Hello, this summer I was removing extra leaves off of the leader branch of my 2 years old espalier apple tree. After a few weeks, I noticed the branch then started to slowly die from where I removed the leaf. Hopefully it is not disease…
The question I have is, will a new leader still grow next season?.. and how can I encourage the right (or best) branch to be the leader if that is still an option.
Including some pictures
Sorry to hear that! Indeed looks like your main leader has died back. I couldn’t tell because of what. Although unideal, I think there’s plenty opportunity to make that right again, especially given it’s such a young tree.
Could you add an “overview” picture of your tree in order to comment on choices for a new leader? Heavy pruning during dormancy can stimulate vigourous growth, providing you with some good “candidates”
Between the cicadas and the drought (I didn’t water enough), I noticed tip die back in most of my fruit trees, including my espalier. There will be another vegetative bud emerge and that will be your new leader.
Suggest Once it’s dormant repost two pics, one showing a closeup of the top and second showing whole tree, then others can better help you see the options you have
Dennis
Kent, wa
In blowing that pic up it does appear that the entire branch/leader is dead. There seems to be necrotic tissue well below where that branch begins.
I would look for just where problem begins by checking for live (green) tissue just under bark.
You will want to prune that entire area out and probably treat wound with a copper solution.
A few years ago I had planted a young pear tree, which I think I may have lost to blight, possibly because of over fertilizing?
Because of that, I made sure to have copper on hand and spray my apple trees lightly throughout the season. Esp in the beginning of spring.
After the leader started dying back, around from the middle area where there is still some green left, it spread from the tear, to the top of the leader and to the bottom, close to my first tier branches. I was so scared it was disease, so I did spray copper weekly a few times and it doesn’t look like it has extended any further.
I regret I didn’t make a clean cut and disinfect the area when I removed the leaves. I’m now scared to prune anything. I do try to wipe down my shears every time I make a cut. But any other suggestions to avoid this type of thing again, I would appreciate it.
I will post more pictures once the rainy weather here stops.
Thanks for the comments so far!
Here are more views of the tree today. I’m wary to prune anything at this point. Maybe I should wait until early next spring? as it will be sleeping for the winter soon. I’m in California.
Very nice start! I’m a season or two from that state on my 4 pear espaliers. Make it 5 as I just bought a Monterrey pear to start another.
In fact, I just grafted the 4 to the varieties I want this past spring, so I will head them for the first tier next spring.
You probably are right to wait till dormancy to do the pruning at this point.
When i mentioned copper i was thinking of using a high concentration slurry to brush on the wound after pruning. The labeled dosage of most copper sprays does little for some of the more serious canker fungal problems.
Im not saying you do have any serious problems but if you have gone through some changes in weather over the last few years, like maybe rain when you didnt get it before, then you may have a new problem.
All of my orchards are trellised, 6 wire, 7’ to top wire. The informal espalier is commonly referred to as a fruiting wall system. I like to just call it a 2 dimensional orchard.
I know how you feel. When training trees to fill a space you spend a lot of time and effort. But when something like your problem comes along it can just completely undo everything you have spent years working on.
However, if you do catch it early enough you can, at least, save the tree and start over.
