Apple trees blooming

First of all,thanks for the new forum Dave,I need the help!

Ok,my 2 dwarf apple trees are now blooming,and if the don't get bit tomorrow night,how do I get apples with no worm holes?

I have 2 antique apples...what else..huh? Anyway,I have Gravenstein and State Fair apples.The trees are about 6 years old and I've had about a dozen apples all told since they were planted.

Someone please tell me what do do to keep fruit on the trees and for them not to be riddled with pests. This is their producing year...they have an 'on' and 'off' year I've figured out.Anyway,they are full of blooms,and I need to know how to take care of them in plain folks language.You'll know what I mean Shoe.

I'd prefer not to spray with toxic stuff,but will use some chemicals sparingly if I have to.Also,most of the apples fall off before they mature...what gives there?

Ugh...nuthin' worse than biting into an apple and seeing half a worm.

Them "worms" (larvae, or maggots)could either be coddling moth larvae or Apple maggots. If they're coddling moth larvae you can just spray an oil on the leaves/branches a week or two after bloom time. (GardensAlive now sells an oil that isn't a petroleum-based product...I've tried it and it works good. I think it's a parafin-based spray, and non-toxic to beneficials.) If your have oodles of them bad boys you could use a pyrethrum spray, but that is not quite as safe for your beneficials (altho it is said to not harm bees and ladybug larva). If you choose to go that route I'd spray it late in the day when the bees go home, just to be safe tho.
NOw them daggum apple maggots, they come later in the yr, once the air and ground are really warmed up. Once they are hatched (inside the fruit) they make tunnels and cause the fruit to fall. (However, don't just automatically think that is your problem...the majority of fuit trees naturally thin themselves by dropping their fruit.) If you see those maggots in your dropped fruit tho you'll need to collect it and get rid of it, pronto. You may have seen those "phony red apple" traps for sale in magazines with Sticky Trap on them...that's what they are made for. You can make your own tho with cheap rubber balls (red ones, preferably) from Wally World and coat them with sticky trap or the like. For a dwarf tree you could get by hanging only one or two. (Standard trees will need 5 or 6, or more.)

That's what comes to mind, so far. As an aside tho, last yr I bought some "caolin" dust for pests. It's basically red clay powder and you spray it on the trees to not only smother the bugs but also as a deterrent. I didn't use it much (forgot I even had it till late in the season) so can't give a first-hand critique on it. This year I'll give it a good test tho (especially on my plum trees!).



This message was edited Thursday, Apr 10th 4:31 PM

Horseshoe.....you are just a blessed "fount of information"!

I was about to post, asking what caused the marbling in the flesh of my apples. So....they are maggots!!! Those phoney apples you speak of, that I can make myself....would Tanglefoot work as a coating?? My DH pickes an apple or so, before they are fully ripe, (he snacks on them while working in the yard) and he says there isn't a sign of this marbling and they taste good. When I allow them to fully mature they are spoiled with the marbling throughout!! Have a Granny Smith, a Golden Delicious and a Red Delicious. Just once...I would like to get some apples that I can eat or use in the kitchen!!!

Thank You for the Info.

Hedy :-))

Yep, that's them! Apple maggots! I have a product called "tangle trap"...I bet it must be the same as your "tanglefoot" so I imagine it would work. (Tanglefoot...why I remember the year I grew my toenails out when I's a boy in an effort to help me climb trees better. Worked great in the trees but not so good for walking on solid ground. As I staggered and stumbled around I could'a sworn people behind my back called me Tanglefoot a time or two!)

Anyway, I'd give it a try. You'll have to clean the balls off from time to time and add more 'sticky' but at least you'll be getting rid of the pests. I'd even use them clear up to Autumn in an effort to wipe out as many adults as you can.

Here are the website to Tanglefoot, we bought a small plastic tub of it last year from a local hardware store:

http://www.tanglefoot.com/
http://www.tanglefoot.com/products/

Ahah! thanks for the links. It appears that "The Tanglefoot Company" is who makes "Tangle Trap".
♫Ta-dahhh ♫

By the way, looks like they have a good area to check out pest control at their site also! Good goin'!
Thanks Hedy!

I HEARD THAT YOU CAN PLACE THE RED BALLS INTO CLEAR PLASTIC BAGS (ZIPLOCKS) AND COAT THE BAG INSTEAD OF THE BALL. HAS ANYONE TRIED THIS? SURE WOULD BE EASIER TO TAKE A CLEAN RED BALL OUT OF A TACKY BAG AND REUSE THE CLEAN BALL EACH YEAR. WOULD SARAN WRAP WORK I WONDER? JUST TRYING TO SAVE US ALL SOME TIME WRESTLING WITH THE GOOEY STUFF!

Sounds much easier to me to, Iowagal. The Saran wrap would sure be less messy.

'shoe, will you come teach the Master Gardener class down here? This is EXACTLY the information I was looking for last year (and just posted something similar on another thread here...)

Okay, off to Gardens Alive! to see about some spray (since mine are in bloom now, I have a couple weeks to spray, yes?)

And the sticky balls - what a GREAT idea to encase them in something that can be removed when it's full o' bugs!

Hah...Terry, no doubt YOU are qualified to teach that class, but like me I bet, time is what is lacking, eh?

There are different sprays that you can use thru-out the season(s), and GardensAlive has lots of info in their catalogs, or used to...I don't think I've rec'd one from them for a while.

By they way, someone mentioned that they saw "fake fruit" at the Dollar Store, 3 for a dollar! If there is one of those stores near any of you that would be great to actually get red apples to use for the tangletrap! (Cheap too!)

Oh, good idea 'shoe. Yes, there IS a dollar general store near me (and a dollar tree and big lots across town.) I'll check them out the next time I'm out and about :)

Actually, if I had the time, I'd love to teach the "Organic Gardening" class in the series - even if I had to use their slides and format, I would refer to organic gardeners as "us" and "we" instead of "they" and "them". (Sad, but true. It was taught as if the instructor really wanted to say "those [wacky] people..." when referring to organic gardeners. Sigh....one of these days I'll have enough time to do everything I really want to do, right????)

Hehehe...if that day ever comes I imagine you'll be bored silly! Having time to do everything you want? (I think that is a fallacy!)

Meanwhile, guess you'll hafta practice teaching organic growing right here at DG.