Q: I have an arborist that I consulted about my crabapple tree last year. The problem, which he said is common, must be prevented in the spring. My problem is that he wants to do three treatments, which total over $400! Do you think I have to have all three? We already spend quite a bit on our trees each year. The crab didn't drop many of its leaves over this. It had it once about 4 years ago when it did, and of course looked crummy. Last year it was just a few dead leaves on some ends. I would like to know your opinion.

A: I am assuming they are spraying the tree for apple scab disease. You are lucky they are only spraying three times. Apple scab affects apples and crabapples every spring and related fungi affect many other kinds of trees. It is worse if the spring is wet, as many springs are.

Generally, old apples and crabapples are susceptible and newer varieties are more resistant. Older trees that are large will likely survive year after year without being treated at all. In a bad year they may lose all their leaves by the end of June, but the tree doesn't die. In years with dry spring weather, the leaves may make it through the whole summer.

If such a tree were to die, then it could be replaced with a resistant tree for much less than $400. If you were to spray it yourself, you could spray weekly or every 10 days from the time the leaves start budding out until a few weeks after the flower petals finish falling off. That is a lot more than three sprays. Any fungicide that has apple scab on the label will do. If it were my tree, I would start spraying it myself on springs that looked like they were going to be wet and then stop when the weather dried up. The infectious period is long and any spraying during that time will help.

Since this is someone else's tree, I would say that hiring a professional is a good thing. I think most professionals have better training, especially on safety, than most homeowners. I know the money is a lot and like I said, for that much money a new tree with disease resistance might be a better choice.

Q: I have a peach tree that I am worried has a problem. Last spring, the leaves started curling up and got quite lumpy for lack of a better term. What caused this? Is there a cure for it? Will it affect the fruit?

A: Hopefully you only have this on a few leaves. It is the fungal disease known as peach leaf curl. It is can be severe when the leaves expand during cool, wet weather. The leaves become puckered and deformed and they often turn red or other colors. The infected leaves will fall off. New leaves that come out in dry weather will be normal.

Stems and fruit can be infected, too. They will have swollen distorted shapes and colors. Over the years, continued infections will weaken the tree. This fungus hides in the leaf buds over the winter and infects the new leaves as they come out. Fungicide sprays are effective only during the fall, winter and early spring before the new leaves begin growing.

Start spraying right now, before the leaves come out. If the leaves are already part way out and show symptoms later this spring, you will want to spray again this fall. In the meantime, remove all the infected parts as they fall off the tree. If the tree only has a few infected branches you can prune them, but if it is all over the tree, just pick up the stuff that drops and spray when it is dormant.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at [email protected]. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.