My Garden

Young Apple Tree

Last post 10-08-2008 9:58 PM by melchior. 7 replies.

• 08/07/2008 09:07 PM

  Simon Location: Chichester Joined on: 08 Jul 2008 Posts: 7

  Reply | Contact Hi I planted a young apple tree this spring (a James Grieve, on M26 rootstock).  It is only about 5 feet high, but it produced literally dozens of baby apples after the blossom.  The leaves were attacked this summer by a type of greyish aphid creature which left some of the leaves curled - the same little beasts got the cherries- but they now seem to have gone.  But so have most of the apples, and some of those that remain are a bit mis-shapen.  Are these events related?  Or is the apple loss just nature's way of thinning out the fruit so as not to exhaust the tree?

• 08/07/2008 09:40 PM	In reply to
  digger Location: North East Lancashire Joined on: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 3,436	Reply | Contact Hello Simon and welcome my friend, I believe the apples are shed naturally sometimes called "The June drop" this is as you suggest to prevent the tree exhausting itself and producing inferior fruit, I am not sure about the creatures that you have seen, someone else will be along to answer that one for you my friend digger

• 08/07/2008 09:54 PM

  In reply to

  sue1002 Location: Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 3,059

  Reply | Contact  With the apple tree being a young specimen it will blossom really well but only give a little fruit for the first couple of years. As digger says a lot of fruit is lost in the "June drop", the tree will automatically shed what it can't cope with.  Our Golden Delicious tree is now in it's 6th or 7th year here and two years ago was the first decent crop we had from it.   With the curling leaves, did you see any white webs inside the leaves?  If so this could be from the tortrix moth, our apple tree had an attack of it this year (and so did some lilies), I just pulled the affected leaves off with their tiny caterpillars inside.  sue1002

• 08/07/2008 10:27 PM	In reply to
  Simon Location: Chichester Joined on: 08 Jul 2008 Posts: 7	Reply | Contact Hi Digger,  Many thanks for this - it did in fact happen in June, so this is really reassuring!  I am a bit of a newcomer to this gardening game (as you can probably tell!) but I am enjoying it immensely.  You can expect more postings, as this is better than ploughing through a gardening book index!

• 08/07/2008 10:33 PM	In reply to
  Simon Location: Chichester Joined on: 08 Jul 2008 Posts: 7	Reply | Contact The pests were on the undersides of the leaves, and were small soft-bodied grey creatures that ants seemed to like.  there were no webs, but the infestation caused the leaves to curl and shrivel.  Cherry trees and Forsythia were also affected.  Since then, small new leaves have appeared, so hopefully the problem might now be over.   Many thanks for your help!

• 09/07/2008 01:21 PM

  In reply to

  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 1,237

  Reply | Contact Ants like to sip the honeydew from aphids and I expect these were present.  Aphids way of carrying on is to breed like mad: very roughly unfertilised females have their young inside them and the young have their own young inside as well, officially called telescoping of the generations. When the aphids get numerous or when their predators catch up with them they start producing winged forms and disperse, leaving the wingless forms to their enemies, so colonies often quickly vanish and new foliage is unaffected. Be ready to deal with them next year, as they overwinter, usually as eggs laid by fertised females before winter arrives.  Aphids are my favourite insects. Bumpy apples are a common consequence of aphids feeding on the developng fruits, although capsid bugs can have a similar effect. The affected fruits won't tempt TESCO, but they will be edible. Boggy   Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

• 09/07/2008 08:45 PM	In reply to
  Simon Location: Chichester Joined on: 08 Jul 2008 Posts: 7	Reply | Contact Hi Boggy, Thanks for your answer.  I'm glad you like them - I think my favourite insect is going to be whatever eats them!  Simon

• 10/08/2008 09:58 PM

  In reply to

  melchior Location: france Joined on: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 3

  Reply | Contact  Simon -- I have a lot of sympathy for you. The little grey aphid like creatures were indeed aphids and they have the same effect my apple trees as well. The leaves are curling in response to the sap sucking these little beasts do. Look out carefully for ants who are probably carrying the aphids into your trees. If you see this, you can prevent it with a band of sticky stuff around the trunk, or even tree glue. You should be able to buy this sort of stuff at a decent nurser. Good luck