This is a picture of a Honeycrisp grafted onto Kidd’s Orange Red. The grafts leafed out well, but now some of the leaves are curling up on the edges and turning brown and then black.
Does anyone knows what’s causing this?
Thanks Ray
My mutsu tree does the same thing, I think its powdery mildew but not sure.
Ray, I don’t know what your weather has been like but I have the same thing happening here to just a few of my grafts. We have had a wild range of cool. boiling hot, and cold (high tomorrow of 55, the day before yesterday in the 90’s). In my case at least, I think my grafts grew out nicely and were definitely growing on other than their own stores when the boiling temps hit. I suspect that although vascular tissue had formed, it was incapable of keeping up with the transpiration taking place at the higher temperatures. It’s also been very windy, probably due to wild temp. fluctuations.
I’m certainly no expert, but if that is indeed what the problem is for me, I would expect (and do have) issues just like that in your photo. Just like any plant suffering from inadequate moisture delivery.
Maybe the same is happening to you grafts.
Just a thought.
I have had powdery mildew cause similar looking damage before though, as tiger mentions, but in those cases the mildew was clearly visible.
I’ll second appleseed. We are also having big fluctuations here. I put on shorts today without looking at the weather and am regretting it.
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I’m having similar weather, a wet and cold spring and now temps in the 90’s and no rain. If it’s a lack of moisture, I’d better put the water hose to the tree. It definitely isn’t powdery mildew, but I sprayed a fungicide yesterday, when I sprayed my roses. Thanks guys for all your help. Gardening wouldn’t be half as much fun, without people to share it with.
Ray
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Ray, did you get some of the storm that came through here this evening? For once, it didn’t just go around our place. There’s supposed to be a 50/50 chance that we get some more this afternoon. I hope it does. The ground is so thirsty that just one rain isn’t going to do much except make the grass grow and revive the wilting weeds. Cut the grass over 3 weeks ago and except for the dandelions waving their heads, it hasn’t needed it since. It’s the only good thing I can say about the dryness. So much of my time this month has been spent watering that I haven’t been able to get much else done. I need a break as much as the plants do!
After I read your post here, I went out and examined plants. The garden transplants that I had put in not long before that were doing the same thing, even though I have been watering them well every day. Their vascular systems just were not capable of keeping up with the heat and general lack of surrounding soil moisture. For the most part, they have been recuperating, but I’m sure that it set them back.
I hope that was the same problem with your graft, and that extra watering and maybe some shade has helped it overcome the stress. How is it doing now?
The rain we got yesterday really helped. I just inspected all of my grafts and they
all look like they just got a shot in the arm. Some of them grew several inches just over night.
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Glad to hear that. Yeah, we can water and water and water, but it just isn’t the same as a good rain. Better yet would be a few good rains in a row so that it will last the deeper roots longer.
Keep your fingers crossed.