what is this stuff on my apple tree? bugs? fungus?

Question

there is this white fluff-like stuff on the branches but when you touch it, this gross brownish reddish goo comes out. The apples are no good. they are all small and have bugs in the core. last year too.

what is it and how do i get rid of it without chemicals(animal friendly yard)

Answer 1

I think from your description it is meally bugs.
Follow this link for further information.
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/tfipm/mealybug.htm
but be careful with the diazinon as a overdose can arm the trees (and yourself). Also check if it is allowed for amateur gardeners.
For non chemical solutions you can try a direct biological control using Mealybug destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) a kind of beetle that feed of them, Green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) or Leptomastrix dactylopii, a kind of parasitic tiny wasp laying eggs on the bug. All are commercially available (try the net to find suppliers near your place.)

Answer 2

From this late stage of the problem, it sounds like there are no natural remedies. I suggest going to a nursery and ask them what to use in the treatment. Take a branch with leaves on it with you. There are products that will not harm your pets after you use it, but while you are spraying you will have to keep your animals away. It sounds like you have a severe infestation of both aphids and fungus. It is going to be work to clean the tree up.

Answer 3

Mealy bugs. Here's an image:

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/ornamentals/1-44.jpeg

Answer 4

I think those are not fungus is some kind of bug i think...I think u should cut the tree...hehe...

Answer 5

Wanted to post this question too yesterday

Answer 6

Thankyou all for your answers and opinions!

Answer 7

Apples, as well as most all fruits, require a bit of work to get fruit that is of any value. It is too late this year if you have not done anything. If you are sure that the apple tree is one to grow edible apples and not just an ornamental or crab apple, then read on.

Your tree probably has what is called Fire Blight, as well as other things. New shoots will look almost like they are burned and the flowers just wither and die before they set. The bark in some areas of the tree looks really wet and reddish and it has the nasty ooze you saw, orange and brownish, esp oozy on hot days. Those spots get brown and dry later. The white you see may just be mold or fungus growing on the dead and dying parts. It is hard to tell from description.

So here is the deal, do what you can now to fix the tree for next year and this is where to start.
1) Talk to whomever you know that is familiar with that tree, who maybe planted it if possible or worked with it to know the tree and it's history. Variety will help if you can find out as some are more problematic than others.
2) Clean it up and evaluate it for all the problems it has, as my guess is it has a number of issues from not being cared for.
You have to prune out all of the fire blight. All the little branches that are infected need to be cut off with pruning sheers. After each and every cut you must clean your pruners in a 1 part bleach to 4 part water solution or you will spread the disease all over. Spots on the bark that you cant prune off need to be carefully scraped clean off (the bark to a clean under) and painted with pruning sealer (it can be found in a spray can at a garden center). Every piece you cut out, every twig and leaf, as well as a real good clean up around the tree needs to be burnt away from it. It is very contagious to the tree. Get use to the idea that if you want fruit you need to keep the tree area clean, esp. fall and spring cleanups with out fail.
3) Fertilize and lime the tree this year now. Get a good fertilizer like a high middle number now (5-10-5 tree or 10-20-10 tree) and then a low first number on Sept 1st for fall (5-10-10 tree etc). Never use too much nitrogen (high first number) or you won't get fruit but you will get a million disease prone leaves.
If you don't know fertilizer the first number is leaf growth, middle number is root and flower growth as well as energy, and the last number is stalk, stem, and twig woody growth. Go lite in the fall and not too late as you don't want to encourage growth in the winter dormant period. If you want organic go with manures, especially bird as it has a higher middle number, but their are a lot of mostly organic products which won't harm animals. Ask your garden center. You could try a tree root waterer/ feeder set-up for the hose but it is enough to water fertilizer in. New trees need 1 inch rain or water for the first 2 years. Then water only if no rain, but make sure it doesn't dry or apples are small. When spring rolls around, go back to the high middle number and some lime as you want to encourage lots of healthy flowers.
4) In winter or dormant periods, do regular pruning of dead stuff and those funny straight up growing little branches as they don't produce fruit. If the tree is too dense with branches lighten it up a bit. It lets air and sun in.
5) Also in dormant periods, late winter to very early spring before leaf buds, spray the tree in its entirety with Dormant Oil Spray (follow directions). This will help in getting rid of insect pests eggs that are waiting to get going on their food source. You must do this every year to be sure.
6) You need to make an inventory of your pest problems now so you know what to expect next year. Ask around with your friends and neighbors, the old gardeners are a wealth of info on what you got eatin your stuff. Sounds like you have apple maggot. You can spray them with Bt as well as a lot of other of the caterpillar types or use these sticky red balls that trap them in the sticky when the adult comes in to lay eggs. The stickey red balls are fake apples and goo will trap anything that likes apples. Make sure to get them out early as possible. look at what lands on um and gets stuck so you know what is out there. Set out bird feeders to get the birds there to eat bugs for you. This year sounds like it will be a loss and not worth the money but maybe not. Ask the neighbors or anyone up on it to come by and take a look to help you sort it out.
7) Fertilize in the spring and water when needed. Keep a sharp eye out and question every bug every spot. If you have a lot of brown spots everywhere, you may have cedar apple rust. Look around for junipers or red cedars because the problem is shared with them. You will see these weird ugly yellowy growths frequently on those trees. If this is a problem you have to cut down any that are closer than a thousand feet to include really spotty crab apples (they should go for a lot of reasons if you want good apples, kill crab apples). But not all brown spots are that problem. You need to arm yourself with info and look closely at your tree often.
Best money spent will be a little book on fruit tree growing. It sounds complicated and hugely time consuming but it isn't. Drop me a email if you need help, even send me a pic. Good luck.

Answer 8

Not really sure