I have a couple of young apple trees. Neither fruit bearing yet. One is healthy with no symptoms. The other gets a soft white mold, generally, in the crotches of branches and at ground level on the trunk. If the mold is wiped it tends to leave a reddish liquid from where its been wiped/compressed. Last year was so cool and wet I thought it was a rot/moisture related issue. This year has been much dryer and warmer -- and the "mold" is back. I wiped the mold down and sprayed with Bionide (i used this on a cherry tree a few years back.) The other tree is quite happily mold free without any special treatment. searching for apple molds turns up baking tins. Searches for Apple fungii turn up things other than this white stuff. I have no picture, since I wiped and sprayed w/o taking one -- It is coming back but not enough to picture yet. If left out of control leaves near the mold will yellow and die. Without a pic and my limited ability to decribe clearly, can anyone help establish a diagnosis and treatment?
One possibility might be wooly aphids. Does it look like cotton wool and is it very sticky if you wipe it off? Apple woolly aphid Erisoma lanigerum at BBC gardening.
Ayah, if I wipe the mold/wool the residue does seem tacky to sticky. After reading your link I'm wondering if a knob or two has formed at the base of the trunk (the trunk might be 15mm diameter) where the current mold is. I've got to get closer to the stem. thanks for your blind diagnosis -- I think you got it.
