Steven Baxter asked 13 years ago
I have canker on small discovery apple tree: its on main stem, and it’s not that old. If I get a replacement what would you suggest, and is there any steps I could take to reduce this from occurring again?
1 Answers
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
Canker is a problem on apple trees in the damper parts of the country, and also if they are fed with compost or manure, only use wood ash or sulphate of potash.
This tree looks hungry, perhaps in competition with grass, also the soil might be heavy or drainage not great, or perhaps planted too deeply, as the colour of the bark would indicate one or more of these pressures.
A good variety in western areas is ‘Lord Lambourne’. But you can also prune out the canker from the ‘Discovery’ tree and clear away grass for 2 metres diameter and feed as suggested to grow new branches.
