Question
I live in El Cajon, Calif. and have many dead spots in my red apple. It is as if someone has walked around in it on purpose. I have a fertilizing company who regularly fertilizes the property and I still have these large, brown spots. It this a usual thing and can I fix it?

Answer
If you're in El Cajon and you have dead spots in your red apple, I suspect one of two things:

You have some gophers that have eaten the roots or at least dug some little tunnels that havhe destroyed the roots, or,

You have a fertilizing company that is throwing large amounts of fertilizer in certain spots rather than spreading it around.

I suspect it's the former, but I have run into the latter, too. When applied improperly, fertilizer can cause fertilizer burn.

Hope that helps.

Russel