Apples in the subtropics! Very impressive, Mark! I really like your idea of building a frame for the netting over the tree. Those fruit flies must be nasty buggers. I'm glad we don't have them here.
+OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening Thanks Patrick, yes I think the frame will work better (if only I had your building skills)... I'll give it my best shot. Fruit fly in Australia inhabits mostly the east and west coasts it can't handle the cold very well so the southern states are pretty safe but it's an insidious pest for those of us who have to battle it. Cheers mate!
So glad UK Here we grow recommended your channel. I am a transplanted Kiwi and just love to hear you talk. Sounds like us. Ha ha. Anyway, enjoy your channel so very much. The net idea is great and will try it on our dwarf trees although I don't think we are ever bothered by fruit fly. We do however lose some to the birds and other bugs. I know the net works great on our sour cherry tree.
+Jackie Binkley Hi Jackie and thank you for checking out my channel on the recommendation of UK Here We Grow! Yes if you don't get fruit fly wasp you're laughing because I would say it's worse than birds for fruit trees and it does take a lot of time out of my gardening to organically beat it. Still, it's much better than not growing any fruit at all and thankfully not all our fruit trees get targeted by this pest. Your sour cherry sounds nice - I'll have to investigate and see if I can find a low chill cherry for my climate... I might be out of luck on this one lol. Cheers :)
Something I have noticed, in the recent years about store bought apples is the peeling is getting tough as shoe leather, for some reason, and it doesn't seem to matter the variety! I need to start growing my own like you do, Mark!
+Keyplayr61 Greenhouse Hydroponics And Gardens Very true Keith, they're often only selling the varieties that have good shelf or portability qualities instead of taste! Cheers :)
Very good harvest off such a small tree. I don't know if you follow Woody's Allotment in the UK but I'm always amazed at the apples he gets off very small trees.
+Oliver Southworth Best of luck with your apple trees! I found mine grew pretty quickly and fruited in the first season. They say you should remove the fruit from young trees until they establish but I left a few to develop and I was glad I did because our very first apples were an exciting and delicious treat. Cheers :)
Self Sufficient Me ThankYou, when they say removing the fruit does that mean the blossom as well? I have been thinking about removing the fruit for the first, maybe second year to get the trees growing really well but I don't think I have the patience to wait that long for my first home grown apple
+The farm douwnunder in Tara Hi, and thanks for taking the time to comment! Yes I would recommend the Golden Dorsett it's a very good backyard apple tree! Cheers :)
I can see a rob Bob style structure helping out this problem. 4 star pickets left in all year if you want with a crossed irrigation pipe between them higher than the net. It will stop the rubbing on the tree and give the tree room to move without growing through the net. Great haul anyway
+Sarah Short Hi Sarah, yes I have used that method before to net the trees from birds. I'd prefer not to hammer 4 x posts into the ground but it might be the only practical way to go in the end... Thanks :)
to keep the fruit flies out, what about little bags over the flowers/fruit? obviously with a tight enough weave that the fruit flies cant oviposit between the threads. or when I was little my mum used to get little paper bags to put over growing fruit, I wonder if those are still around.
Great work Mark. I have the same two varieties as you and got my first apple this year. I just bagged the fruit with a netting bag to keep the fruit fly out. Something ate a hole in the bag and gnawed the fruit. As it was the only apple, i picked it, cut off the gnawed bit and shared the remainder between us. I'm aiming to net the tree next year, so will be watching your channel with interest in case you build a frame. I'm aiming to use water pipe over start pickets for a frame. I think the water pipe needs to be 2 inch, to fit over the start pickets.
+Don Cooper Hi Don thanks mate! Congrats on your first apple - it's a big moment, and I don't mean that as a joke because when we got our first apple I wanted to cut it 12 ways and share it with everyone lol... This year we couldn't eat all our apples so I made apple sauce, etc and now I'm making apple cider vinegar with the last 10 - never done that before but I'm keen to see how it turns out. In regards to the netting, instead of star pickets you can use reo steel posts cut to about 4 or 5 feet (the stuff they use in concreting) hammered into the ground about 30 cms and the 25mil poly pipe slips over that nicely. OR, if you do use star pickets hammer the posts into the ground with the leading edge facing out then instead of running the poly pipe over the post run it down the inside flush seated against the post and zip tie it into place - same same... Anyway, I intend to show several examples this year on netting trees and raised beds so yes stay tuned! Cheers :)
+Self Sufficient Me Thanks Mark. I'll watch your videos with interest. The dome netting solution proposed by tolgabathospital is what I'm currently leaning towards. The more ideas the merrier though. I'm not sure if the 25mm poly will be strong enough in a storm, but it is certainly cheaper, lighter and easier to work with.
Don Cooper It survives our subtropical climate see my article it's a bit dated but you get the idea, still, use whatever method you like I'd be keen to see what you come up with! www.selfsufficientme.com/fruit-vegetables/apple-bird-net-netting-fruit-and-vegetables-from-birds-and-other-animals
+Self Sufficient Me Thanks for the link. Your website is a great resource. You've documented a lot of your experience. I'll try and add a photo in your web page comments later in the year when I have some stone fruit and apples to protect.
Keep us up to date on how you go (with your solution), need to prepare my newish trees for next year and am contemplating using retic for either a hoop house (~12 trees) or hoops for each tree. Reports of fruit fly infestations here in WA of late...
+FourtyLX Yeah no worries will do! You guys don't get the QLD fruit fly though (I'm not too sure) and I believe the Med is not as "aggressive" but I would still prepare just in case if I were you. I'm thinking if you have all your trees in a row then a hoop house would be better than individual tree nets over frames - probably more work now but less work in the long run... I'd be interested to see your solution also. Cheers :)
Great idea using net to put around your fruit trees. Perhaps you should used a net that wrapped around the fruit individually. I have seen it used on pears. They are like stocking nylon. We don't have fruit flies that does such destruction here in Washington state. Great harvest on your apple.
+yack f zay Thanks Yack and I'll take your suggestion on wrapping the fruit individually it could work also. I'm glad you don't get fruit fly when you live because it's a horrible pest and really difficult to control organically but I'm determined to beat it! Cheers mate :)
I've never seen a fruit fly invasion like the one we had this year. Not in the garden, in the home, from fruits and veggies from the store or local market!!! I'm still catching them in my house!! They have never been a problem here, and it's terrible now. Just when you mentioned raising the netting, I was thinking the same thing, and when my fruit trees go in this spring, I will be allowing for covering them the same way. Mine are going to be very short trees too. Kind of like how you grow grapes. I'm way too short to be trying to get up to even a dwarf size fruit tree. I can't even consider fruit from the store anymore, it actually tastes terrible. The skin is so tough that I can't even chew it! I guess where I live everyone takes it for granted that everyone can grow a fruit tree, but I learned years ago that not everyone can. I'm so happy that you can have fresh fruit right from the tree, there is noting in the world better than fresh off the tree. Beautiful apples too! Bless, Sheila
+Sheila6325 Hi Sheila, yes keeping your trees small is a good idea and definitely doable or even espaliering them so the fruits and branches are easier to reach. It's a shame how many of the store fruit are selected on keeping quality instead of taste but sadly this is the case due to economics. Best of luck with your trees this spring! Cheers :)
Self Sufficient Me LOLOL That's the word I couldn't remember! Espaliering!!!!! That's what I'm going to do. I've had my eye on that method for years, and I'm finally going to get to use the method. It should help me a lot. Bless, Sheila
Top Job Mark... I like your idea about the cage over the tree, it makes sense to me. We don't suffer from the fruit fly over here in the UK - or at least the apple tree on my plot doesn't seem to suffer from any pests. BUT... I dont get 10kg of fruit from it... I might get about 10 apples a year .... which for me is enough. I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year mate. Cheers, Adam
+Allotment Grow How 10 apples is better than none Adam and a pretty nice haul really, but your tree might be still maturing and could produce better in the future - at least you're in a good climate for apples! Yeah we had a good Xmas & NY mate, Thanks :)
thanks, I am trying to grow apple trees from organic apples I bought last fall. we use apple pickers here a wire basket on a pole with a cushion to reach up into the tree just sharing link as an example of what it looks like
+Rev John O'Toole Thanks Rev John, I'll probably keep our trees small enough to hand pick but I'd imagine an apple picker would be very handy and safer than a ladder etc... Cheers :)
I love your channel it inspired me to start growing vegetables and fruits. However my zone climate is really hot in summer reaches about 120 would a verity like Reinee des Reinettes apple tree adapt to such harsh weather??
+Super Moon I have never seen any ill effects from my poultry eating apple seeds no. As long as the birds aren't fed the seeds directly and in great quantity I personally don't consider it to be a problem. Interesting point though! Thanks and Cheers :)
I saw someone take mesh gift bags and put a large one around each young fruit. Might be time-consuming, but your tree wouldn't grow through the cover. You can reuse the mesh bags
In the uk, just moved, have what i believe is an apple tree that has what i think after a couple of days researching is commonly called a white woolly aphid, , cut off the lower "newish branches" that were really covered in it, now i would like to know if anyone could suggest a good way to help get shot of most of the rest? The tree was flowering a few weeks ago but none left on the tree now,, its not a big space, has some conifers (one seems dead) and ive got a couple of pots planted, rosemary, lemon coriander, strawberry, mint, peas and beans and a couple of seed potatoes,, this is the first time in uk attempting to grow fruit and veg, but im concerned about the amount of what i think is these woolly aphids, anyone got any advice please? And thank you in advance
+Cheryl cummings Hey Cheryl, what I also love about apple trees is they grow pretty quickly so it isn't too long from planting to when you get your first fruit - sometimes as early as the first season! Thanks and cheers :)
+fruittreehugger1 Yeah you bet - Medfly... But they aren't as common because our native fruit fly is by far the most dominant and I think the introduced Medfly finds it hard to compete (well that's my guess anyway). Regardless of the type, fruit fly is a huge problem pest in eastern Australia and exclusion netting is really the only good organic way of saving a crop. Cheers :)
+wildchook (Mary) We've had a few mangoes ripen up and I just picked two more today but to be honest Mary the season has been pretty ordinary - I think it's due to the extra dry spring and summer we're having this year. Setting fruit has been terrible and I noticed flowering wasn't the best either so perhaps we're having one of those years... Mangoes in the shops are $2 each for an overripe quick sale and up to $4.50 for a fresh large one so I guess our crop as poor as it is this year still beats buying them! Cheers :)
Nice looking harvest mate. My daughter loves apples but like you I'm unimpressed with supermarket fruit. I usually only buy my apples in winter from the markets when they are in season. Although none of them are In long term storage you can tell they're getting a bit older as Spring approaches. I have a tropical variety too but it's had some die back but still alive. Why don't you stick 4 long star posts in the ground and slip some irrigation pipe over them to form 2 hoops to drape the netting over? Might not be cheaper than a wooden frame but would be quicker to build and last longer.
+Ben Jamin Hey Ben, yes I have done exactly that before when netting the apples from birds I used reo steel rods hammered into the ground and irrigation piping over that with bird net. In the early days when the trees were only producing a few apples, the fruit fly weren't a problem for some reason but the birds were an issue so I covered the trees with the irrigation pipe method and it worked well. I'll have to try a similar thing but with fine netting and yes I agree it would be easier to build and remove than a wooden frame. Cheers mate :)
Hello mark, just came across your videos I live in a tropical climate & wonder if its possible to grow apple tree from seed alone (apples bought in supermarket). Are your apple trees grafted or from seed?
+Cole Ken Hi Cole, my apple trees are grafted and I purchased them from a commercial nursery online but, to answer your question on growing from seed, yes it can be done quite easily; however, the tree may not be true to type. Cheers :)
Thanks for the suggestion, but yes I have tried bagging and the problem we have here is the fruit fly sting the fruit at any time which means the bags would have to go on right after fruit set and then stay on until picking, which would mean pale fruit unfortunately. Also, I have found bagging can lead to more chances of fruit rotting in the bag for some reason plus bigger animals like possums tear the bags anyway. I wish it did work for us as well as it does for others but it doesn't so I'll stick with exclusion netting for now I suppose :)
+McDowall Manor Cider is something else I really need to learn! I don't have the brewing experience like you Andy but one day I hope to buy a press (some good ones on eBay for reasonable price) and make my own brews... Cheers mate :)
+Mohammad Al-Lawati I've never tried jujube - can they be grown in a subtropical climate (that's where I am)? Are you able to net your tree or is it too big? Cheers :)
+Self Sufficient Me They do amazing here. You can try the thai jujube if you faced any problems. Trees grow too large in one season for netting that you need to cut it to keep it at a good size.
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Apples in the subtropics! Very impressive, Mark! I really like your idea of building a frame for the netting over the tree. Those fruit flies must be nasty buggers. I'm glad we don't have them here.
+OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening Thanks Patrick, yes I think the frame will work better (if only I had your building skills)... I'll give it my best shot. Fruit fly in Australia inhabits mostly the east and west coasts it can't handle the cold very well so the southern states are pretty safe but it's an insidious pest for those of us who have to battle it. Cheers mate!
So glad UK Here we grow recommended your channel. I am a transplanted Kiwi and just love to hear you talk. Sounds like us. Ha ha. Anyway, enjoy your channel so very much. The net idea is great and will try it on our dwarf trees although I don't think we are ever bothered by fruit fly. We do however lose some to the birds and other bugs. I know the net works great on our sour cherry tree.
+Jackie Binkley Hi Jackie and thank you for checking out my channel on the recommendation of UK Here We Grow! Yes if you don't get fruit fly wasp you're laughing because I would say it's worse than birds for fruit trees and it does take a lot of time out of my gardening to organically beat it. Still, it's much better than not growing any fruit at all and thankfully not all our fruit trees get targeted by this pest. Your sour cherry sounds nice - I'll have to investigate and see if I can find a low chill cherry for my climate... I might be out of luck on this one lol. Cheers :)
Something I have noticed, in the recent years about store bought apples is the peeling is getting tough as shoe leather, for some reason, and it doesn't seem to matter the variety! I need to start growing my own like you do, Mark!
+Keyplayr61 Greenhouse Hydroponics And Gardens Very true Keith, they're often only selling the varieties that have good shelf or portability qualities instead of taste! Cheers :)
Could u do an update on This video please mark
My dad always used long bamboo poles around the apple tree under the new to keep the met off the tree.
+Peggy Trammell Thanks for the tip Peggy! I can source bamboo poles so this might be an option for me also when making the framework. Cheers :)
You are very welcome. Cheers.
Very good harvest off such a small tree. I don't know if you follow Woody's Allotment in the UK but I'm always amazed at the apples he gets off very small trees.
I've just planted a few baby apple trees, can't wait until they start growing apples..... they're just big sticks at the moment.
+Oliver Southworth Best of luck with your apple trees! I found mine grew pretty quickly and fruited in the first season. They say you should remove the fruit from young trees until they establish but I left a few to develop and I was glad I did because our very first apples were an exciting and delicious treat. Cheers :)
Self Sufficient Me ThankYou, when they say removing the fruit does that mean the blossom as well? I have been thinking about removing the fruit for the first, maybe second year to get the trees growing really well but I don't think I have the patience to wait that long for my first home grown apple
Love your videos! Thanks for sharing.
+clydefav Thank you for your kind comment! Cheers :)
thank you for shering, they look like a loverly tree
+The farm douwnunder in Tara Hi, and thanks for taking the time to comment! Yes I would recommend the Golden Dorsett it's a very good backyard apple tree! Cheers :)
Here in Canada we get apple maggot and yellow jacket wasps. Nasty surprise when on a latter
I can see a rob Bob style structure helping out this problem. 4 star pickets left in all year if you want with a crossed irrigation pipe between them higher than the net. It will stop the rubbing on the tree and give the tree room to move without growing through the net. Great haul anyway
+Sarah Short Hi Sarah, yes I have used that method before to net the trees from birds. I'd prefer not to hammer 4 x posts into the ground but it might be the only practical way to go in the end... Thanks :)
to keep the fruit flies out, what about little bags over the flowers/fruit? obviously with a tight enough weave that the fruit flies cant oviposit between the threads. or when I was little my mum used to get little paper bags to put over growing fruit, I wonder if those are still around.
Thanks for sharing John. I have tried to grow apples and peaches here. I found it was too much trouble for me. Best wishes Bob.
+Bob Lt (BobMel's Gardening) Hey Bob, yes they can take up a bit of time in the garden that's for sure! Cheers :)
Great work Mark. I have the same two varieties as you and got my first apple this year. I just bagged the fruit with a netting bag to keep the fruit fly out. Something ate a hole in the bag and gnawed the fruit. As it was the only apple, i picked it, cut off the gnawed bit and shared the remainder between us. I'm aiming to net the tree next year, so will be watching your channel with interest in case you build a frame. I'm aiming to use water pipe over start pickets for a frame. I think the water pipe needs to be 2 inch, to fit over the start pickets.
+Don Cooper Hi Don thanks mate! Congrats on your first apple - it's a big moment, and I don't mean that as a joke because when we got our first apple I wanted to cut it 12 ways and share it with everyone lol... This year we couldn't eat all our apples so I made apple sauce, etc and now I'm making apple cider vinegar with the last 10 - never done that before but I'm keen to see how it turns out. In regards to the netting, instead of star pickets you can use reo steel posts cut to about 4 or 5 feet (the stuff they use in concreting) hammered into the ground about 30 cms and the 25mil poly pipe slips over that nicely. OR, if you do use star pickets hammer the posts into the ground with the leading edge facing out then instead of running the poly pipe over the post run it down the inside flush seated against the post and zip tie it into place - same same... Anyway, I intend to show several examples this year on netting trees and raised beds so yes stay tuned! Cheers :)
+Self Sufficient Me Thanks Mark. I'll watch your videos with interest. The dome netting solution proposed by tolgabathospital is what I'm currently leaning towards. The more ideas the merrier though. I'm not sure if the 25mm poly will be strong enough in a storm, but it is certainly cheaper, lighter and easier to work with.
Don Cooper It survives our subtropical climate see my article it's a bit dated but you get the idea, still, use whatever method you like I'd be keen to see what you come up with! www.selfsufficientme.com/fruit-vegetables/apple-bird-net-netting-fruit-and-vegetables-from-birds-and-other-animals
+Self Sufficient Me Thanks for the link. Your website is a great resource. You've documented a lot of your experience. I'll try and add a photo in your web page comments later in the year when I have some stone fruit and apples to protect.
Don Cooper That'd be great Don thank you! :)
Keep us up to date on how you go (with your solution), need to prepare my newish trees for next year and am contemplating using retic for either a hoop house (~12 trees) or hoops for each tree. Reports of fruit fly infestations here in WA of late...
+FourtyLX Yeah no worries will do! You guys don't get the QLD fruit fly though (I'm not too sure) and I believe the Med is not as "aggressive" but I would still prepare just in case if I were you. I'm thinking if you have all your trees in a row then a hoop house would be better than individual tree nets over frames - probably more work now but less work in the long run... I'd be interested to see your solution also. Cheers :)
Hey Mark, did you even build that frame over the apple trees? I'm at Jindalee and thinking of trying apples.
I know i am a bit late but do u know if those two apple varieties will grow in Mauritius, (an island found on the tropic of Capricorn line )
Hey so I live in Australia. Is it possible in anyway to plant, grow and harvest apple trees? I really want a apple tree.
yepp. You can try anna and golden dorsett it has already been harvested by many in aus.
He's growing in Australia so golden Dorset and Anna should work for you too.
Great idea using net to put around your fruit trees. Perhaps you should used a net that wrapped around the fruit individually. I have seen it used on pears. They are like stocking nylon. We don't have fruit flies that does such destruction here in Washington state. Great harvest on your apple.
+yack f zay Thanks Yack and I'll take your suggestion on wrapping the fruit individually it could work also. I'm glad you don't get fruit fly when you live because it's a horrible pest and really difficult to control organically but I'm determined to beat it! Cheers mate :)
I've never seen a fruit fly invasion like the one we had this year. Not in the garden, in the home, from fruits and veggies from the store or local market!!! I'm still catching them in my house!! They have never been a problem here, and it's terrible now. Just when you mentioned raising the netting, I was thinking the same thing, and when my fruit trees go in this spring, I will be allowing for covering them the same way. Mine are going to be very short trees too. Kind of like how you grow grapes. I'm way too short to be trying to get up to even a dwarf size fruit tree. I can't even consider fruit from the store anymore, it actually tastes terrible. The skin is so tough that I can't even chew it! I guess where I live everyone takes it for granted that everyone can grow a fruit tree, but I learned years ago that not everyone can. I'm so happy that you can have fresh fruit right from the tree, there is noting in the world better than fresh off the tree. Beautiful apples too! Bless, Sheila
+Sheila6325 Hi Sheila, yes keeping your trees small is a good idea and definitely doable or even espaliering them so the fruits and branches are easier to reach. It's a shame how many of the store fruit are selected on keeping quality instead of taste but sadly this is the case due to economics. Best of luck with your trees this spring! Cheers :)
Self Sufficient Me LOLOL That's the word I couldn't remember! Espaliering!!!!! That's what I'm going to do. I've had my eye on that method for years, and I'm finally going to get to use the method. It should help me a lot. Bless, Sheila
Top Job Mark... I like your idea about the cage over the tree, it makes sense to me. We don't suffer from the fruit fly over here in the UK - or at least the apple tree on my plot doesn't seem to suffer from any pests. BUT... I dont get 10kg of fruit from it... I might get about 10 apples a year .... which for me is enough. I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year mate. Cheers, Adam
+Allotment Grow How 10 apples is better than none Adam and a pretty nice haul really, but your tree might be still maturing and could produce better in the future - at least you're in a good climate for apples! Yeah we had a good Xmas & NY mate, Thanks :)
Nice,i have a dwarf Pinkabelle im in Newcastle will this toye be alright where I am.
thanks, I am trying to grow apple trees from organic apples I bought last fall.
we use apple pickers here a wire basket on a pole with a cushion to reach up into the tree
just sharing link as an example of what it looks like
+Rev John O'Toole Thanks Rev John, I'll probably keep our trees small enough to hand pick but I'd imagine an apple picker would be very handy and safer than a ladder etc... Cheers :)
That is a nice harvest.
+TheEmptynester Thank you! Cheers :)
What types of fruit trees need to be netted from fruit flies
I love your channel it inspired me to start growing vegetables and fruits. However my zone climate is really hot in summer reaches about 120 would a verity like Reinee des Reinettes apple tree adapt to such harsh weather??
My fruit salad tree has blossoms on it now. When should I net it? Should I leave room for further growth? Fruit fly got to my tomatoes last year ;(
Hey Mark great vid when do you net the tree? Also where do you get the nets from for a reasonable price?
Can your chickens eat apple seeds?
+Super Moon I have never seen any ill effects from my poultry eating apple seeds no. As long as the birds aren't fed the seeds directly and in great quantity I personally don't consider it to be a problem. Interesting point though! Thanks and Cheers :)
I saw someone take mesh gift bags and put a large one around each young fruit. Might be time-consuming, but your tree wouldn't grow through the cover. You can reuse the mesh bags
In the uk, just moved, have what i believe is an apple tree that has what i think after a couple of days researching is commonly called a white woolly aphid, , cut off the lower "newish branches" that were really covered in it, now i would like to know if anyone could suggest a good way to help get shot of most of the rest?
The tree was flowering a few weeks ago but none left on the tree now,, its not a big space, has some conifers (one seems dead) and ive got a couple of pots planted, rosemary, lemon coriander, strawberry, mint, peas and beans and a couple of seed potatoes,, this is the first time in uk attempting to grow fruit and veg, but im concerned about the amount of what i think is these woolly aphids, anyone got any advice please? And thank you in advance
Every-time i watch someone harvest apples from a tree i so wish i could pick a fresh apple & eat it rite there!!
+Cheryl cummings Hey Cheryl, what I also love about apple trees is they grow pretty quickly so it isn't too long from planting to when you get your first fruit - sometimes as early as the first season! Thanks and cheers :)
So you must have a issue with spotted wing fruit fly too hey ?
+fruittreehugger1 Yeah you bet - Medfly... But they aren't as common because our native fruit fly is by far the most dominant and I think the introduced Medfly finds it hard to compete (well that's my guess anyway). Regardless of the type, fruit fly is a huge problem pest in eastern Australia and exclusion netting is really the only good organic way of saving a crop. Cheers :)
I love that crunchy sound Mark....yum! How did the mangoes go? Are they ripe yet?
+wildchook (Mary) We've had a few mangoes ripen up and I just picked two more today but to be honest Mary the season has been pretty ordinary - I think it's due to the extra dry spring and summer we're having this year. Setting fruit has been terrible and I noticed flowering wasn't the best either so perhaps we're having one of those years... Mangoes in the shops are $2 each for an overripe quick sale and up to $4.50 for a fresh large one so I guess our crop as poor as it is this year still beats buying them! Cheers :)
Nice looking harvest mate. My daughter loves apples but like you I'm unimpressed with supermarket fruit. I usually only buy my apples in winter from the markets when they are in season. Although none of them are In long term storage you can tell they're getting a bit older as Spring approaches. I have a tropical variety too but it's had some die back but still alive. Why don't you stick 4 long star posts in the ground and slip some irrigation pipe over them to form 2 hoops to drape the netting over? Might not be cheaper than a wooden frame but would be quicker to build and last longer.
+Ben Jamin Hey Ben, yes I have done exactly that before when netting the apples from birds I used reo steel rods hammered into the ground and irrigation piping over that with bird net. In the early days when the trees were only producing a few apples, the fruit fly weren't a problem for some reason but the birds were an issue so I covered the trees with the irrigation pipe method and it worked well. I'll have to try a similar thing but with fine netting and yes I agree it would be easier to build and remove than a wooden frame. Cheers mate :)
+Self Sufficient Me I'll have to find a source of netting and do it myself next year. They've been relentless this year.
Ben Jamin If you find a cheap (but good quality) net to buy in bulk from somewhere please let me know? Cheers :)
I like it from Thailand
Hello mark, just came across your videos I live in a tropical climate & wonder if its possible to grow apple tree from seed alone (apples bought in supermarket). Are your apple trees grafted or from seed?
+Cole Ken Hi Cole, my apple trees are grafted and I purchased them from a commercial nursery online but, to answer your question on growing from seed, yes it can be done quite easily; however, the tree may not be true to type. Cheers :)
Great Video! I am am Your new subscriber. thanks for the video
Have You looked at Japanese apple bags? They might be more reliable than trying to cover the whole tree.
Thanks for the suggestion, but yes I have tried bagging and the problem we have here is the fruit fly sting the fruit at any time which means the bags would have to go on right after fruit set and then stay on until picking, which would mean pale fruit unfortunately. Also, I have found bagging can lead to more chances of fruit rotting in the bag for some reason plus bigger animals like possums tear the bags anyway. I wish it did work for us as well as it does for others but it doesn't so I'll stick with exclusion netting for now I suppose :)
You would love red Macintosh. Tart, sweet, juicy and thin skinned
Brother of Jon Mosley
You realise we could be making cider with those apples?!
+McDowall Manor Cider is something else I really need to learn! I don't have the brewing experience like you Andy but one day I hope to buy a press (some good ones on eBay for reasonable price) and make my own brews... Cheers mate :)
I'd be happy to visit sometime and muck around with it with you.
I hate fruit flies they destroyed my whole jujube harvest for this year!
+Mohammad Al-Lawati I've never tried jujube - can they be grown in a subtropical climate (that's where I am)? Are you able to net your tree or is it too big? Cheers :)
+Self Sufficient Me They do amazing here. You can try the thai jujube if you faced any problems. Trees grow too large in one season for netting that you need to cut it to keep it at a good size.
Mohammad Al-Lawati Ok will do - thanks!