Had a guy send me photos of his ailing apple benchgrafts; they sprouted OK, and then all seem to be succumbing to what appears to be a root rot. This could be caused by an anaerobic condition where the roots lack oxygen, but I’m not sure of the cause of that?
The soil looks like clay with poor structure. It’s puddled up pretty badly on top. In addition I wonder how well those bags drain. Some wood or sand mixed in might help.
We use maize sacks successfully in Uganda, but the clay there seems to have much more sand in it and drains better.
The adaptability of Tribes-Genus-species has always fascinated me. The muck those bench-grafts are planted in looks terrible for Malus, but seedlings from my Prunus ilicifolia would enjoy it!
Could be the lack of watering? Not sure. Bags at the back have loose soil at top. I expect a more flat top surface after two or three weeks of regular watering.
I am seeing dry leaf edges. Could be the reason of a long gap between watering? I am not sure.
Or could be the reason of application of watering. Clay soil in a sack become a hard mud-ball in few hours if left dry. Dry mud-ball in a sack needs repeating applications of small amount of watering to reach to the center.
Are those cement fruit trees?
Do we let them ripen on the tree or do we pick early and let them set after picking?
Mike