Emergency advice needed for dying apple tree

[gillisfab]

I bought a red fallstaff apple tree earlier this year and it was doing really well until I noticed that it was covered in greenfly on Sunday. I took some advice to remove the affected leaves and spray with diluted washing up liquid. The infestation was heavy and I ended up removing all the new growth. Anyway, this advice was clearly wrong as in the 3 days since the tree has almost died, with all the remaining leaves turning brown. Does anyone have any suggestions about any measures I could take to save it? Feeding? Pruning? Removing the fruit? I can't bear to watch it die without doing anything.

[echinosum]

That was bad advice. You don't need to remove leaves, just spray.

I don't really see wha tyou can do other than cross your fingers and hope it grows some new leaves to replace those lost. I had a different problem with a fruit tree that really did require me to remove affected leaves, and it was most of them. They did grow back.

But yours is a newly planted tree. Usually a bad infestation is a symptom of an underlying weakness with the tree. If your tree does die, being a first year tree, I would complain to the supplier, a reputablr one will give you a replacement, though may have to wait till the winter. Perhaps not mention the deliberate deleafing.