The Apple Tree

 An update on the apple tree and its hardships

Some time ago, I wrote about the apple tree.  One of the things mentioned was the apple scab it had, a kind of fungus.  A few years have gone by and several events regarding the tree have passed, some quite a while ago.  Here is a bit of that story.

There was a great deal of tall vegetation south west of the tree that was blocking some sunlight.  The growths were thick enough that it likely slowed the air  circulation enough to contribute to the apple scab.  I took down all the growth freeing up that area and exposing an addition issue.  There was also a "crab apple" tree nearby.  It's branches projected towards the apple tree, entwining branches in places in a suffocating fashion.

I cut the branches on the invasive tree, leaving only a tall stump on the off chance that the stump or new offshoots could some how be of some use.
The apple tree at this point looked very beat up.  But it was alive, growing and had more open space than ever before.

Then came the invasion.  Insects? No. I will explain.  The neighbors next door (who I did not know) decided to have a kids party.  It featured a giant inflatable slide that took up a great portion of their yard. There were dozens of children playing and running around.  A good number of them migrated over to my back yard doing the same.  Really?  I can't believe that the adults would allow this without seeking my permission first.  The children might have just seen it as part of their play area with a parent's guidance. 

I was a bit angry about all the commotion that was occurring in yard, and was just trying to shrug it off.  I later noticed one of the children climbing the apple tree.  This particular tree is not one that has branches that hold weight well.  The bark was stripped off in many spots, cracked in others, along with several broken branches.

I spoke up about the tree climbing immediately, and had all the children sent off the the appropriate yard.  Another point of contention was a stake with a bright ribbon was previously left by surveyors, marking the boundary between the two yards.  The stake was now gone and nowhere to be found.

Now for more recent times.  A few winter storms had passed.  There was some snow, a lot of heavy rain, and a lot of wind.  I know a lot of trees in the area had damage due to these storms.  The other week brought some mild weather, and I went to take a better look at the back yard.  The apple tree took quite a bit of damage.  Several branches came down, a few were rather large.  Some of the branches that were stripped of bark before look like they might now be totally life less.  The tree does not look good.  It will likely look horrible this year, a mix of both covered and bare areas.  I was just starting to enjoy an occasional scab-less apple.  They are quite good.  I hope the tree revives.  Time will tell.