Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: MrsPea on August 22, 2018, 18:55

Title: Victoria Plums
Post by: MrsPea on August 22, 2018, 18:55

Does anybody know how to stop the bugs getting inside the plums, this year everyone is affected although we put a grease band round the trunk, would love to hear from anyone, if you know what to do in the future.



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Title: Re: Victoria Plums
Post by: ghost61 on August 23, 2018, 06:57

If you have found little pink maggots inside the plums, that is plum moth, and grease bands don't help.  Pheromone traps catch the males if hung in trees from May to September, but still don't prevent the problem, just reduces the effect.  You can spray, but as we keep bees we just put up with the problem.  All the effective sprays are harmful to bees.

Title: Re: Victoria Plums
Post by: MrsPea on August 23, 2018, 18:22

Thank you ghost61 we' ll have to buy one next year  :)l 

Title: Re: Victoria Plums
Post by: Mr Dog on August 25, 2018, 21:27

The infested plums tend to ripen significantly earlier than the non infested. We pull off all the early ripeners and discard so that when we harvest the plums we can be fairly confident that they will be usable.

Title: Re: Victoria Plums
Post by: Yorkie on August 28, 2018, 16:34

I agree about the pheromone traps; double check when they should be started in your area.  I think the local radio gardener said it should be perhaps April rather than May?  You don't want to be too late …  :ohmy: