Crab apple cuttings dieing

Jr401

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Regina, Sask
USDA Zone
3
Earlier this summer I trimmed a bunch of suckers off a crab apple in the yard and used them to start cuttings just to see if I could do it. They were put in pots with commercial moisture control soil mix and no rooting hormone. Kept in morning sun (~4 hrs) and afternoon shade. They were growing well for over a month but this morning 6 of the 8 have suddenly developed black spots on their leaves and 2 of them it had progressed all the way to the trunks. I pulled and burned all the affected cuttings, they all had a pretty good start on roots except one.

I've done some checking online and am wondering if this is what is called verticulum wilt? The info I found describes yellow and red spots not black though? Any thoughts?
 
Please post some pics to help identify your issue.

To be successful with Crabapple cuttings, take hardwood cuttings in the winter or root cuttings, you'll have a very high percentage success rate with these.

Good luck
 
I would avoid cuttings from a tree prone to sucker. You'll never get the energy you need to build a good tree.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
 
@sorce, you have any Crabapple trees? I've not that much experience but they all seem prone to suckers.
 
@sorce, you have any Crabapple trees? I've not that much experience but they all seem prone to suckers.

Just one.

I saw a right pretty one with small apples the other day, one of them, I'll get back here someday trees!

I'd say it's less than half around here that don't sucker. Don't know what makes it so.

Sorce
 
Hardwood cuttings for sure. I've had success just starting them in plain water.
Would love to hear a bit more about your process. I took some hardwood cuttings last winter and they flushed out in spring, but then petered out because I guess they didn't actually make roots.

What time of year do you take them?
 
In the summer. I only got a few roots, but put them in soil over the winter. The next year they started growing.
 
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