In the 3 years my Idared apple tree has fruited the apples remain golf ball size and are pitted with dark sunken spots.I have limed the area well and sprayed the foliage with calcium.Discovery and Elstar growing nearby are unaffected.
Any suggestions?
Allium
Apple Problems
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PLUMPUDDING
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~Do you think it is more likely to be apple scab than bitterpit? Idared is particularly susceptible to apple scab.
I've got the same problem with a Gala apple whereas the Saturn and Meridian next to it are fine.
I'm trying to eliminate the inoculum spores by removing all the apples with scab (this year it is all of them) and then ensuring there are no leaves left under the tree after leaf fall. There are sprays you can use, both organic and non organic, but I'm going to see if they are any better next year before resorting to sprays. I'm going to give it a seaweed feed now, mulch round it when the leaves have been cleared away, and a good general purpose feed in spring.
If it still has scab then I will replace it with another more resistant variety.
Scab is always worse in wet years, so if we get a dry summer next year it might be much better.
I've got the same problem with a Gala apple whereas the Saturn and Meridian next to it are fine.
I'm trying to eliminate the inoculum spores by removing all the apples with scab (this year it is all of them) and then ensuring there are no leaves left under the tree after leaf fall. There are sprays you can use, both organic and non organic, but I'm going to see if they are any better next year before resorting to sprays. I'm going to give it a seaweed feed now, mulch round it when the leaves have been cleared away, and a good general purpose feed in spring.
If it still has scab then I will replace it with another more resistant variety.
Scab is always worse in wet years, so if we get a dry summer next year it might be much better.
Hello Allium
Just a thought. Was your apple planted as a pot-grown plant or as a bare-rooted one? Pot-grown trees soon get their roots growing round and round in circles when in the pot and then, when planted out, their roots never develop into a good strong system.
The advice usually given is to break up the root system when you plant but this seems rather pointless - you might just as well plant as bare-rooted and save the extra cost of a pot-grown tree.
It seems doubtful after three years that you are ever going to get a good crop of fruit off this tree. I think you have been patient for long enough and its time to fetch it out and replace it with a another variety.
John
Just a thought. Was your apple planted as a pot-grown plant or as a bare-rooted one? Pot-grown trees soon get their roots growing round and round in circles when in the pot and then, when planted out, their roots never develop into a good strong system.
The advice usually given is to break up the root system when you plant but this seems rather pointless - you might just as well plant as bare-rooted and save the extra cost of a pot-grown tree.
It seems doubtful after three years that you are ever going to get a good crop of fruit off this tree. I think you have been patient for long enough and its time to fetch it out and replace it with a another variety.
John
The Gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men’s lives, the hours spent fishing Assyrian tablet
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
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What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
I am a man and the world is my urinal
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PLUMPUDDING
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One of my favourite apples is Sunset, it is similar to Cox but grows much better here in the north. It doesn't seem to have any problems with scab or anything else. It crops very well and produces so many apples that you usually need to thin them to get a bit larger fruit. It also keeps well, makes nice cider and cooks nicely too.
My favourite cooker is Newton Wonder which keeps for ages, has an excellent flavour and is also great in cider, pies, etc, and when nice and ripe is not bad as a dessert apple.
My favourite cooker is Newton Wonder which keeps for ages, has an excellent flavour and is also great in cider, pies, etc, and when nice and ripe is not bad as a dessert apple.