Is my apple dying? Advice please.

Edinburgh_WG

Hello All

I was wondering if anyone could please advise. My newly ordered apple tree's leaves (white transparent on M9 rootstock) have started to turn yellow. Is my tree dying please? (It was a birthday present to myself, so I hope not.)

Thank you. 

pansyface

It certainly doesn’t look right.

Is it in a pot or in the ground? If in a pot, is the soil dry?  I can’t tell from the photo, but if it’s in the ground is that pine tree sheltering it from rain? Is the wall taking all the moisture out of the ground?

Have you kept it watered?

Best thing to do really is send that photo to the company that you bought it from and take it from there.

Edinburgh_WG

Thanks.

It arrived with the little leaves being green, but it didn't look very healthy altogether. 

I put it into a pot, and within a couple of days (literary), the tree's leaves started to turn yellow. 

I used 'Westland Tree and Shrub Planting Mix'. As soon as I did that, I watered the tree, then a couple of days later, I watered it again, as it was drier up here. 

Nights were cooler up here, too, but white transparent is a cold-weather resistant variety. 

 

pansyface

Was it bare root? Not in a pot?

If it was bare root and was coming into leaf then it would have been stressed.

Nah, you’ve done everything you could.

Send the company a photo, tell them what you’ve told us, say you think that there was a problem before you got it and ask for a refund.

Too late now for bare root.

Redwing

I agree, send the company a photo.

Edinburgh_WG

Thank you, both.

Obtaining the refund is the least of my worries here, because it won't be a problem to get it.

The main worry for me is to save the tree. 

Yes, the tree came as bare root. The roots were damp and wrapped in a bag. 

If the tree was stressed because of being bare root, does that mean it won't survive?

Is there anything I can do to try to let it survive? 

Thank you. 

pansyface

Well, when it was dug up it had most of its fine roots removed. Those are the ones that provide the plant with food and water. Then it had its large roots trimmed. Those are the ones that provide the tree with stability in the wind.

If it was in leaf when you got it, the sap had already begun to rise from the roots to the leaves. It would not have been able to balance the loss of moisture through its leaves with the inadequate supply of water from its diminished root system. It would die of dehydration, in effect.

If you want to try and save it, and are absolutely sure that the company will not ask for its return, I would do the following.

First, place it in a non sunny spot. Keep the root ball cool (but not frosted obviously). Don’t be tempted to over water it, just keep it moist.

Secondly, I would nip off all the yellow leaves between thumb and finger. That will reduce the amount of dehydration.

Thirdly, provide it with a secure stake to prevent wind rock.

With luck, there will be buds that have not yet broken into leaf and these will replace the lost ones.

For a company to have sent it out bare root and in leaf is unforgivable in my opinion. Like sending a live animal through the post with neither food nor water.

Good luck.

Edinburgh_WG

Hi Pansyface

Just wanted to say thanks. It looks like your advice has worked and after the initial shock, the tree seems to be recovering with new growth appearing and being green. 

Thank you.

pansyface

Yay!

(Don’t tell the company that sold it to you.)

Have you managed to organise a refund?

Edinburgh_WG

I've been honest with the company. They need to somehow make money, too.

So, I've started a return, but will cancel it. Especially that it's a very small company. 

pansyface

You are being very lenient.

They should never have sent out a tree that was in a bare root state if it was breaking into leaf.  Bare root trees should be totally dormant. Anything sent out in leaf should have been pot grown.

I hope you passed that message onto them. Otherwise other customers will suffer the same inconvenience and irritation and trees will die unnecessarily.