Heirloom apple trees with agressively curling leaves - Ask Extension
I have 6 heirloom apple trees which I planted about 3 years ago from treesofantiquity.com. They were supposed to be blight and bug resistant but I h...
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Heirloom apple trees with agressively curling leaves #321700
Asked May 15, 2016, 8:10 AM EDT
I have 6 heirloom apple trees which I planted about 3 years ago from treesofantiquity.com. They were supposed to be blight and bug resistant but I have had nothing but trouble with them. The first two years I saw cedar tree apple rust. This year many of the leaves are curling aggressively but I don't see as many rust spots as past years. Do you have any advise on how to treat? If the leaves are curled everywhere on the plant, should I just pull it and try something else? Thank you!
Gloucester County New Jersey
Expert Response
There can be several reasons for curling of the foliage such as aphids, or a frost that occurred when the leaves were in bud. Go out and look at the foliage and look for aphids, a soft bodied sucking insect. These are early season problems and the tree should grow out of it. See our publication for more information on pome fruits http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_images/programs/hgic/Publications/HG76_IPM%20Pome%20Fr...
Tree fruits can be a challenge to grow for the average homeowner. Apples tend to have several pest and disease problems and may eventually need to be on a spray schedule. It is best to select the most disease resistant varieties. You will have to educate yourself on preventing and managing the most serious disease and pest problems. For general information see our website on pome fruit http://extension.umd.edu/growit/fruit-profiles/apples and our publication HG 69 Getting Started with Tree Fruits http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_images/programs/hgic/Publications/HG69_Getting_Started...
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Tree fruits can be a challenge to grow for the average homeowner. Apples tend to have several pest and disease problems and may eventually need to be on a spray schedule. It is best to select the most disease resistant varieties. You will have to educate yourself on preventing and managing the most serious disease and pest problems. For general information see our website on pome fruit http://extension.umd.edu/growit/fruit-profiles/apples and our publication HG 69 Getting Started with Tree Fruits http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_images/programs/hgic/Publications/HG69_Getting_Started...
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