Gala apple tree dying?

[frdnicholas]

I thought at first this might be fall foliage but now I don't think so. The tree has been in the ground since this spring here in zone 8b Southeast Coastal Georgia. It was doing very well. Our temperatures have been 60s-80s for a little over a week, but before that we had several weeks in the 90s. I've watered it weekly soaking it and just added some compost. Is this normal or a disease?

 

[Meadowlark]

Have you tried the scratch test? With a fingernail scratch the bark looking for green showing underneath. If its brown to the ground its dead, if not it may have a chance.

However, there is no way I would try a Gala and I'm in zone 8b also. Too much heat. Gala needs 600 to 900 chilling hours which is an indicator to me that in addition to winter chilling, it does not tolerate sustained temps in the upper 90's which have been the norm this year in 8b. It has been a very tough summer for new plants that need moderate temps.

 

[Chuck]

If there is ANY green at all after the scratch test get some SuperThrive and use as per directions. I have seen this stuff do absolute miracles. In fact, even if there is no green I would still try the SuperThrive but as Meadowlark stated your climate is probably too hot for this variety. What town do you live in? It looks like a fungus but impossible to say for sure at this late date. In any case, dead leaves still hanging onto the tree is not a good sign.

 

[frdnicholas]

I did the scratch test and there's yellow-green. There's also b shoot coming up from the bottom of the tree, which also gives me hope. Any ideas as to what is causing the leaves to look like that? I am in Hinesville and when I did some research about varieties, Gala was recommended for Southeast Coastal Georgia. I bought the tree from an excellent nursery here in Georgia. I think I will send pictures to them and see if they have any ideas.

 

[Avocado]

Ant update from your nursery?

 

[frdnicholas]

The best advice was to have a soil test by the local extension service. One possibility could be a lack of potassium; the other could be weather related. We did have a very hot summer.
Any suggestions for a potassium additive?

 

[Avocado]

For organic Potassium fertilizer, Kelp meal. Also dried and crushed banana peels are a household source of potassium. They can be added to compost or directly to the soil as a natural potassium source. But a soil test would be good.

 

[Neno Baylov]

You watered it often and from the compost you burned it the other time a little bit of compost.
I grow one of my apples almost without fertilizer.

 

[cpp gardener]

How far down the trunk does that branch originate? If it’s below the graft union ( the bend low on the trunk) it is a rootstock sucker and needs to be removed. If you don’t remove it, it will take over and you will lose the Gala part of the tree.