I had a nice grove of apple trees growing in my yard. They were planted at different intervals but all were producing apples. They’re all gone now, due to fireblight. The virus spread slowly but surely through all the trees. At one point I thought one of the older trees was resistant but eventually it too gave in. Fireblight shows up as an ashy appearance on apple trees.
What caused this? The Showy European Mountain Ash that was planted next door.
The Showy Mountain Ash, as many proud owners will tell you, is a tough tree. It too has the fireblight virus. It is the favored host, the one and only that I know of, to the virus and although it doesn’t adversely affect the Mountain Ash it is transmitted to neighboring apple trees which are unable to defend themselves from the virus. Customers will ask me, “What is that pretty tree with the orange berries?”, or they will say, “I love my Showy Mountain Ash”, and I cringe.
I say, stop! Perhaps this could be one of my lifetime achievements. To have the European Mountain Ash sent back home. It puzzles me how anyone in Minnesota can grow apples. Are they spraying? As the primary grower and supplier of both apple trees and the Showy Mountain Ash ships these trees together it is likely they are grown together. Wouldn’t every apple tree then be exposed? As the virus spreads slowly, it wouldn’t show up until the tree was established.
If anyone can add to this, please do. Bailey’s? Perhaps you could offer some insight.
