Fruit Growing Problems due to the Weather
Apricot dieback, is quite noticeable like the following photos that I took this spring?
For me, this effect seems very bad this year. We have had it occasionally in previous years. We have had tests done, but nothing to indicate anything. Normally its due to a bacterial infection like canker, gummosis, vertticillium wilt.
It seems we did have excessive rain/flooding during winter, and the land did not dry out, or even freeze. So the roots stood in water for a good few months. Dependant on the rootstock used, some are worse than others. But we did have a very late frost 12th May 2020, that was quite hard for only an hour or so.
We cut out the more severely dead branches, and strangely the tree sends out vigorous new healthy looking growth. If you see the 1st photo the leaves lower down are healthy and green.
A similar effect on a potted plum tree, see photo below. But this was probably due to intense high temperatures and UV and lack of rain. Normal sun scorch gradually burns the tips of the leaves, but no burning in this instance ? so I am stumped with this. Could well be a virus.
We did have a very late and hard frost, for only a few hours recently, 12th May 2020. My fig trees in full leaf took a hit, see photo below. They still have not fully recovered, but as the tips were caught, the fruit below were mostly OK.
In contrast, mid June 2020, we had severe sunburn of Persimmon, Sweet Chestnut and Pawpaw seedlings, see photo below. Not sure if main shoot has been affected. It will probably just stunt the growth. But the intense UV through our normal greenhouse shading, gave little protection.
The below photo shows an effect whereby leaves have unfurled and then died. And this was on cherries and plums. I put this down to the rootstock, not having produced sufficient roots to support the ie water flow through the graft. And in some instances the graft not even taken. The photo below shows a nicely growing plum, and from the same batch, leaves dying, with no roots
Also on a similar theme the following photo below, shows a pears, with the graft not taken due to the graft not callusing and the roots dying, due to being exposed to above 30 deg C in the greenhouse. The scions are still green and alive. However the rootstock gradually survives and produces shoots.
We will shortly go round and regraft the same scion (re cut to live growth) onto same rootstock, but lower down also onto live growth.
As mentioned before, rootstock play an important roll in there capability of withstanding, waterlogged ground, non irrigated ground, freezing spells etc etc.