Autumn Bits and Bobs.

[oldherbaceous]

It’s amazing what can be done with a good rasp and file. …. why is it that you know it’s going to make your tongue sore but, you can’t keep your tongue away from it!

[Westi]

I think I can stop sulking for a bit as the weather appears to be a bit better tomorrow; not wonderful but at least the little sun rays are appearing & the word 'light' showing with rain. I hope to do some things outside as close to finishing an area but might be limited as we have had so much rain. Still I've got the tunnel so I can take out the sweet potatoes as they won't be doing anything now & the peppers & aubergines are definitely not considering going red.

Clive if any difficulties getting to the dentist there is a temporary filler you can buy online to mould to fit the hole until you can get a dentist.

[Clive.]

Thank you Westi. I've just looked up the temporary filler potions....I read one set of instructions and was rather amused to read the words ....take the spade tool and then it referred to...tamp in to place...sounds more like repairing a tarmac drive. I know holes in teeth feel huge...but bit alarmed at the refs. I think it may be marketed by Milton B dept of Denistry.??

Somehow I think my dentist may not be impressed at my DIY.

..and just when I thought the weather was a wet old lot, I scrolled along to Fridays forecast.!!

C.

[retropants]

I just looked at that too Clive, as I have my first Christmas Market this weekend, Fri-Sun. I will be inside an ancient barn, but all the food traders will be outside in the ghastly rain. That's really not fair, can't the weather play nice for us all? I hope it doesn;t keep folk away, it was mega busy last year.

[oldherbaceous]

Hope you have some good sales, to make up for all your hard work, Retropants!

[Westi]

Total Chaos down here with road works & closed major roads so I couldn't get down to the plot. The traffic holdups meant all the buses were running behind so they decided to cancel them. Hmm? Loads of hospital staff got stuck as well but other staff passing stopped & got them to work. Seems they have sorted it out a bit now with some minor deviations to create one way systems so OK tomorrow....maybe! Quite lucky really as the deviations are actually my bus route so usual trip down to the plot & return via the beach road which has a stop only 5mins away from home. Chatted to my neighbour who has a 80+ yr old friend who got stuck in Bournemouth & had to walk home...5 miles! Fortunately being a local she knew the best route & went along the cliffs with bench rest stops but just shows how disorganised it was.

Of course the multiple changes got everyone in a tizzy as it was so confusing both getting in & out of town so FB was loaded with questions but no response from the council & bus company until this morning. Fortunately the weather is holding for tomorrow....you know just in case they change everything again & it's me having to walk!

[oldherbaceous]

Have cancelled work for tomorrow already, because of the heavy rain…..and today it was so beautiful, working in short sleeves.

[Clive.]

We have rain given from midnight until 3am Sat.! with 10 hours with wind gust speeds of 50.! from ENE..

...Yes, calm as anything today with mostly blue sky.

C.

[Westi]

Well I managed to get to & from the plot without any real problems but all just good timing as I was on the plot when they closed another lane on the road, as cars unable to get out of the side roads, but the circular route seems to be working & it cleared nicely by the time I went to the bus stop.

Managed to finish weeding under the trees, turned the compost, weeded the raised beds & made a start clearing behind them. Rain & thunder etc due tomorrow but looked online & I don't think it is hanging around down here for long & moving North late morning. Seems to be looking OK for most of next week, except for the drop in temp. Doesn't look too bad really, no frost or anything & some sun in the mix so maybe just an extra vest.

[retropants]

Wish me luck, 3 day market starts this afternoon. I just pray that the rain slows down for unloading/setting up. Thankfully I am trading in a breezy old barn. Poor hot food stalls all outside, the forecast is dreadful all weekend. I was still pritning labels and wrapping last night, also poured a few candles just before dinner. Loaded the car yesterday in the dry thank goodness. Ready as I'll ever be! At my real job this morning, then off to Ruislip at 2-ish.

[oldherbaceous]

Good luck, Retropants!

[Westi]

We didn't get much of the rain today & it looks like it is mostly only drizzle next week...but 2 proper sunny days in the mix so fingers crossed! Temp slowly dropping but I will acclimatise to that, well eventually; might be some moaning in the interim though.

Question for you all if you don't mind. Now I've cleared under all the fruit trees I would like to feed them as they had such a bumper harvest & must be exhausted & I would like a few fruit next year. What would you suggest I sprinkle down now to boost them a bit? The only thing I have given them in the past was the odd seaweed feed when they were little. Where would I apply the feed considering how long the roots must be under the tree, or move away a bit? I don't know how far the roots go as they do behave & haven't raised up through any beds?

[Geoff]

My old book "The Fruit Garden Displayed" from the RHS has of course a fairly technical take on feeding apples. It makes the point that potash is essential for apples (as for all fruit in fact) but says it should be balanced with nitrogen. It suggests applying in late February every year 1oz (36gms) of sulphate of ammonia and ¾oz (27gms) sulphate of potash per square yard (or metre!). It also suggests 1½ to 2ozs (54 to 72gms) superphosphate every 2 or 3 years. If they are growing in grass the sulphate of ammonia should be doubled. It doesn't discuss where you should put it or how you decide the area to cover.
In practice you probably don't buy individual fertilisers but may have some Growmore. Sulphate of ammonia is 21% nitrogen and Growmore is 7% so you need 3 times the rate. Sulphate of potash is 40% potash and Growmore is again 7%. If you use Growmore at 3ozs per square yard for bare earth or 6ozs for grass you would probably be giving them a reasonable feed including the phospate as well. I guess a smallish tree is 5 or 6 square yards so I would give each tree either a pound or two pounds of Growmore and I would concentrate it slightly on the drip line as I think that is where the most active roots are.
Hope that helps!
Edit : should have said if you prefer organic you can use fish, blood and bone but you'll need more, 22 / 44ozs per tree.

[Westi]

Thanks so much Geoff that is brilliant. I asked the question as there was a thread going on FB that was conflicting & things like if you feed them they will wake up from dormancy to take the feed & weaken which seemed a bit weird even to me as how would they know they had be fed if in dormancy.

I'll get some Sulphate of Ammonia & Sulphate of Potash as per your RHS Fruit garden book & feed them in Feb. They will have had their winter trim then as well so the drip line will be more obvious. I will probably trowel the charity shops now for a copy of the RHS book as well!

[Geoff]

I delved into my father's old books. The version I have says first published 1951 revised 1974. I have another one called "Fruit Cultivation for Amateurs" published 1951 which quotes very similar figures. I don't know how big your orchard is but to challenge your maths I also have "Apples and Pears - Ministry of Agriculture Bulletin No. 133" first published 1946 my revision third edition 1958. This gives application rates per acre:
Farmyard manure 10 tons
Sulphate of Ammonia 2 - 5 cwt (note wide range, mentions on another page the 5 cwt is under grass)
Sulphate of Potash 1 - 2 cwt
Superphosphate 3 - 5 cwt (every 2 to 3 years)
To save your brain a hundredweight is 1,792 ounces and an acre is 4,840 square yards so 2 cwt per acre is about ¾ oz per sq yard.
This book goes on to discuss that different varieties react differently to nitrogen levels in particular but that seems a step too far.
So it seems these same figures have been around for a long time, I haven't got any more modern books and I haven't Googled.
I must confess my trees are under grass and now they are established I rarely feed them though I do use some lime as I get bitter pit and it is supposed to reduce that.