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[Sam16]

Doesn’t look promising... what’s the prognosis?

This tree was planted 2-3 years ago and hasn’t grown much. It was from Willis nursery and I will never buy from there again. Very small trees and 50/50 success.

The trees I planted this spring are looking great! Northern whitetail crab nursery. Some are 6 ft tall already and 3 of 12 trees already have fruit.






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[Native Hunter]

That is cedar apple rust (CAR). If it gets no worse than that, it likely won't cause you any serious issues. However, I have seen it nearly defoliate trees and be a problem. Some cultivars of apples are nearly immune to it and others very susceptible. You will likely see some amount of it every year on that tree unless you spray to prevent it. The same trees get it every year, and the weather can affect the severity as well as the susceptibility of the cultivar.

I have one tree (Betsy Deaton) that gets it every year but still manages to make excellent apple crops. I planted a Goldrush a few years ago, and it get it so bad that it looks like I may topwork the tree next year to a different variety.

Good luck.

 

[Sam16]

Thanks NH. I wish I labeled these trees when I planted them because I cannot remember what variety they are. Golden Delicious is my guess, but that's only because it's the only variety I recall planting that year. There's actually 2 in this area that similar looking with some CAR. Do you recommend just waiting it out and seeing what happens?

As for your Goldrush, I thought it was CAR resistant? I hope so because I had a couple Goldrush, ha!

 

[Native Hunter]

Thanks NH. I wish I labeled these trees when I planted them because I cannot remember what variety they are. Golden Delicious is my guess, but that's only because it's the only variety I recall planting that year. There's actually 2 in this area that similar looking with some CAR. Do you recommend just waiting it out and seeing what happens?

As for your Goldrush, I thought it was CAR resistant? I hope so because I had a couple Goldrush, ha!

Yes, I would wait and see what happens with those trees showing CAR. They could end up being productive enough that you would want to keep them. A little CAR may be ugly but not always a deal killer on an apple.

Goldrush is resistant to everything except for CAR. I knew that when I planted mine but thought it was worth the risk, because I liked everything else I had read about the apple. I'm certainly glad now I just planted one of them.

I've noticed that many of the guys north of you and me seem to have less trouble with Goldrush and CAR. One person on the other forum has shown pics of his, and it is very minor spotting. You may be okay with yours, but I can already tell it was a mistake for me to plant it.

Below is a picture of one limb on my Betsy Deaton hanging down with a load of apples. Notice the CAR visible on the leaves. I've seen that tree much worse, but it always manages to make a big crop.

 

[Sam16]

I need to make CAR resistant a priority. There are a lot of cedars nearby my orchard. Thanks for all the info. I appreciate it!

I hope all of the Northern Whitetail Crabs are CAR Resistant like they claim to be.

 

[Native Hunter]

I need to make CAR resistant a priority. There are a lot of cedars nearby my orchard. Thanks for all the info. I appreciate it!

I hope all of the Northern Whitetail Crabs are CAR Resistant like they claim to be.

It's okay to make CAR resistance a priority, but don't forget that nothing can devastate a tree like fireblight. So, make sure that you are also looking for trees resistant to it as well. In fact, it is really wise to choose trees with resistance to all of the major diseases if possible.

Not sure if you are into pears, but there are some pears that are nearly bulletproof. Get a good pear that is highly resistant to fireblight, and you will be setting well. Even Japanese Beetles don't seem to bother pears like they do apples.

Good luck.

 

[Turkey Creek]

If you dont want to spray then having trees resistant to CAR can certainly be done. However, CAR is one of the more easily controlled diseases if you are willing to spray 2-3 times in the spring. I have Goldrush and it certainly can get CAR, but it is one of my favorite eating apples so I will spray.