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Is this powdery mildrew on my apple tree?

puschkiniapuschkinia BrightonPosts: 157
in Problem solving
Hi everyone, 

I planted a young (2 year old) apple tree in my garden around October of this year. It seems to be developing this white fuzzy coating on the trunk & branches. It doesn't wipe off so I don't think it's wooly aphids, though I may be wrong. A nearby strawberry plant had powdery mildew - could it be that? And if so should I just spray anti-fungal spray? I haven't managed to find pictures online that match what I'm seeing here so I just wanted to check

Thanks!

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Leicestershire, UKPosts: 11,337
    I would say that is normal for an apple sapling of that age.  Once the wood gets a bit older, it will darken, and you will only see that white sheen on any new wood which grew the previous year.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • puschkiniapuschkinia BrightonPosts: 157
    What a relief, thanks for your help :D And it's cool to know that I can easily see it's new growth too!
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Leicestershire, UKPosts: 11,337
    It looks like there are some flowering spurs on it, so it should bloom next spring. :) Remember to remove any apples which form though - it needs another year before it will be capable of bearing a few fruit without that affecting its overall growth.  I would also recommend that you make the grass-free area at the base of the trunk a bit wider - ideally 1m diameter, but 50cm would be ok for now.  The reason for doing that is that apple trees have feeding roots near the surface, and those don't compete well with grass or other plants (spring bulbs are fine though.)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • puschkiniapuschkinia BrightonPosts: 157
    I was hoping those were flower buds! I was literally just looking online to see the difference between wood and flower buds :)

    Yep I'll definitely remove the fruit as you suggest. I've been meaning to get rid of more of the grass too - the grass-free area was a little over 50cm initially, but that grass keeps growing into the mulch! But I hadn't realised how small it had gotten - I'll do it over the weekend :) Thanks again!


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