Is fall watering the right thing to do in Montana?
Mildew in Flowering Crabapples Jack Riesselman, Plant Diseases Recent samples and reports from central Montana reveals that a severe outbreak of powdery mildew is underway in crabapples. This is not just a light infection that is causing slight leaf discoloration. In this case, newly expanding terminals are severely blighted and in some cases, dead, as a result of the infection. In my 20 years here I’ve not seen another instance where mildew has caused such significant damage on trees. Its our belief, that because of the mild winter, the fungus which invaded the leaf buds last fall was able to survive until this spring giving it a jump on the trees. Normally we don’t recommend control for powdery mildew in Montana. However, in this case I believe it would be beneficial for infected trees to be sprayed. If temperatures remain below 80 F you can use any of the sulfur products available locally. If the condition continues to worsen an application of Benlate or Topsin M, may give the best
