my plump tree looks dead

[milkshaker]

i have two plump trees both next to each other 10 feet apart and both were planted 3 years old, they both started off fantastically this year with loads of blossom on both of them then they both turned into fruit, then one of the trees started to look dead.
all leaves have gone brown and the fruits have turned black there are only two branches with green leaves on now and they are on the very lower part of the tree

should i just leave and hope it to recover on its own or should i cut it right back to a stump,i really haven't got a clue

please help

 

[JohnD]

Plum and cherry trees are prone to dying.

There is a chance though that you have got Honey Fungus (I had this from the remains of a dead tree in the lawn).

Have any other trees or shrubs died in that area?

Do you ever get light-brown toadstools?

If you pull back a bit of the bark on the dead tree near the ground, is there a web of fungal "roots" to be seen?



..no - wait - you say you still have some green leaves? Prob not honey fungus then, as it kills the roots so the tree dries up and dies of lack of water.

Might be a fungal infection getting in from a pruning wound or broken branch. they are prone to that too.

 

[milkshaker]

thanks for quick reply,

no fungus/toad stools near by, and no other plants have died next to it and has been watered the same as the other one next to it

should i prune it back then or what

 

[Srodders]

i have two plump trees ....

Put them on a diet

 

[JohnD]

You could try cutting all the dead wood off, going back to sound timber, leaving all your final cuts vertical so rainwater does not stand on them, and painting over the cuts with a pruning compound, but I think it is diseased and is going to die

 

[breezer]

i have two plump trees

I was thinking about that, should it not be plum trees, and since you said

and the fruits have turned black

are you sure they are not turning into prunes?

 

[Fat Lady]

Did the whole tree start to turn brown together or did it seem to move across the tree from one starting point? Do the leaves look like they have been burnt? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then remove the offending tree, pick up all leaves etc that you can from around the healthy tree and start praying.

This could be a disease called fireblight which affects apple and plum type trees. Do a google search for more background info.

Sorry for the potential bad news

Andrew

 

[Nige F]

You could try cutting all the dead wood off, going back to sound timber, leaving all your final cuts vertical so rainwater does not stand on them, and painting over the cuts with a pruning compound, but I think it is diseased and is going to die

Well we`re ALL going to one day

 

[Gary_M]

Go to the branches that 'look dead' and scrape them with your nail, small knife, etc and see if they are green or brown beneath the scrape. If they are still green then the tree might perk up again next year. This is also a good way of knowing where to prune the 'dead' branches from. Green - still alive, Brown = ceased to be

Good luck