Fruit Tree devastation.

 

Hello All,

We are very much amateur fruit tree growers, and are very worried.

For years, about 40 - 50, I have taken inheritted fruit trees for granted.

Never done much with them, assumed they would fruit and most of them did.

Some were ancient, a Golden Russet, for example.

Now we live in a fruit growing area between Forest of Dean and Severn.

We have a field of red clay that used to be an orchard. We planted new fruit
trees, about 4 - 5 years ago.

This year many trees and gooseberies have been devastated by what are
variously sawfly (gooseberries), Winter moth and maybe another.

Had put grease bands on, but may have been too late. Sprayed with Bio
"Naturen" twice last week.
Many caterpillars may have been slowed down, but not killed.

Now have got peromones out to sort out the males moths.

We have a dry E. wind (like a Haaa ?) that may not be helping.

Out of about 15 fruit trees, 2 may have died.

What to do ?  Heeeeelp !!!!!!      ;-((

John N.

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snip


Oh crumbs, I live just down the road from you and I was thinking about
planting some fruit trees but now your bad luck has made me stop and think.
Don't know much if anything about fruit trees but I am sure someone on the
group will be able to help

kate

down the glorious A48 :-)

 



Gooseberries will always recover from sawfly attack although it may reduce
fruit yield, I had not up until your post heard of top fruit being
devastated in that way, the leaves I presume are obviously being eaten? not
going black and shrivelling?

--
Charlie,  gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

 


No, definitely being eaten. There are about 3 different kinds of small,
juicy caterpillars chewing away. In reply to Kate, I wondered if one of the
problems could be lack of birds.

Then again, it could be subtle things like weather conditions. But no-one
has been quite as badly hit as we have. We do have many large oak trees
about 100 yards away.

Actually, there was a program about global warming the other day, in which
the threat to many of our tress was mentioned. I think oaks were one.
Although oaks give food and shelter to many species, if hard Winters don't
keep some moths etc. in check, the speaker wondered if some of those trees
will survive.

We have just got to do a bit of learning. For eaxample, apart from getting
grease bands on in time, around September, perhaps we should spray before
the little blighters of caterpillars hide inside the curled up leaves.

The strange thing is that others not far away are not suffering as we are.

John

--
From Glorious Gloucestershire, near Lydney, using :------------
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John, we have loads of tit boxes and at this time of year around 6 of them
are occupied they collect incredible quantities of caterpillars once the
chicks hatch. It wont help this year but might next.

--
Charlie,  gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea