My young Red Rome apple trees have "chalomine lotion colored" spots that came up on the leaves in the last two days. The spots are about as big as a pencil point. Anyone else seen something like this? I am spraying with a light mixture of baking soda and water and layering more compost at the tree bases in case its caused by fungus. Is this a leaf blight or mite result or what? It doesn't resemble the leaf blight we had last year. Thanks.

-- Jay Blair in N. Al (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 08, 2001

Answers

Do you have cedar trees anywhere around? If you do it maybe cedar apple rust. I'll see if I can find it in some of my books to post the particulars about it.

-- Thumper (slrldr@aol.com), May 08, 2001.

If it is the red rust it is caused by a fungus that we could not find a organic cure for. We finally just gave up on apples, we get some but they are really pitiful. Best of luck

-- David (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), May 09, 2001.

I try to keep all the cedar trees cut off our place. Some of the spots are bright orange but most are that pinkish shade. Doesn't look like the rust I have seen on other plants. Thanks for the input.

-- Jay Blair in N. Al (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 09, 2001.

Don't know how far the rust spores can travel but We have hundreds if not thousands of cedar trees and so does all the land surrounding our hundred acres. No way could we cut all the ones just on our land so we had to just not worry about apples. Hope you can do better than us.

-- David (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), May 09, 2001.

And the "winner" is ... ceder rust fungus. I contacted the folks at the university extension yesterday and they said if a ceder tree is within 1 mile it can damage an apple tree. They suggested using baking soda/water or lime/sulpher mixes as fungal treatments and will send me a research report on other possible treatments in a few weeks as soon as the research students evaluate my troubles. When I get more info, I'll post it.

-- Jay Blair in N. Al (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 11, 2001.