Fruit tree pest control

Uther

Can anyone give advice on cost effective pest control for fruit trees.
I have apple, cherry and plum.

The recommendations I have found suggest
greasebands about £6
pheromone traps (as indicators) about £8 per tree.
Bug spray about £7.
I think it would be cheaper to cut down the trees and buy the fruit. -)

Any cost concious gardeners know a cheaper solution.
Thanks

cjb02

can i ask, what is wrong with the tree's where they require pest control ?

tomsolomon

Yes please, I need some info on this aswell....
We only had a few Bramleys last year because the tree was only just starting to settle after being in for 18 months, the wasps got to every single one of them.....
This year there should be more fruit and I would like to have some nice apple and goosebarry pie and apple sauce...:P

Bunny82

Are they aphids? If so try very dilute water and washing up liquid and spray the leaves with it. My dwarf apple tree at the moment has greenfly and the ants are farming them. Eugh!

Uther

cjb02 wrote: »

can i ask, what is wrong with the tree's where they require pest control ?

last year some plums have maggots inside, but the biggest problem is brown rot. it spreads like a forest fire throght the tree, probably lose 80% of plums to this even though I remove all the infected fruit I see.

The apples some have maggots, and cherries is really just preventative.

Thanks

[Deleted User]

I just posted the same question on another thread, I'll be watching this with interest. My fruit trees are full of aphids and ants

cjb02

OK. I dont know much about brown rot at all.

but reading the RHS website here.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0900/brown_rot.asp

There is no chemical preventative to brown rot. but as you did remove all infected fruit and also remove any spurs that are also infected (dead spurs).

tomsolomon

Van1971 wrote: »

I just posted the same question on another thread, I'll be watching this with interest. My fruit trees are full of aphids and ants

The ants are there to milk the aphids, perfectly harmless. As Bunny says, washing up liquid in water.

ixwood

They're not just there to milk the aphids. Ants transport and protect them (from ladybirds etc) and are a right pain.

They also bite their wings off, so they can't get away and their feet have chemicals that make their slave army more docile and controllable.

The ant's farming and protection means that the aphids appear in higher numbers and density (with few predators so no natural balance will happen as would normally).

Apparently a sunflower as a decoy words. The ants are supposed to move their farms to the sunflower instead. Anyone tried it? Anyone got a sunflower covered in ants and aphids?

Uther

tomsolomon wrote: »

. As Bunny says, washing up liquid in water.

What does the washing up liquid do?

cjb02 wrote: »

can i ask, what is wrong with the tree's where they require pest control ?

Are you saying I don't need pheromone traps, greasbands etc unless I see a problem.?

Thanks

Uther

Van1971 wrote: »

I just posted the same question on another thread, I'll be watching this with interest. My fruit trees are full of aphids and ants

No answers here, did you get any on your other thread?