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Hi everyone. I have an apple tree in my garden and I'm not sure of what condition it's in and what I can do to preserve it and help it stay alive and give good fruit.

My friend said the hole where water builds up from rain etc is how the tree rots and dies. Is this true? And is there any type of resin or anything I can fill the hole in with to stop it filling with rain water and causing rot?

There is also this white furry stuff on the tree. Is that a sign of a dying tree?

There are also some black branches? Are they dead branches and should I saw them off?

The tree was also completely wrapped in ivy from years of neglect. I've been working a lot on the garden but the ivy is thick.

I have been steadily removing the ivy from the branches and trunk, and made good progress. But one of the three main branches still has a fair amount of ivy I need to remove.

Can ivy kill or harm an apple tree? Any other general advice on keeping it in good health, getting good fruit and making it last a long time and grow more branches to give more fruit will be much appreciated.

The tree is finally going to get some proper sunlight this year and can breathe better with no ivy wrapped around most of the trunk so I'm hoping to see an improvement in its health and condition

Apple trees are prone to fungal attacks that can affect the bark, blossom, or fruit. I think your tree is suffering from bark canker that gets into the bark where it is damaged or a branch has been cut off. Your tree would benefit from removal of all the old ivy vines and a thin out to give it the best chance to produce new green growth in spring. There are treatments for bark canker but most are for removal of infected parts. Have a read up on that.

DWD

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 4:37 pm Apple trees are prone to fungal attacks that can affect the bark, blossom, or fruit. I think your tree is suffering from bark canker that gets into the bark where it is damaged or a branch has been cut off. Your tree would benefit from removal of all the old ivy vines and a thin out to give it the best chance to produce new green growth in spring. There are treatments for bark canker but most are for removal of infected parts. Have a read up on that.

DWD

Thanks DWD. Can I ask what you mean by a "thin out"?

I'll get another photo of it with all ivy removed and show you the healthy branches to get a better idea.

My gardener is coming over tomorrow so I'll see if we can get the remainder of ivy off.

I'll look into cankers

Thinning out is pruning off a lot of the twiggy stuff. You can then see what branches are best removed to give it a better shape and allow new growth. These would be hopefully the most damaged branches.

DWD