Another sick fruit tree

[DinaJean]

Here is another badly pruned and taken care of fruit tree.

It was hard to get a full view of the tree with the lens I have on the camera, but lets just say anything beyond what you see in the picture is pretty much DEAD looking, no leaves, no fruit, just brittle gray wood looking like a wind storm will take it down.

I have a gorgeous flowering crabapple nearby that was in Horrid shape last year and when we cleared for the new building, it was almost taken down*on many occasions. It was about in as bad of shape as the one below (not saying it is a crabapple, but definitely some fruit?) And when the crabapple bloomed this spring, I was in absolute heaven!!! Most beautiful thing I have ever seen and the smell, heaven two times over!!!! So, maybe this tree isnt so far gone and can be saved?*

Note: I would like to cut it way way back, because even as scraggly as it is right now, it blocks my view from the upstairs apartment (when we get there) of the driveway and the lovely crape myrtle. Is there a way to prune a tree that size down into a bush?

Long winded, sorry, but I'm off for the evening now.

*

[Newt]

Lovely story about the crabapple, but I do have some concerns about it.* I know you say it flowered beautifully and you will probably have lots of fruits this year, but when trees are threatened with impending death, they will often put out a profuse amount of fruit.* I say that because you mentioned, "...when we cleared for the new building, it was almost taken down on many occasions."* If you mean that you considered it that's one thing, but if heavy equipment rolled over the root zone, that compresses the soil and leads to the decline of the tree.* Here's how to protect trees from construction damage (might be a mute point now) and what you can do to help a tree already damaged.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...ng/DK6135.html
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare...struction.aspx

Personally I would remove this tree too.* It's missing so much bark and it looks like rot has set in where it was improperly pruned in the lower right pic.* I'd rather see you plant something healthy in a spot you will like better.* If you want another opinion, I can give you an arborist site where you can ask what they think.

Newt

[DinaJean]

"but if heavy equipment rolled over the root zone"

Acyually, yes, heavy equipment did indeed. As you can see in the picture, the machine itself probably only rolled over the root system below on the left side of the tree where the branches are not so low. Alot of dirt was shoved up around the trunk and got left there for a couple of days until I had them pull it all back.* The trunk got hit once or twice and shook the tree, but it did not leave any wounds.

The area was originally smothered in vines, briars, small pines, sweetgums, all kinds of overgrown woods choking the tree. We cleared that out in January? Then the tree bloomed like below in March. I hope it did not bloom profusely due to the threat of impending death :( I love this tree!! I did read somewhere that the flowering crabapples will only bloom profusely every other year?




*Reagrding the sick fruit tree #2..."If you want another opinion"

One opinion was enough. I hate to cut down a tree, but it has been in the back of my mind to do just so to this one. I think I just needed someone else who knows about trees to tell me it is okay. Justification.

*

[DinaJean]

"*when trees are threatened with impending death, they will often put out a profuse amount of fruit.*"

Does that include a profuse amount of flowers, too?

Now that I know a teeny about what to look for in a sick tee, I am worried about my crabapple. Here is a couple more pictures of it. If the news is bad, I am sitting.

[Newt]

Well, it sure did put on a show!* Since it's not a threat to people or a structure you can consider leaving it to see how it does.* Trees are sometimes a surprise to me in their desire to live.* Crabapples tend to be tough trees in situations like this.*

" when trees are threatened with impending death, they will often put out a profuse amount of fruit. "

"Does that include a profuse amount of flowers, too?"

Yup, the flowers come first, then the fruit.*

"I did read somewhere that the flowering crabapples will only bloom profusely every other year?"

That's called a "mast cycle." Trees of a given species (or closely related) will all have a heavy seed production year at once. It's thought that this may be an adaptation to overwhelm the seed-feeders with more food than they can possibly eat, so that a greater number of the seeds will survive and germinate.* Of course the seed is in the fruit.

Newt