WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2019

Old thread here

 

I’ve been raking up soggy leaves off my lawn, the Temprature is dropping fast now

 

There's definitely some fungal disease as well as the wooly aphids. I might double prune-winter and again in summer-there's not much to lose really!

Is meths safe to use on apples?!

Didn't manage to get out in the garden today-sun came out but then started with a stonker migraine and been in bed on the diazepam Great start to 2019.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Planning on choping down some connifers and a couple of trees in the front and then get some grisilina (?) hedging. I think there is some on the the "estate common parts" which has grown really nicely.

Hoping to block off some horrid neighbours we seem to have had move in and give us more privacy in the front garden.

 

Defrosting my car and going to work bbbbbrrrrr it’s freeeezing

 

Looks like brown rot to me Snorky. I can see one reason why you have a problem, viz., leaving the fruit on the tree. This spreads the spores. Remove asap

Why double prune???? Doesnt make sense to me Snorky !

If mine, I would treat the tree for wooly aphid.....it is a problem you have.....as I said before by soap wash and scrubbing to clean as much of the wood as possible. Use meths if you prefer to but clean those branches.

remove all traces of rotting fruit.....on the ground too. I also would cover the cleaned ground with a good thick mulch.

I would try for as much air circulation as possible by removing unnecessary wood......but do this now and you will see a proliferation of water shoots to compound the problem. So, a job to be done in early August (every August thereafter) and it will do three things.......expose the ripening fruit to the sun, expose any fruit beginning to rot so you can see them thus enabling their quicker removal and slow down the production of excessive wood (this will encourage fruit buds instead for the following year). Slightly more problematic if your tree is a tip bearer....if unsure just check how the tree fruits, viz., on spurs on old wood ( spur bearer) or on the tips of current wood ( tip bearer)

Choosing disease resistant varieties helps a lot too....varieties suitable for your area and conditions. I once planted an orchard down here and deliberately chose suitable varieties as well as cornish varieties; I consulted a local apple expert too re the cornish varieties. They were summer pruned thus creating easily pickable trees.....fruit was prolific and to hand on well branched, open vase shaped "bushes"

Ha ha Snorky....you have your work cut out there.
Griselinia is a great hedge (down here anyway) so a good choice I think.
Re your "horrid neighbours" .....maybe something vigorous and thorny?? Berberis atropurpurea Superba, B. Darwinii or even pyracantha ????

 

Thanks for all the advice @Verdun. I'll nip up to the lotty and take a piccy of the bramley in its current state then will create an apple thread as not to take over this one lol.

Re the griselinia-i read that it may struggle in cold conditions but the one already here has been fine the last few years....I think i'll take a pic of that to get some ID to confirm whether it actually is Griselinia!

Re thorny hedges-luckily the horror neighbours live across the driveway...unluckily a thorny hedge wont affect them. I'm looking for something to block their view out of my garden that will grow quickly.

 

I'm still chuckling at that!

 

My xmas tree is in place. The next thing I am going to have to tackle there is the arch. How invasive is Campsis? I have read reports either way.

G.

 

Assembled my new toy....scarifier/raker. Prob start using it tomorrow. Soil and weather are ideal right now.
Had a tad too much trifle today too at great niece's 3 rd birthday party. :cheerup:

 

Looks lovely shiney!
Woo if you fancy coming and sorting out my koi pond feel free! Far too cold for me to be putting my hands in there!
And Verdun...I'm feeling the rake love. I got a shrub rake for Christmas.

Mr Snorks and myself spent the afternoon in the front garden and chopped down the conifers...medium size and the large trees to make way for new nicer hedging. Our lovely neighbour has let us borrow her gigantic barrow and top up her bonfire

Needless to say, we are now both shattered!