[5thhorseman]

Hi all.  First post.

I have an apple tree that I haven't paid much attention to for the last 3 summers except to prune it.  It is a fairly mature tree.  I don't get much of a crop off of it ... most of the apples fall off in early August and some that are left have worms.  The leaves have brown trails on them from something that's obviously been munching away.

Any recommendations on what I can do for this tree?  An orchardist friend of mine recommended dormant tree oil, but I can't find this at the usual garden centres or on the internet.  There's some 'recipes' for making the stuff, but I'm not sure where you can get mineral oil.  I believe chainsaw oil is mineral oil.  Could I use that?

Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks.

[calibra]

Neem oil works well to kill insects ( a spoon in a litre of water), as does limonene ( distilled citrus oil) , dissolved at about 1% strength to water , both are powrfull natural insectisides and can be used like dormant / horticultural oils

On the fruit trees, For anything like caterpillers , i use an insecticide called dipel ,its great for killing caterpillers it just stops them eating

You also need a grease band on the tree to stop moths climbing up to lay eggs, also spraying with a fungicide such as bordeaux mix to kill scab can help get a better crop as well.

[vegikev]

hi there
is it possible that the apple could be an ealry harvest variety, some are ready in july which could explain the dropping in august. i know now is the wrong time but a picture would help as many different insects mark the leaves in different ways , they also enter the fruit in different ways which helps to identify them. imho i would only apply chemicals when i knew what i was treating,  most pests are inactive now so many treatments will not work. good luck

[5thhorseman]

Thanks for the advice.  I'll give the apples a taste when they start falling ... honestly I never tried them in July as they just looked too green.  Possibly they're just good for cooking and baking anyways.

I found a simple recipe for dormant tree oil (horticultural oil):  4 litres of water. Then mix in 2 tablespoons of liquid soap and one cup of vegetable oil and shake vigorously. Shake during use to ensure that the oil is evenly dispersed throughout the water.

Will give this a try around March after pruning as apparently it suffocates Codling moth and other overwintering insects eggs.

Thought of the grease bands but haven't been able to find these anywhere.  I suppose I could make my own.  Does anyone do this?

Will look at using the other treatments when I see evidence of caterpillars and such.

[mumofstig]

Harrods Horticultural
Scoll down the page to see them
These do them as well as alot of others