Hi, I have what I think is a type of weeping crabapple tree with discolored leaves. Any ideas?
Thank you!
Heather

Heather. Are the leaves just discoloured or are they eventually dying? Do you see any of the upper, less weeping, branches developing a bent over top, rather like a shepherd's crook?

There are a very small number of leaves that are dying, and all the branches toward the top just appear to be "weeping" in the same manner.

Just trying to rule out fireblight - as far as I can see it isn't all the leaves on the affected branches anyway, which it probably would be with fireblight. It looks a bit close to the house foundation so I wonder if it is stressed. Has it ever done this before?

Hi, thanks for replying. Yes, it's about 6' from the foundation. And no, not all of the leaves on the affected branches. Bought the house a couple years ago, last spring it didn't look great but I don't remember it looking this bad. Do you think it could be a virus? My neighbors think they had a virus affecting some trees/shrubs, but don't know if it would cause this type of effect? Thank you.

I don't think it's a virus from a quick look through a list of apple viral diseases but I'm not any kind of expert in apple disorders. The odd thing is that the leaves are randomly discoloured rather than confined to a specific stem. I was thinking it might be nutritional but I don't think that would affect random leaves. I don't know what a crabapple that is more resistant to fireblight might do with that disease.

If you're in the United States you could ask your local Extension service because they should have a good idea of the apple problems in your local area (we're assuming it is a crabapple but is there any chance it isn't?) unless someone else here has any ideas. Have you checked underneath the discoloured leaves for mites or other pests?