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Care for 60 year old trees

4 years ago

We moved into our home 5 years ago and our wonderful old trees are recently not doing well

We don't know anything about tree care and could use some input There are 3 trees in particular that need help


First was told were potentially plum trees but they never produced fruit Leaves are looking bad and very sparse for this time of year.




Second I'm assuming is a type of weeping willow Leaves sparse and somewhat discolored



Third is one of two apple trees the other completely died (I'm guessing disease or insects) this one is doing ok but bark on truck is turning a pink color

All suggestion are greatly appreciated

Comments (6)

  • 4 years ago

    The first is a purple leaf plum. If this has been around for 60 years, that is a good 40 past its usual "best by" date!! These tend to be relatively short-lived and disease prone and usually start declining in appearance and health around 20 years.

    The second is tough to determine for certain but looks like a form of weeping cherry. Much like the purple leafed plum - to which it is very closely related - it is also well past its prime and prone to a host of disease issues.

    Not sure what's up with the apple. But like their close cousins the plum and cherry, apples too are prone to a lot of diseases and there are various ones that could account for the decline and bark discoloration.

    The first two are not really worth the effort to try to save. They will never regain full health and age puts them at a big disadvantage. Best to remove and replace with a young, heathy tree and one that could be expected to live for many years without constant disease issues.

    Depending on how productive it is and how attached you are to the apple, you may want to consult with an arborist on ways to improve its health.

    In short, not all trees can or should be saved.

  • 4 years ago

    Were the trees all healthy when you moved in? I think gardengal is spot on, but it‘s unfortunate they all deteriorated at about the same time. Try to see it as an opportunity and enjoy watching what you plant grow into something beautiful.

  • 4 years ago

    the purple leafed plum is an ornamental... though in the family of plum.. it usually doesnt make plums ... i had one that fruited.. and then promptly died ..


    get rid of it ... there really isnt anything to 'save'


    in every post.. add location.. big city name.. what is all that green stuff hanging on your trees???


    in fact. imo.. get rid of them all.. and plant your own mistakes and future problems ... i dont really see much of anything worth investing your time in ... and trust my on its not worth doing it for the history of the garden or house ....


    the ONLY benefit of messing with them.. is that your could learn how to prune.... lol .. you can always kill a tree later.. may as well learn something ont eh journey ...


    ken

  • 4 years ago

    I'd get an arborist out to look at the whole picture and make recommendations re removal, proper pruning etc.

  • 4 years ago

    "Were the trees all healthy when you moved in?"

    None of these are evidence of a fast decline. This is something that has been happening over a period of years.......perhaps even decades. Whether the result of age and disease proclivity or by the benign neglect of the previous owners, this has been a long time gradual process, not a sudden occurrence.

    And the first two are clearly beyond redemption!

  • 4 years ago

    Wow thank you all for your input. I’d say the trees seemed in decent shape 5 years ago but have all seemed to decline more in the last 2 years. We really weren’t sure how to proceed & appreciate your suggestions!