Apples have brown spots!

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

Hi folks -

moved into a house last summer - we have an apple tree that seems to be doing well (producing a fair amount of fruit) despite needing a good pruning.

A few questions based on the attached photos:

1) What kind of apple is this? Tastes like a MacIntosh

2) What are the brown spots? I assume all evidence of a worm?

- what can be done about this pest right now (assuming to preserve the one third of fruit that is not damaged thus far?
- what should be done for preventative measures in future years?

3) I plan to prune this tree early spring. perhaps this question will be answered if I can identify the variety, but should we expect to get fruit every year, or every other? Last summer we did not notice any fruit, but I was assuming this was because wintermoth worms defoliated the tree/blossoms thus no fruit.

My family and I are excited to be bless with a great tree! Just need to learn how to care for it...

Many thanks!

Brad in MA

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Comments (8)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
11 years ago
Google 'Apple scab'. It's largely cosmetic and shouldn't affect the eating.
fireballsocal
11 years ago
Look also at a gravenstein apple. Mine look similar and are ripe right now.
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rphcfb14
11 years ago
Do not know what kind but may not be Gravenstein. It is hard for an apple to ripe the same time in CA, zone 9 and MA zone 6.

I also think it is apple scab. Nothing can be done now. Next year after petal fall, spray the whole tree with Immunox fungicide and another time about two weeks later. It will help with both scab and cedar apple rust, another common apple disease.

prune in late winter or early spring. Remove dead, disease and crossed branches first.

Thinning is usually an affective way to ensure your tree will not go biennial. When the tree starts setting fruit, thin off fruitlets. Leave about one apple per cluster, sometimes remove the whole cluster.

there are a few insects that can do serious damage on apples. They are coddling moths, apple maggot flies, etc.. Those need insecticide.
grasswhisperer
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank so much all! We are excited to have an apple tree and this will help us care for it.
Scott F Smith
11 years ago
Apples often fruit every other year. To avoid that, the year it does fruit pick off nearly all of the tiny ones (leave one every 4-6" or so).

My guess on variety would be McIntosh. Its by far the #1 apple planted where you are in the last 50 or so years.
grasswhisperer
Original Author
11 years ago
thank you all for the responses! so I will need to prune this tree quite a bit - I would say it hasn't been pruned in maybe 10 years or so. I've read that the time to prune is early spring. But why can't I prune some right now? Along with the tree being very tall, many of the branches are very long - I'd like to at least shorten some of them now, brushing against the house, etc.

Thanks!
rphcfb14
11 years ago
Some people prune apple all year long. It is not a must that you only prune in early spring.

prune off dead, diseased, broken, crossed branches first. I would take off branches with a narrow crotch angle or competing ones, also. Apple is quite forgiving. I do not think you would hurt it by doing some pruning now.
grasswhisperer
Original Author
11 years ago
great advice - thank you!!