I have a Flowering Crab (... - Ask Extension
I have a Flowering Crab (Prairie Fire) and it appears to have greenish patches on branches and twigs. Some branches have died so I pruned them. I star...
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I have a Flowering Crab (... #260374
Asked July 08, 2015, 9:30 PM EDT
I have a Flowering Crab (Prairie Fire) and it appears to have greenish patches on branches and twigs. Some branches have died so I pruned them. I started to deep root feed with a 10-10-10 fertilizer and seems like the leaves are looking better since I did this. Should I keep deep root feeding? Will the tree fill in again where I had to prune dead branches? I am adding photos. Please feel free to comment/advise.
Cook County Illinois
Expert Response
The greenish patches that are shown in your photo are lichens and they will not hurt your tree. https://extension.umd.edu/learn/i%E2%80%99m-lichen-it-peak-season-lichen-peeping Since you have dead branches, this is an indication that something is wrong with your tree, but the problem is not lichens. Continue to remove dead branches. Additional fertilizer is not likely to be of benefit. If there is drought, water deeply. Branches can fill in if there is sufficient light. https://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_images/programs/hgic/Publications/HG61_IPM_Series_Sha... This publication covers major tree problems. Crab apple trees are not very long lived. One common problem is scab. https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/scab-apples-trees If you notice other symptoms, send additional photos. vw
