Have 2 young apples showing a lot of ‘black fuzz’ on the terminal 6-8" of branches and on winter buds. comes off easily on finger nail. couple pics -
this one shows a side by side fuzz/area i rubbed off -
These trees had some aphids last summer but so did others nearby that show none of this black stuff. Any ideas on what it may be and whether it is trouble? Have a 50+ yr old cortland in good health that shows some but it’s not as obvious as it is on these young trees.
could it be the natural pubescence but black rather than white? what would make it so?
put some fungicide in your dormant oil and spray just before bud break, if you’re worried about it. should take care of any bug eggs and fungal issues on them.
Tank mixing dormant oil and Captan fungicide is, however, contraindicated. See the Captan label. Dormant oil is applied for aphids, scale, and mites as needed above 40° before silver tip. Captan is reserved for between silver tip and 1/4" green.
I’d guess its black sooty mold caused by honeydew poop from aphids/bugs. I’ve dealt with similar looking stuff for years, I don’t think it’s a big deal. I do spray bearing trees with Imidan 3-4 times a year. Those trees show less black mold than trees that don’t get sprayed
