Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Sep 01, 2010 12:51 am So I have this lovely apricot tree in my backyard of the house I bought last year, and need some tips on how to safely treat it so that I can eat the fruit before the bugs do! It has started blossoming (yay Spring!!) so it won't be too long before I have fruit! It had loads of fruit last year but as I've never had a fruit tree before (or my own garden to look after ) I didn't do anything to the tree and the bugs promptly ate all my fruit So I'm hoping the garden gurus can let me know how to treat the tree so I can enjoy my "home grown" apricots this year Whatever I do, it needs to be safe for dogs as the tree is in their backyard! Additionally, does anyone know what sort of contraption I could put under the tree to catch the fruit so the dogs don't get to the ones that drop on the ground? Thanks! Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 2Sep 01, 2010 1:08 am Well the Garden Gurus (Nev and Trev are top blokes) http://www.thegardengurus.tv/index.php? ... 1&sub=none won't be here to answer your question so I'll have to do. Once the fruit begins to form and not drop you will need to start a spray programme for fruit fly. In WA it is law we do this to control the spread of the cursed fruit fly However the spays are not very nice for us and before eating the fruit it is important to keep an eye on the with holding period. That is the length of time between spraying the fruit and eating it. That will be stipulated on the box. Lebaycid Eco-Natralure are the products to choose. http://www.yates.com.au/products/pest-c ... ct-killer/ http://www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au/product.php?id=4 The wonderful Sue McDougall here in the west (Best Hort in the world, that's right, the world) used to make a lure up. From memory it was cloudy ammonia, rogor, Vegemite in traps hung throughout the tree. Not sure if that was it. If it isn't, then it is the recipe for how to blow up your tree, which Sue would have nothing to do with It would make picking the fruit easy though. As for something to stop the woofas from eating the yummy Apricots, then tie a cat to the tree. That will keep the dogs occupied on something else Or you could set some pine posts in around the drip line of the tree. string some cable round and between them and cover with bird netting. Get poles big enough and you might be able to cover the tree with bird netting too or cover the dogs with bird netting, yeah that will work too Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 3Sep 01, 2010 1:12 am Oh as for treating the Apricot tree, well treat it nice Lots of organic compost on the soil and cover over with thick layers of straw to 100mm at the start of winter. When Spring arrives, cover the straw with mulch from a tree lopping mob. Then repeat as required and that tree will love you.... long time Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 5Sep 02, 2010 1:01 am Na, just get into it. You'll work it out as you go. Bird netting is cheap as. Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 6Sep 02, 2010 8:25 am At our last 2 houses we had an apricot tree and I put vaseline around the trunk to stop ants from crawling up and eating the apricots. It worked keeping ants out but didn't stop the birds from having a feed.. A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands. Melbourne West Our build viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34169 Landscaping viewtopic.php?f=19&t=51147 Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 7Sep 02, 2010 10:47 am Great point Kaytee. Rubbing chalk into the trunk, lime, or talcum powder will also have this effect. They don't contain petrochemicals Keep the ants out of your fruit trees and you keep a great many associated pests out too Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 8Sep 02, 2010 5:26 pm Silly question but when do you know the fruit is ready? Are you meant to pick them before they fall off? As whatever pests they were were getting to the fruit last year, I didn't bother doing anything with it and they just ended up rotting and falling off (or was that falling off and rotting?!) I'm a total noob here!! Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 9Sep 02, 2010 11:23 pm Just pick 'em when they are a loosing the firmness a little. You can pick 'em a bit early and let them ripen in the fruit bowl They will get a nice smell to them as well when they want to be picked. Yum Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 10Sep 03, 2010 1:44 am Thanks! I'd love to grow a mango tree, but I fear if I can't handle an already established apricot tree, I've got no hope in hell of keeping a brand new mango tree alive!! Re: How to Treat an Apricot Tree so bugs don't eat my fruit? 11Sep 03, 2010 4:09 pm Of course you can Just have a go Grow it in a big pot I am going to be repotting an avocado later today, peach, nectarine, lemon, lime, and planting a Brown fig in a pot Hello. I just bought a few acres in Habana, Mackay, and my horses seem to love hanging around under this tree. I would like to name the paddock after this tree. Can… 0 9529 Fellow Perth dweller. Looks like pruns nigra. It's a dark leaf flowering plum. Doesn't get massive and is easily trimmed deciduous tree. Very popular in small gardens in Perth 7 2764 |