A highly contagious disease that can wipe out an apple orchard threatens Connecticut’s fruit crop. But there’s help on the way. Fire blight, a bacteria that gets into the apple tree as it is flowering ...

Q: I have an apple tree that has some curled leaves and also has several limbs that have died back. The new growth at the ends of the limb are almost black in color. A: This sounds like your tree has ...

Three years ago, I planted a little orchard of 20 dwarf cider apple trees. This spring I replanted — six of the little trees died last summer. Now I am wondering about my ability to grow apples at all ...

Q: I came back from vacation and my Gala apple tree branch was dead. The tree also has some black spotting under the bark. I’m hoping it’s not damaged from fire blight. A: It looks like an older fire ...

Q. I generally leave a lot of the garden/ yard work to my hubby; however, I’ve become concerned – as is he – about the health of our Asian Pear tree. The branches have become all black as have most ...

Q. I know that flowering crabs are subject to injury from fire blight. My crab is resistant to apple scab disease, but it is looking pretty sick now having lost maybe 1/3rd of its leaves, so I am ...

Growing flowering herbs, annuals, perennials, and cover crops such as clover beneath apple trees attracts pollinators and helps apple trees fruit better. But while many edibles and ornamentals make ...

Growing these plants near apples can attract pests and other problems that could harm your trees. Do not plant black walnuts, eastern red cedars, junipers, and hawthorns near apple trees. Avoid ...