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Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
Dear All,
I have a sick apple tree which is *covered* in mistletoe. The variety is Howgate Wonder. It is about 30 years old and it had more mistletoe than apple leaves and stems and the apple leaves are scruffy and yellowed. The really strange thing is mistletoe shoots are emerging all over its branches. As I understood it, mistletoe propagation requires seeds to be inserted into the bark (eg. by birds) -- I'm sure this cannot be the case here. It is as though the mistletoe has 'invaded' the apple tree's tissues and taken over. Does this make an botanical sense and has anyone seen anything like this before? A few months ago I cut off most of the mistletoe but the tree still looks pretty sick. Is there any hope for it? Thanks Tom -- Tom Crane, Dept. Physics, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, England. Email: T.Crane at rhul dot ac dot uk Fax: +44 (0) 1784 472794 |
Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
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Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
On Jul 9, 2:32 pm, wrote:
Dear All, I have a sick apple tree which is *covered* in mistletoe. The variety is Howgate Wonder. It is about 30 years old and it had more mistletoe than apple leaves and stems and the apple leaves are scruffy and yellowed. The really strange thing is mistletoe shoots are emerging all over its branches. As I understood it, mistletoe propagation requires seeds to be inserted into the bark (eg. by birds) -- I'm sure this cannot be the case here. It is as though the mistletoe has 'invaded' the apple tree's tissues and taken over. Does this make an botanical sense and has anyone seen anything like this before? A few months ago I cut off most of the mistletoe but the tree still looks pretty sick. Is there any hope for it? Thanks Tom -- Tom Crane, Dept. Physics, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, England. Email: T.Crane at rhul dot ac dot uk Fax: +44 (0) 1784 472794 What i know of Misstletoe is the seeds germinate and the plant grows into the vascular tissue of the tree, which cuts off food and water supply. I think if it's not too severe you could probably prune out the branch with the parasite. I've heard in severe cases, it can kill a tree. |
Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
What i know of Misstletoe is the seeds germinate and the plant grows into the vascular tissue of the tree, which cuts off food and water supply. I think if it's not too severe you could probably prune out the branch with the parasite. I've heard in severe cases, it can kill a tree. Please explain what you mean when you say food? Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. |
Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
On Jul 9, 4:18 pm, "symplastless" wrote:
What i know of Misstletoe is the seeds germinate and the plant grows into the vascular tissue of the tree, which cuts off food and water supply. I think if it's not too severe you could probably prune out the branch with the parasite. I've heard in severe cases, it can kill a tree. Please explain what you mean when you say food? Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arboristhttp://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. Sorry. I meant carbohydrates which are manufactured during the photosynthesis process and any nutrients taken up through the root system. I don't claim to be an expert. Only stating what i've learned (or remembered)through Hort. classes and working in the nursery industry. But i always keep my ears open to new information.! Perhaps John, you could add some information about parasitic plants and their effect on fruit and ornamental trees. Regards, Bob. |
Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
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Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
On Jul 10, 10:18 am, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:
In article ,UHAP...@alpha1. rhbnc.ac.uk writes: | Dear All, | I have a sick apple tree which is *covered* in mistletoe. The | variety is Howgate Wonder. It is about 30 years old and it had more | mistletoe than apple leaves and stems and the apple leaves are scruffy and | yellowed. The really strange thing is mistletoe shoots are emerging all | over its branches. As I understood it, mistletoe propagation requires | seeds to be inserted into the bark (eg. by birds) -- I'm sure this cannot | be the case here. It is as though the mistletoe has 'invaded' the apple | tree's tissues and taken over. Does this make an botanical sense and has | anyone seen anything like this before? No, and no, but it sounds very odd. I think it can throw out new shoots from the internal parasitic structures - particularly if you crop off the existing exterior growth. In the UK mistletoe has never been aggressive enough to see off a tree - although on the continent either a more aggressive form or the warmer summers seem to make it more of a problem. I suspect global warming may tip things over the edge for some of the weaker UK trees with a large parasitic load. The other possibility is that the bark on old branches is full of cracks and there really are that huge number of mistletoe seedlings growing on the tree. Worth looking to see that there isn't some other sap sucking parasite like woolly aphid making matters worse for the tree. Most trees I have seen in the UK co-exist happily with their mistletoe. | A few months ago I cut off most of the mistletoe but the tree still looks | pretty sick. Is there any hope for it? Unlikely. And the cause won't have been the mistletoe. 30 years is about the life of many apple trees. Could be old age, but I'd look for some other cause first. And maybe try an anti-fungal spray too. Regards, Martin Brown |
Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
In article . com, Martin Brown writes: | | | A few months ago I cut off most of the mistletoe but the tree still looks | | pretty sick. Is there any hope for it? | | Unlikely. And the cause won't have been the mistletoe. 30 years is | about the life of many apple trees. | | Could be old age, but I'd look for some other cause first. And maybe | try an anti-fungal spray too. Yes - but, once a tree has got to that state, is it likely to be salvageable? A 30 year old apple is not a young tree. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
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Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
Sorry. I meant carbohydrates which are manufactured during the photosynthesis process and any nutrients taken up through the root system. I don't claim to be an expert. Only stating what i've learned (or remembered)through Hort. classes and working in the nursery industry. But i always keep my ears open to new information.! Perhaps John, you could add some information about parasitic plants and their effect on fruit and ornamental trees. Regards, Bob. Trees absorb elements not nutrients. Food is a substance that provides and energy source, mostly. Nutrient is a substance that provides an energy source, elements, and other substances essential for life, in types and amounts that can provide a healthy life. Fertilizer is a substance that provides elements, as salts mostly, or in bonded forms, that require microorganisms to alter to forms that can be absorbed by plants. I do not call elements - nutrients, however nutrients would contain elements. You can put a file in a folder but you can't put a folder in a file. A list of elements can be found he http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...US211%26sa%3DX 17 Elements For Life - Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Sulfur, Magnesium, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Boron, Molybdenum, Chlorine, Zinc, Nickel [Sodium, Cobalt, Selenium?] 14 essential elements are obtained by trees from the soil. I do not have a list of which ones they are. Wood is the substrate of the base of the food web, the mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizae tend to be abundant in composted wood such as nurse logs. We had great success at tree biology workshops finding mycorrhizae during dryer times, in and about nurse logs. I believe, you don't have to agree with it, please, just think. I think that by applying mulch as I recommend under mulch here that you facilitate the mycorrhizae rather than just adding what I believe you mean as humus, over a lawn. Not that its bad in any way, adding humus i.e.. Mulching - http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub3.html and http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/ Look up "Mulch" Did I say - Mycorrhizae are organs that facilitate the absorption of elements essential for healthy growth. Mycorrhizae resist the Demons Of D. Mycorrhizae facilitate the absorption of elements. Demons of D are those things that add up to the big D word DEATH. E.g., Depletion, disruption, and dysfunction. Elements can be depleted. Disruption, you get hit my a Mac truck. Dysfunction, some organ such as mycorrhizae may not function. Major Elements C; H; N; O; P; K; S; Mg; Ni; Fe; Ca; Zn; Mo; Mn; B; Cl; Cu There is the law of the minimum. It states the element that is deficient the most, would be the determining factor in the health of the tree. I think research would be wise in the search for the optimum fertility level for trees. I did some soil testing in the upper four inches of soil and from at and about nurse logs in old growth forest which contain hemlocks and white pines. And much more. Here is my average on my testing for the latter. These where five test. 3 test sites where in Allegheny National Forest(Hearts Content) Pennsylvania and two where in Allegheny National Forest(Tionesta Scenic area) Pennsylvania. Results are in Pounds Per Acre PPA. AVAILABLE ELEMENTS P 8.2 K 236 Mg 107 Ca 594 Al 220.6 Fe 110.8 Mn 118.6 Zn 11.96 NO3-N 28.8 Did not get B or CU. Organic matter was 29.32% Ex Acidity 81 ME/100G Salts mmho: 0.01 mmho/cm Moisture %3.97 Water Soluble mg/kg B 1.0738 ACID Soluble (mg/kg) Cd 0.976 Cu 6.768 Ni 5.71 (Penn State discovered the element Ni to be essential in small amounts) Mn 426.378 Co 3.084 Zn 46.818 Pb 101.792 Cr 5.078 P 726.226 The CARBON TO NITROGEN RATION was 27:1 pH 4.2 WOW That would be a goal of mine if I was going to provide essential elements professionally. I did not see to many people in the old growth sections. There was more calcium at a nurse logs in a separate test. We don't feed trees, however, we can feed the soil with composted wood (chips and nurse logs) and leaves. We can feed the system. I have some results for some sick hemlocks (elements in soil) -- Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. |
Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
In uk.rec.gardening Martin Brown wrote:
: On Jul 10, 10:18 am, (Nick Maclaren) wrote: : In article ,UHAP...@alpha1. rhbnc.ac.uk writes: : : | Dear All, : | I have a sick apple tree which is *covered* in mistletoe. The : | variety is Howgate Wonder. It is about 30 years old and it had more : | mistletoe than apple leaves and stems and the apple leaves are scruffy and : | yellowed. The really strange thing is mistletoe shoots are emerging all : | over its branches. As I understood it, mistletoe propagation requires : | seeds to be inserted into the bark (eg. by birds) -- I'm sure this cannot : | be the case here. It is as though the mistletoe has 'invaded' the apple : | tree's tissues and taken over. Does this make an botanical sense and has : | anyone seen anything like this before? : : No, and no, but it sounds very odd. : I think it can throw out new shoots from the internal parasitic : structures - particularly if you crop off the existing exterior Interesting. How would one determine if the mistletoe had made these 'internal parasitic structures' ? : growth. In the UK mistletoe has never been aggressive enough to see : off a tree - although on the continent either a more aggressive form : or the warmer summers seem to make it more of a problem. I suspect : global warming may tip things over the edge for some of the weaker UK : trees with a large parasitic load. : The other possibility is that the bark on old branches is full of : cracks and there really are that huge number of mistletoe seedlings That is the odd thing -- the branches have smooth clean bark -- no canker etc. The mistletoe erupts from these. Also I should have mentioned that early this year I fed the tree with N+P+K as directed by a decent fruit tree book -- to no avail. All of this tree's contemporaries (different varieties, all cookers) have small amounts of mistletoe on them but no sign of sickness. : growing on the tree. Worth looking to see that there isn't some other : sap sucking parasite like woolly aphid making matters worse for the : tree. Most trees I have seen in the UK co-exist happily with their : mistletoe. I'm pretty sure there is no serious woolly aphid infestation. Ornamentals seem to be plagued by them this year, but I digress... : : | A few months ago I cut off most of the mistletoe but the tree still looks : | pretty sick. Is there any hope for it? : : Unlikely. And the cause won't have been the mistletoe. 30 years is : about the life of many apple trees. : Could be old age, but I'd look for some other cause first. And maybe : try an anti-fungal spray too. Sure. : Regards, : Martin Brown Thanks to all who followed up. -- Tom Crane, Dept. Physics, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, England. Email: T.Crane at rhul dot ac dot uk Fax: +44 (0) 1784 472794 |
Mistletoe killing an apple tree?
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