Fungal Canker is a common problem on apple and pears especially in the wetter west of the U.K.

It will infect young twigs in the Spring and cross infect to older wood, it can infect the trunk and rarely it will kill a tree. On the positive side older trees badly infected will often fruit well, as the tree is put under pressure where the sap flow is constricted, it can infect fruit and effect storage qualities.

The cure - a multi - pronged attack is required

1.Recognise and remove on a regular basis, in the west of Britain check trees monthly, remove any infected wood cutting back a foot from the infection at least. Burn the wood removed, treat cut surfaces either with 10% bleach, or use armillatox from a garden centre, or rub wound with soilthis contains so many competing organisms the fungal canker is crowded out. Treat secateurs with 10% bleach dip between cuts.

2.Encourage strong hard growth, regular pruning of apple and pear trees rejuvenates trees and keeps them healthy, though excessive winter pruning will give too much growth and little fruit. Summer pruning is good in August to encourage fruiting and remove unwanted growth.
Don't overfeed apple and pear trees with fertiliser, or even manure, as this encourages sappy growth prone to canker infection.

3.Apply Lime, calcium applied in the form of ground limestone or garden lime encourages hard growth resistant to infection. It also improves fruit storage. On sandy soils apply lime every year on clay soils every other year. For a young tree a few years old a few good handfuls, for a large mature tree half a bucket. Sprinkle a handful of lime on the soil used when backfilling around a newly planted apple tree.

4.Choosing the right tree, some varieties are more susceptible to fungal canker than others. Bramley has been shown to be resistant, Spartan more susceptible.

5.Live with canker under control, doing all of the above will greatly reduce fungal canker and keep trees healthy. Older trees may have a lot of infection that cannot easily be pruned away, though paring with a sharp knife and treating as above point number 1. will help. In the long term keeping older trees and living with canker can be more acceptable than loosing the tree, they maybe fruiting well. There is evidence that trees will heal over cankerous wounds.

www.adamsappletrees.co.uk