Apple Scab

Description: The main disease of apples everywhere. Symptoms are scabby fruit, premature fruit drop and leaf infection, followed by early defoliation. The following year, you'll find reduced fruit bud development and general weakening of the tree. The fungus which causes apple scab overwinters in leaf litter. Spring winds blow spores into the tree canopy, resulting in lesions on leaves. Warm rainy weather favors scab development. New infections are produced through the summer as rains wash the fungus onto other leaves and fruit.

Solution: Collect and remove fallen leaves. Use Sulfur Guard™ before blossom time to prevent initial springtime infection. (Repeat weekly in rainy, warm weather.) Reapply after blossoms fall and again 12 days later. Sulfur can be used up to day of harvest to retard the spread of scab. Other recommended products to control Apple Scab are Serenade Solutions, Green Guard, and Compost Tea.