"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
bulldurham73 wrote:
Quite a few years ago (over 10 ) I planted a few blackthorn trees
in
a hedge , hopefully safeguarding my sloe gin supplies . They've
grown
well , and flower profusely , setting plenty of fruit . These only
stay growing a short time before turning "dusty brown " and
eventually black and shrivelling away . Never had a single usable
sloe . Wild ones close by set fruit and grow to usable sloes .
Presumably this is a fungal thing ( ?) Appreciate any ideas for a
cure , are systemic fungicides available , or desirable ? TIA.

Interesting. I don't know the cause, but I have seen something rather
similar. Are yours exposed to about the same sunlight as the others?
The same pattern of moisture at the roots? (Just thinking "aloud".)
At my last place I did have the impression that the most exposed gave
the best fruits. Similarly, the less exposed ones seemed more prone
to the dying back which is quite common with blackthorn.

If time is on your side, perhaps you could experiment by bringing in
a few good suckers from the good wild ones and planting them near
yours, just to see how they do.

Mike.

Yes , very exposed indeed , nothing around them at all . Possibly more so
than the wild ones . Not very rich soil around them either . These were
brought in from a hedging supplier along with thorn quicks , and a few
holly and rosa canina . All of these have done quite well . The "wild "
ones are roadside planted by the local authority , and in view of heavy
traffic , I don't really feel like gathering the sloes for gin. But I 'll
look into the sucker situation . Thanks