I have a couple of one year old apple trees that got hit by an early frost die-off here in central Oregon, zone 6a. It’s now mid June and no buds or leaves have come back; they are completely bare. Will these ever recover or should I replant with new trees? I’m hoping if I can get trees to survive a couple of years they can tolerate frosty spring weather better. Replant or be patient?
Scratch the bark. If it’s green right under the surface above the graft union they still have a chance. If brown that part is dead. Try down lower, as low as the graft union.
I’d think they’d come back. But you obviously have severe weather issues.
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Do a scratch test on the bark and see if there is any green tissue under the bark. If not you will know for sure, if there is green there might be a bit of hope.
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i had a montmorency cherry i thought was dead. i scratched the bark near thes soil line and it was still green. a week later a shoot came out from near the soil line. i cut off everything dead above the shoot. now its 14in. tall and growing fast. give it a chance for awhile and see if you see life.
I did a scratch test on both apple trees and got a green response both times starting near the graft collar and even tested higher. Both 6ft. tall trees seem to be ok so I will give them one more year. It just seems odd that they have gone completely dormant with summer upon us. Thanks to everyone for their responses.