Re: apple tree help

Hi,
> I have an apple tree that produces apples but they fall to the ground > before ripening and seem to get worms even on the tree. Is there anything I > can do about this without hurting the lawn underneath it. I live in the > pacific northwest and it has been in the 80's and will probably stay that > hot for a couple weeks. the tree is at least 50 years old. Thank you for any > help you can give me. >

Some natural fruit drop is to be expected - the tree is simply thinning out fruit that it cannot support. If ALL the fruit is dropping, that is symptomatic of more significant problems. Lawn right up to base of a fruit tree is not a great idea. Lawns tend to hog nutrients and soil mositure and might be depriving the tree of the conditions it needs to thrive, Also, to encourage consistant production, apple trees should be pruned annually to remove excessive interior branches which may be blocking needed sunlight and to develop new fruiting spurs. Old spurs will gradually lose their productivity over time and need to be replaced. Additional fertilizing may be necessary also if the tree has not been maintained properly.

Despite several posts encouraging a regular spray program, a dormant season spray to help control fungal problems and to smother overwintering insect eggs is typically all that is recommended for home orchardists in the PNW. There is no spray product available to the consumer for the control of apple maggots and coddling moths - these insect pests need to be controlled by trapping. It is too late in the season for this type of control now - traps should be initiated in early spring just as the blossoms are starting to emerge and remain in place through the season. It can sometimes take several seasons before you get very complete control.

Finally, 50 years is a good lifetime for an apple tree - commercial orchardists replace their trees after a much shorter period of time due to a natural decline in productivity. You might just want to consider your tree simply a venerable addition to your landscape and take whatever edible fruit it does produce as a bonus. Plant a new, disease resistant and climate suitable apple cultivar for serious fruit production.

pam - gardengal

Here's a very good article on the coddling moth. While written in UC Davis, California, it discusses a number of items that can perhaps be implemented in your area.

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the reference to trunk banding. The key here is not so much to deny the moth larvae a hiding place in which to pupate as it is to provide it a known hiding place which you then discard (cum pupae). Another website discussed using a band of pliable plastic foam instead of tanglefoot around the trunk under the cardboard.

We had a severe coddling moth problem last year with our backyard apples...almost 50% of the apples showed signs of infestation. I heavily dormant sprayed the trees (oil and lime/sulfur) during the winter, including the ground immediately beneath the trees as well as the trees themselves. I set up coddling moth pheromone traps (which I replace every 6 weeks) and oil spray every 10 - 14 days. While I still find some apples with evidence of infestation (which I pick, crush, and bury deep in the compost pile), these now tend to be the exception rather than the rule.

The other posts are absolutely correct in recommending that any fallen apples be picked up and discarded. If you decide to toss these into the compost pile, make sure you crush them (to decompose easier) and bury them deep in the pile where you don't turn the pile. You don't want the larvae to reach adulthood!