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Some of the leaves on my apple tree are showing like this.

[Picture 11 Picture 2 Picture 3

Should I be concerned?

Also, what's this white stuff? Is it Woolly Aphids?

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Climate; Istanbul. Hot summers, cold winters. We've recently experiences very hot temperatures for a few weeks followed by mild low 20s.

I'm quite new to this so appreciate the help! Thanks

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  • The map lines are caused by leaf miners. Some scalding I don't know. Fuzz is mealy bugs. Black spots may be Leaf Spot (fungus and bacteria in the soil).
    – Yosef Baskin
    Aug 15 at 12:37

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Leafminers are responsible for the lines within the leaves shown in the first image. These are difficult to control even with using heavy duty pesticides about three times a year, so I wouldn't advise that as you're growing edible fruit. You can remove the worst affected leaves, or all affected leaves if there are plenty of healthy leaves on the tree as well. Do not compost the leaves you remove, either burn them or dispose of them in your usual rubbish, in a bag.

The woolly stuff on the stems is woolly aphid - remove as much of it as you can with your fingers, squishing the aphids in side as you go - you can use disposable cloths or wear thin gloves. This is another pest that isn't easily dealt with by pesticides because the insects inside are protected by the woolly outside.

I can't see clearly exactly what is under the leaves with the black spots - some will be aphids, but others may be scale nymphs. Suggest you get an insecticide spray suitable for use on vegetables and fruits that kills both and spray thoroughly under the leaves and on top, till the insecticide runs off. You likely will need to repeat this - check the bottle for how often you can use the spray. The small white fuzzy areas may be scale insect - scrape off some so you can see if there's anything inside or underneath it. If there is scale, you can actually treat this manually with a disposable cloth slightly moistened with surgical spirits or 70% alcohol, rubbing it hard over woody affected areas but not on the foliage or stems. You can get insecticides for these, but unless there's a heavy infestation of them, a few can be tolerated.

I can't tell if the tree is growing in the ground or contained in something; being restricted at the root is not ideal if its contained. Keep it well watered during hot dry spells to help it stay healthy.

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  • Thank you very much! The tree is in the ground. I believe it's around 16 years old. I've been told to water it once daily, in the evening. The weather has cooled quite a bit here the last ten or so days, compared to the 40oC we've been seeing recently. It's around 25oC today for example. Would you advise to still water daily?
    – Mert
    Aug 16 at 11:34
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    Depends if you've had any rain at all, but to be frank,, watering once daily isn't necessary. It's always better to water thoroughly with plenty of water once a week, rather than a little daily. Trees as old as you mention will have deep roots and can cope well with periods of drought and stress, but a fruiting plant may need a good soak during drought to keep the fruit healthy. Old, well established shrubs and trees can cope for up to 3 months without water if they have to, but your tree has quite a few problems and I'm assuming fruits, so that's why I mentioned water.
    – Bamboo
    Aug 16 at 12:35

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