[chrissie B]

had a hit and miss year with my fruit trees this year apple was good huge apples taste nice
plums did great this year there were loads more and they were double the size on last year although some had a maggot in them , was hoping to get away without spraying them ,nectarine well was very sad in deed not one was eadable the whole tree was swamped by ants , greenfly and it had leaf curl now the ants are farming some horrable black insects .
mandarine tree we had 5 last year but have counted 10 but they only grow on one side so i need a graf on the other side .lemon we had loads of flowers and the start of a lemon or 2 but they all dropped off.
chrissie b

[Trillium]

Aw, that's a shame, but all of gardening is a learning curve. Hopefully you'll find answers this winter to sort it for next year. I'd highly recommend sorting out the nectarine first as so much damage will soon kill that tree. A good feeding of rotted manure as a thick mulch will help tree health a lot but not eliminate the pest problem. Best to consult a nursery or garden centre for solutions.

[chrissie B]

thanks for the reply , i just read how you can use vinegar on ants as a home reamady around the house but wondered if it could be used in the garden and would it do harm to my nectarine tree if i sprayed it with some any ideas please .
chrissie b

[Yorkie]

Hmm, interesting question chrissie.  I'm not sure whether the acid in the vinegar would do the fruits or tree any good?  Unless others have positive experiences I might play safe.