Please Tell Me This is Harmless

[thistlebloom]

I agree with So Lucky. It's lichen and lichen is not parasitic and doesn't kill trees, but can indicate a problem somewhere else.
I'd be concerned that your tree may be getting too much water, especially with your clay soil. I assume that your watering system has above ground sprinklers that spray the tree?

I would:
A. Prune, to let more light in and stimulate some fresh growth.
B. Fertilize with something like a triple 10.
C. Switch to a drip system around your trees.

Fruit trees typically don't need fertilizing every year, as long as you are seeing healthy growth.

 

[Nyboy]

I was hoping for Lichen because I always thought harmless. I was worried about blight. I hope @majorcatfish chimes in he is good with fruit trees. Tree might be getting to much water I have a shade garden under tree. Sprinkler set 1 hour every other day all season. Nothing like a crap apple in spring flower !!!!!!!

 

[bobm]

NYboy... here in the PNW all of the native non conifer trees and bushes have lichen growing on them. Most of my trees that I planted 2 years ago have lichens starting to grow on them. The cottonwood trees over our back fence and the wood lot of oak , cottonwood and other native trees are covered in them and moss too. We have almost daily light rain/ mist sometime through the day and or mostly cloudy with short sunbreaks until Aug. , Sept. Oct. when we get mostly sunshine as our dry part of the year, so it is very conducive for moss and lichen growth. Looking at your photos, it would be beneficial to prune out all crossing and down growing branches ( especially the one shown in photo # 2 downgrowing branch and the thick growing just beyond the branch bend) ) to prevent branch splitting (due to a strong wind/ wind storm or snow load ) as well as rejuvinate the tree before the tree leafs out. Have fun !

 

[valley ranch]

Lichen~that's what it looks like. Grows on rock as well.

 

[Nyboy]

Great feel much better ID is lichen

 

[thistlebloom]

An hour every other day sounds like way too much water. Especially on clay. Have you ever measured to see how many inches that one hour is applying? You could have some root rot going on under ground.


I said drip irrigation in my other post, but I meant tree bubbler.

 

[Nyboy]

What is a tree bubber? NY summers are very hot and humid but little rain. The heat drys clay to cement where water then just runs off. There is a rain gauge on sprinkler so it doesn't come on if raining

 

[thistlebloom]

A tree bubbler is an individual waterer that goes into each tree well. It won't wet the bark, which is damaging to trees. It has more volume than a drip emitter.

You should remove the shade garden from under the tree and mulch it 3' with chips or rough compost or straw. That's the best way to deal with clay IMO.

I know that's not what you want to hear, and I also have a shade garden under a fir tree that I won't remove even though my favorite arborist has fits about that sort of thing.

 

[majorcatfish]

@Nyboy in your photo it sure looks like Lichen... alot of people love to see it grow either on trees or rocks...but Lichen can be a sign of underlying problems as well.
since i never had it grow on my trees.. had to look it up....
here are a couple good links to read up on about it...

read all 3 pages of the first one.....
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20100128/ARTICLES/100129660?p=1&tc=pg

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fungus-lichens-fruit-trees-57781.html

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/lichen-growing-branches-fruit-trees-55163.html

 

[Nyboy]

Thanks for the links. Tree seems happy leafs, flowers and fruits fine. With all the fruit trees I have been planting worried about blight.