Rotten Apples

[IanDB]

Having nurtured my trees for the past few years I have been looking forward to enjoying the fruits of my labour and picking bucketfulls of apples. Last year was good with plenty of apples staying on the trees from September through to October.

This year - horror of horrors - the apples are going rotten on the trees almost as I watch them.

Any ideas what this is down to? There appear to have been a lot more wasps this year and I was wondering if they have damaged the apples which have then gone rotten?

 

[2scoops0406]

The increase in wasps this year is due to the mild winter we had, this didn't kill last years wasps off, also the wet wether this summer, coupled with a large reduction in the amount of pestcides used has led to a hoverfly population exlposion. Your apples are probably going rotten because of the very wet summer that we have had.

 

[IanDB]

Oh well, I'd better eat them quick then. Thanks.

Ian.

 

[Thermo]

What does the rot look like? (please give as good a description as possible)

 

[IanDB]

Thanks for the interest. It's all a bit academic now as they've all fallen off/been eaten.

However, basically they went brown on the tree. Seemed almost to be from the inside out. This was back in early September. The variety is Laxton's Superb. They normally ripen in late September.

 

[Thermo]

Did they go brown with little white spots on? It may not be academic as if its a fungal problem it will carry on to next year and possibly any other trees you have

Thermo

 

[Dewy]

Apples that go brown on the tree need removing.
Windfalls too.
Its's fungal infection that can spread to other fruits.
The apple tree I have spread the infection to a victoria plum so the plums went brown and mouldy the following year.
Windfalls will leave the spores in the earth so they should not go on the compost heap but disposed of or burned.

 

[Thermo]

Dewy, that was what i was leading on to. Its most probably brown spot which is a complete pain in the backside. Its taken me two years to eradicate it from my plum and apple trees. There is nothing that can treat it chemical wise. As you say the only solution is to remove affected fruit, or fallen fruit and dispose of it. You need to make sure you have a good look over the tre to make sure there is no mumified fruit on it as this is quite easy to miss.

Thermo