Moss or a Lichen on Apple Trees?

[SPIKER]

Moss or Lichen growing on Apple Trees I have some photos but can't upload them to my gallery for some reason.   

Anyhow one or two of my dwarf apples have it growing on them pretty thick over the last year or so and wondered if this could be an issue going forward?   Pretty typical light gray fuzzy stuff about 1/8" thick on much of the lower trunk & branches.

got the Pic up loader issue fixed thanks to JEFF
Edit in pick




thanks

MarkM

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Hi Spiker,

Typically harmless, just using the apple tree as infrastructure to grow on.  Does the grow seem to be inhibiting the apple tree of causing a decrease in fruit production?

Regards,

jay

[SPIKER]

Hi Spiker,

Typically harmless, just using the apple tree as infrastructure to grow on.  Does the grow seem to be inhibiting the apple tree of causing a decrease in fruit production?

Regards,

jay

Hey Jay:  these trees are about 6 yrs old and production from them has been very poor, I think maybe 6 apples last year (frost killed most all fruit/blossoms though) and perhaps a dozen or so 2years ago.    They have been planted for about 8 or so years and were the last discounted trees that I paid 10 bucks for & are grafted burlap root balled at the time of planting.

Mark

[Jay C. White Cloud]

A gloved hand can rub it off, but my gut is telling me, (with out seeing the whole situation,) that you may just need to do a good "orchard prune," or "topiary prune," to stimulate new growth and feed the little guys.  Root ball grafts are very common if not the norm in orchard production.  Try to post some pics so I could take a gander at them.  I will check in on them as spring develops.  Then I can talk you through a prune if need be, or send you to a local nursery and/or book form more advice.  Does that sound like it would help?

Regards,

jay

[SPIKER]

Jay

I been pruning them pretty good over the years and just did a prune this week.   I'll be out doing more work tomorrow so I'll try & take pics. of overall view.

Mark

[Jay C. White Cloud]

I look forward to the pics Mark, if you been prune'n them I at a loss, other than maybe some feed'n.  Hopefully the pictures with tell us somethin.  Do you know "apple rust" looks like?  It could be that?

Till later,

jay

[SPIKER]

Hi Jay:

Took a few pics today of the trimming and was moving / cleaning up some branches from 3 bigger trees I cut down.   

The trees are maybe 6~8 feet high I been in the ground for a few years & was the last of the clearance trees with pretty poor form to begin with.   I left them grow for a couple years to try & get some life back into them & last year and this year I've done more aggressive trimming for form going forward.
   
Some of the trees are smaller and were planted in last year or two.


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This below photo is of a young tree that I'm trying to get the branches formed a bit better/wider. 



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Last one for now.


I've got some pear and some peach trees to trim up yet and the pic quality is not all that great as I cut resolution down for the forum but I'm going to upload them to off site photo storage site if you want to know where PM me.

thanks

Mark

[thecfarm]

Seem like I saw that on the trees my Father planted. I don't do nothing to them,besides keep the limbs cut off so I can mow around them. I only have about 4 left.

[beenthere]

Spiker
There are a number of places that I see you can prune, but it depends on what shape you are after.

Branches growing into the center of the tree, I would cut out. In the center there will not be much fruit.

Where I'd want to get the tree to get width, I'd cut the vertical just above a branch or bud. That branch will then go horizontal at that point.

If you let us know the shape you want then some cuts could be shown on your pics, especially if you would zoom in on some of the center portions that might be in question. Background branches from other trees can be a bit confusing, so take pics without trees in the background would help.

Room to mow around the trees without knocking your hat off is one of the first things I trim for.

Sucker growth is bad in apple trees, and they get cut out every year. Usually they go straight up.

Good time of year to get it done.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Hi Spiker,

After seeing the photos, there isn't much I could add past what "Beenthere" has just shared.     He hit just about every point I would have made, and asked the same questions.  Bud position, and where you cut is really important when training the tree to grow, (up, down, sideways etc.)  I'm with "Beenthere" there on I see many spots to prune them back some more, but would have to know the goals first. 

It would make mowing difficult, but these little guys are ready for maybe some weighting/stacking down branches, and some other aggressive training methods, or just, perhaps, an aggressive orchard prune. 

The lichen/moss level looks just fine.  Cut the grass near the trunk by hand and keep it clear maybe for 300 mm (12") away with mulch.  Rabbits, Mice, Vole and other little chewers like to sometimes girdle trunks.

Regards,

jay

[davidlarson]

I visited the farm and orchard of a friend who is a local guy, western NC mountains native.  He had 2-3 softball-sized stones wedged in the crotches of each of his apple trees.  He explained that he put them there to keep the lichen from growing on the trees.  That was a new idea to me.  I saw that it did not seem to be working, as there was about as much lichen on the stone-treated trees as on other trees near by without stones.  The lichen didn't seem to be hurting the trees.  I looked up lichen and found that it doesn't actually harm the trees where it grows, but I haven't mentioned this to my friend, as he is a yellow-dog Democrat and it is hard to get him to change his mind.
David L.

[SPIKER]

Jay & Beenthere Thanks for the reply's, I do need to try better to keep the grass off from under them.   I propped up one of them better using a crotch limb from the trees and have to go back & do a bit better on the trimming for form.    Part of the issue has been poor trees to begin with & having the actual time to do the trimming.   I'm off work now so got a bit more time & basically trimming for production of apples and ease of working around.   I'm trying to keep them under 8' give or take a bit.   The first trimming was done while I was off with my back during bright sunny day and was not trimmed very well (my bad, not enough researching on the subject.)

Until last year the trim the limb above a bud that is facing the direction you want the limb to go was missed.   Also I've had issues with Deer Grazing on them & a severe frost after their first trimming combined with trimming them too close to the buds got them out of wack.



Mark

[ArborJake]

 I have a customer who has lichen growing on his Ash tree. I told him it will grow on a rock and can't be getting nutrients from a rock, it's not getting nutrients from your tree. He doesn't believe me. I went by his house about a week later and saw him pressure washing it off the trunk. Now he has an Ash tree with a light tan trunk.  If it makes him feel better  i guess.

[WDH]

 :D :D :D :D

All ash trees have lichens  .

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Lichen are everywhere, if you stood still they would grow on you.  They do grow on Sloths because they are so slow moving and tend to stay in the tops of trees. Most species are epiphytic, cause no or very little harm.

[SwampDonkey]

Pressure washing lichens now?    I've seen the stuff grow on vinyl siding that is shaded, so pressure wash that, not the tree bark.

[SPIKER]

Hey Guys:

I have some Blooms starting to open up (too early AGAIN) on my Peaches and Pear.   I took a few pics before/after finishing some of the Trimming. 

Dwarf Apple pic after Spring trim

2nd tree

3rd tree


Bartlet Pear that was getting a heavier trim this year as last year it bloomed early & frosted everything off so no pears last year hope this year is better.


2nd Bartlet tree it will get TOPPED next year, the above pic is from distance this one close up after getting ladder up..



what will GO next year to top it off.


This year I HOPE it dont freeze off the blooms again, the 2 bigger Bartlet Pear and the 2 bigger peach are all starting to open up already...  Had upper 60's~70's most of the week & today dropping back into 30's & maybe hitting the 20's  :

Mark

[mesquite buckeye]

Unless the lichens are shading the leaves, ignore them. They will enrich the soil as they age and die. They are among the first colonizers of sterile rock, ie good.

[SwampDonkey]

Pears grow up here, but Bartlet pears are a variety that doesn't keep too long. Once it's actually ripe, it's not far from being rotten. The local apple orchard grows some. Any that I have grown never sized up or ripened. Peaches won't grow up here, not frost hardy enough. Apples do fine this far north, but north of here there never were any commercial orchards. Some old homestead varieties north of here in back yard orchards. My uncle tried dwarf varieties up his way, never had an apple on them fit to eat. And I also think some of these dwarf varieties are like the old in appearance only, but don't have the taste or texture. I have some dwarf New Brunswicker and they stay hard as baseballs. The old trees in the orchard where good apples, soft and real juicy and sweet. I think like anything else, there are some racketeers out there. ;)

[thecfarm]

Seem like in the 30 years my father had his trees,he only had 5 good years.  :D  Seem like every year something would happen. But boy did he enjoy those trees. LOTS and LOTS of spraying to get any fruit. I remember one year he had a clump of pears on a forked tree. Maybe only 3 on each limb.It was a good size limb on each side to support the weight. Something got up into the tree and broke it down. The fruit kinda more than half eaten. My Father was not happy when he saw that. Killed the tree.  :(

[SwampDonkey]

Coons, they wouldn't leave the plum and cherry trees alone here. They both used to be loaded with fruit, but them critters can destroy a good tree.