I am hoping for some help identifying what looks to me to be a
troubling pattern of leaf discoloration in my apple orchard. Starting
in approximately mid September, a few trees in my orchard started to
develop pronounced purple leaf veins, with some leaves becoming
entirely purple while others stayed green except on the veins. As time
has gone on, more trees have followed this same pattern- some whole
trees have a purplish hue to them, while their neighbors(same variety,
same rootstock) remain much more on the green side of the spectrum.
There doesn't seem to be a big difference between older and younger
growth, although the degree of purplishness can vary from branch to
branch.
My first thought and hope is that this is the tree starting to change
color for the fall, but the color is unlike the colors I am seeing in
the old apple trees around my orchard. They seem more yellow to red.
Clearly a picture is worth a thousand words in a case like this, but
does this ring any alarm bells with anyone? My worst fear is that this
is boron poisoning. Following foliar analysis this summer which showed
extremely low B levels I sprinkled Borax, 1/4 cup per tree, in a band
down the row middle. This doesn't seem an excessive amount but the
color change started approximately a week after this.
Any thoughts or similar experiences which could be shared to soothe a
neurotic new orchardist? Happy Fall everyone!
Jason MacArthur
Marlboro, VT
[NAFEX] Apple leaf discoloration,
Jason MacArthur, 10/24/2004