Help with mature apple trees please!
By Cottagekaren
Angus,
United Kingdom 
Hello! I inherited five apple trees when I moved here in October. The two big ones right in front of my house were extremely congested, so I thinned them out during the winter to allow air to circulate.
One of them was absolutely festooned with blossom in the spring, it was so beautiful, but now it is dropping a lot of it's leaves, and hardly any fruit has set. The foliage is curling and turning black.
There is new growth which looks healthy enough, so I don't think it is dying, but it is clearly not well and needs some help. Last autumn it had a lot of small fruit which all had black pits in them.
The other tree is pretty much in the same condition, but didn't have many blossoms and isn't nearly so 'full' of foliage. The leaves on it are looking similar, but again, there is plenty of new growth, which looks healthy.
Would really appreciate some advice. I have no idea how old the apples are, but they look quite old and I'd hate to lose them.
p.s. they are growing in the lawn, so not easy to feed from the surface, but I would give it a go if you have any recommendations!
14 Jun, 2014
Answers
Thanks Loostrife. I am going to treat it as fungus and see if that works.
14 Jun, 2014
If you are a member of the RHS you could send a sample of the leaves to them for diagnosis, or email some photographs. They will also advise on how you might solve the problem.
14 Jun, 2014
Your trouble could come from an insect, fungus or bacteria. You can try to narrow it down by getting a good magnifier to take a much closer look at the damage. You might see insects or insect eggs which indicate an infestation or a white powdery substance and or tiny fruiting bodies which indicate a fungal attack. Finally if you see the lesions with neither of the aforetomentioned indicators it might be a bacterial attack. Once that magnifier gives you a better clearer picture of what is happening you will have a better handle on how to treat this situation. I understand that in the UK you do not have the resources that we have in the USA which are the local agricultural extension stations which are always willing to help the farmer and gardener alike with problems such as these. I now see that GOY fills that void superbly.
14 Jun, 2014