree from a fungus if you do not delay the treatment. What to do if the apple tree dries up after flowering or even already with fruits? First of all, you need to cut down all the affected branches and disinfect the sections. To reduce the possibility of a second attack, it is recommended to carefully prepare the apple tree for winter. To save a tree from fungi that attack the trunk and form wounds on the bark, it should be treated with special preparations. In the spring, wounds from the bark are smoothed out to healthy wood. Trees are treated with RanNet (copper sulfate) and fed with nitrogen so that they can overgrow the dead part.

One of the most common types of fungal diseases on the apple tree

Freezing of roots

One of the reasons for the drying of the leaves on the apple tree can be the freezing of the roots. If frosts in winter hit before the snow falls, then such a situation is quite possible.The problem is that even with damaged roots, apple trees start growing and bloom in the spring, and the first drying of the leaves begins in June-July, and with lightning speed.

If trees on a seed stock have no such problems, but on a dwarf rootstock, then the reason is in freezing. But don't be disappointed right away. There are several ways to save an apple tree if it dries up as a result of freezing of the roots. First of all, the earth in the near-trunk circle must be shed with Heteroauxin or HB-101 growth stimulator. Spraying the crown with "Zircon" also helps well. But these funds are incompatible, it is necessary to treat with one thing. In any case, the soil must be moistened and loosened.

Infecting trees with viruses

More recently, the first cases of viruses leading to the slow drying out of apple trees, even skilled gardeners were forced to say goodbye to the tree. The worst thing about viruses is their unpredictability. In most cases, they enter the tree from the planting soil, and then into the crown. The bark slowly deteriorates, the circulation of nutrients and productivity decrease, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off, and as a result, the tree comes to an end. If the gardener notices a problem, then he looks for the reason, for example, in the same freezing of the root system or in something else. In the event that a tree is really infected with a virus, it must be uprooted and destroyed. Unfortunately, there are no miracles. An apple tree or any other fruit tree infected with a virus cannot be revived.

The presence of pests

The most dangerous pest is the May beetle. Its larvae live underground and gnaw at the root system of the entire garden, preventing young trees from developing. Signs of the presence of May beetle - the leaves dry out prematurely and fall off, the branches begin to dry out. Moreover, this insect harms not only in May, eating foliage. Larvae are found at any time of the year when burrowing. To get rid of them, it is recommended to shed the soil with rooting stimulants. This provokes the production of nitrogen in the earth, which will drive the pest away. To avoid its return, the soil is fertilized with compost and humus.

May beetle larva

Prevention measures

Preventive maintenance is carried out in two stages: immediately after winter, while the buds are closed, and in the fall after harvest. The goal of the first stage is to drive out pests that have wintered in the garden and prevent fungal diseases. The spraying procedure should be carried out in early March. To do this, you should choose a windless day when the air temperature rises to + 4-6 degrees. Used agents such as "Nitrafen" or copper sulfate. Also, at the beginning of bud break, the tree can be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or copper / iron sulfate to prevent scab.

In the fall, fallen leaves and diseased branches must be burned. A tree completely devoid of foliage is recommended to be sprayed with a urea solution. To do this, dissolve 700 g of the product in 10 liters of water.

If the leaves began to dry out, therefore, something went wrong in the development of the apple tree or mistakes were made when caring for it. To save the tree, you need to find out the cause and quickly eliminate it.