I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears are
still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen off the tree
this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly tart. We
had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and offered it around. They
said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said "why?"

The quinces are marvellous, truly the prince of cooked fruits, pink and
luscious. The medlars are a few weeks away yet. Such rewards make all the
fuss with nets and such worthwhile.

David

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears are
still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen off the tree
this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly tart. We
had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and offered it around.
They said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said "why?"

Jealous I am, I truly am.


The quinces are marvellous, truly the prince of cooked fruits, pink and
luscious. The medlars are a few weeks away yet. Such rewards make all
the fuss with nets and such worthwhile.

I in days gone, long gone would steal (not borrow) quangers from grandma's
quince tree, a prince of fruit eaten straight from the tree. Mouth watering
& doubly jealous.


David

David Hare-Scott wrote:
I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears are
still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen off the
tree this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly tart.
We had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and offered it
around. They said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said "why?"

The quinces are marvellous, truly the prince of cooked fruits, pink and
luscious. The medlars are a few weeks away yet. Such rewards make all
the fuss with nets and such worthwhile.

David



David, where did you get your quince tree from? I'd love to grow one,
but haven't seen any available in N'cle.

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

David Hare-Scott wrote:

I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears
are still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen off
the tree this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly tart.
We had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and offered it
around. They said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said "why?"

Yes a fresh apple off your own tree is fantastic and makes the best of
bought apples look average.

Are your apples free of codling moth or do you use a non-spray method of
control?

We used to have a great Granny Smith apple crop but ut has been very poor
in recent years. Recently I was told that possums eat apple blossum which
could well be the cause, so we will net much earlier next year.

We also have a fuji apple but it has never had more than a few apples on it
(maybe the possums have been eating the fuji blossum since day one).

Interestingly, possums don't seem to eat nectarine blossums (we get a great
crop of them - no spray - just buggerising around with nets to keep out
possums, birds, rats and bats).

We also have a problem with possums eating the leaves off trees (eucalypts,
apples, and they nearly 100% stripped the apricot).

When we first planted the apples, we had no problem with codling moth but
it has progressively got worse.

We have a new Ballerina "Polka" apple tree in a large pot so it is away
from the Granny Smith planted in the garden and doesn't have a large
problem with codling moth - although we are going to have to do something
to control them next year as we have already had the odd codling-moth-
affected fruit fall off. Haven't yet picked a Polka apple to see what a
good one like.

Trish Brown wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears
are still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen
off the tree this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly
tart. We had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and offered
it around. They said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said "why?"

The quinces are marvellous, truly the prince of cooked fruits, pink
and luscious. The medlars are a few weeks away yet. Such rewards
make all the fuss with nets and such worthwhile.

David



David, where did you get your quince tree from? I'd love to grow one,
but haven't seen any available in N'cle.

Anselines at Raymond Terrace, Gloucester Garden Centre has them too.

David

Tom N wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:

I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears
are still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen off
the tree this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly
tart. We had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and
offered it around. They said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said
"why?"

Yes a fresh apple off your own tree is fantastic and makes the best of
bought apples look average.

Are your apples free of codling moth or do you use a non-spray method
of control?

I haven't seen the moth in the area but there are not many orchards. What
is a non-spray method of control?


We used to have a great Granny Smith apple crop but ut has been very
poor in recent years. Recently I was told that possums eat apple
blossum which could well be the cause, so we will net much earlier
next year.


The little beggars were crossing 150m of paddock patrolled by a kelpie to
get to mine.

We also have a fuji apple but it has never had more than a few apples
on it (maybe the possums have been eating the fuji blossum since day
one).

Interestingly, possums don't seem to eat nectarine blossums (we get a
great crop of them - no spray - just buggerising around with nets to
keep out possums, birds, rats and bats).


They were lifting the net to get to my stone fruits even with bricks every
metre along the bottom.

We also have a problem with possums eating the leaves off trees
(eucalypts, apples, and they nearly 100% stripped the apricot).

When we first planted the apples, we had no problem with codling moth
but it has progressively got worse.

We have a new Ballerina "Polka" apple tree in a large pot so it is
away from the Granny Smith planted in the garden and doesn't have a
large problem with codling moth - although we are going to have to do
something to control them next year as we have already had the odd
codling-moth- affected fruit fall off. Haven't yet picked a Polka
apple to see what a good one like.

David

David Hare-Scott wrote:

Tom N wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:

I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears
are still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen
off the tree this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly
tart. We had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and
offered it around. They said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said
"why?"

Yes a fresh apple off your own tree is fantastic and makes the best
of bought apples look average.

Are your apples free of codling moth or do you use a non-spray method
of control?

I haven't seen the moth in the area but there are not many orchards.
What is a non-spray method of control?

I have only used spray but IIRC you can wrap several layers of cardboard
around the trunk at the right times of the year to catch the grubs and I
have some vague memory of there being other methods (maybe biological
controls or other traps).

We used to have a great Granny Smith apple crop but ut has been very
poor in recent years. Recently I was told that possums eat apple
blossum which could well be the cause, so we will net much earlier
next year.


The little beggars were crossing 150m of paddock patrolled by a kelpie
to get to mine.

Our possums just leap from tree to tree mostly. Rarely go on the
ground.

We also have a fuji apple but it has never had more than a few apples
on it (maybe the possums have been eating the fuji blossum since day
one).

Interestingly, possums don't seem to eat nectarine blossums (we get a
great crop of them - no spray - just buggerising around with nets to
keep out possums, birds, rats and bats).


They were lifting the net to get to my stone fruits even with bricks
every metre along the bottom.

I hold my net down with garden stakes with bricks on them.

You might find that if you built a fence around the bottom with welded
wire mesh (like chookwire but stiffer) that it would keep them out (at
least until they discovered they could climb it). Wouldn't work for my
place as they aren't on the ground to start with.

I'm told possums don't like climbing wobbly wire mesh fences so if you
build a fence that tips over a bit when they climb it, you might keep
them out.

Our possums would just jump onto the net from another tree and then lie
on it like a hammock. They'd stick their paw through and eat nectarines
through the net. But with a net there they don't eat much and they
choose ripe fruit by smell I suppose and they eat the whole fruit.
Other pests take a bite to see if it is ripe and rarely eat all of the
fruit so in the end they damage a lot more fruit than possums do.

Bats are farely easy to keep out with nets as they are fairly clumbsy
unless flying.

We have a rat or two which is too smart for rat traps or poisons. It
gnaws a hole in the net. The birds (particularly introduced thrushes)
patrol around the net looking for holes and will find any little hole to
get through.

Tom N wrote:

I have only used spray but IIRC you can wrap several layers of cardboard
around the trunk at the right times of the year to catch the grubs and I
have some vague memory of there being other methods (maybe biological
controls or other traps).

Forgot to say that codling moths spend part of their lifecycle in a cocoon
under bark or in the ground, hence the wrapping of the cardboard around the
trunk which catches them on their way down from the fruit.

Quite a lot on google if you look for "codling moth organic control"

e.g. http://www.greenharvest.com.au/pestc...moth_info.html
It talks about the cardboard method, parasitic wasps (commercially
available), home-made traps, and covering fruit with exclusion bags.

You can yse Lebaycid spray (which I have used), but you are supposed to use
it every 2 weeks until 2 weeks before picking (when I used it, I didn't do
it more than a few times a season).
http://www.yates.com.au/problem-solv.../codling-moth/

Whats missing is a shot gun and a wild tempered Tom cat.
Or maybe a Dingo or two....


Tom N wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:

Tom N wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:

I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears
are still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen
off the tree this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly
tart. We had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and
offered it around. They said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said
"why?"
Yes a fresh apple off your own tree is fantastic and makes the best
of bought apples look average.

Are your apples free of codling moth or do you use a non-spray method
of control?
I haven't seen the moth in the area but there are not many orchards.
What is a non-spray method of control?

I have only used spray but IIRC you can wrap several layers of cardboard
around the trunk at the right times of the year to catch the grubs and I
have some vague memory of there being other methods (maybe biological
controls or other traps).

We used to have a great Granny Smith apple crop but ut has been very
poor in recent years. Recently I was told that possums eat apple
blossum which could well be the cause, so we will net much earlier
next year.

The little beggars were crossing 150m of paddock patrolled by a kelpie
to get to mine.

Our possums just leap from tree to tree mostly. Rarely go on the
ground.

We also have a fuji apple but it has never had more than a few apples
on it (maybe the possums have been eating the fuji blossum since day
one).

Interestingly, possums don't seem to eat nectarine blossums (we get a
great crop of them - no spray - just buggerising around with nets to
keep out possums, birds, rats and bats).

They were lifting the net to get to my stone fruits even with bricks
every metre along the bottom.

I hold my net down with garden stakes with bricks on them.

You might find that if you built a fence around the bottom with welded
wire mesh (like chookwire but stiffer) that it would keep them out (at
least until they discovered they could climb it). Wouldn't work for my
place as they aren't on the ground to start with.

I'm told possums don't like climbing wobbly wire mesh fences so if you
build a fence that tips over a bit when they climb it, you might keep
them out.

Our possums would just jump onto the net from another tree and then lie
on it like a hammock. They'd stick their paw through and eat nectarines
through the net. But with a net there they don't eat much and they
choose ripe fruit by smell I suppose and they eat the whole fruit.
Other pests take a bite to see if it is ripe and rarely eat all of the
fruit so in the end they damage a lot more fruit than possums do.

Bats are farely easy to keep out with nets as they are fairly clumbsy
unless flying.

We have a rat or two which is too smart for rat traps or poisons. It
gnaws a hole in the net. The birds (particularly introduced thrushes)
patrol around the net looking for holes and will find any little hole to
get through.

David Hare-Scott wrote:

David, where did you get your quince tree from? I'd love to grow one,
but haven't seen any available in N'cle.

Anselines at Raymond Terrace, Gloucester Garden Centre has them too.

David

Thanks for that! ;-D

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Tom N wrote:
Interestingly, possums don't seem to eat nectarine blossums (we get
a great crop of them - no spray - just buggerising around with nets
to keep out possums, birds, rats and bats).


They were lifting the net to get to my stone fruits even with bricks
every metre along the bottom.

I hold my net down with garden stakes with bricks on them.

You might find that if you built a fence around the bottom with welded
wire mesh (like chookwire but stiffer) that it would keep them out (at
least until they discovered they could climb it). Wouldn't work for
my place as they aren't on the ground to start with.

I'm told possums don't like climbing wobbly wire mesh fences so if you
build a fence that tips over a bit when they climb it, you might keep
them out.


I have 40 trees all up so this is too hard, I am making more wire pegs for
next year to peg down the bottom

Our possums would just jump onto the net from another tree and then
lie on it like a hammock. They'd stick their paw through and eat
nectarines through the net. But with a net there they don't eat much
and they choose ripe fruit by smell I suppose and they eat the whole
fruit. Other pests take a bite to see if it is ripe and rarely eat
all of the fruit so in the end they damage a lot more fruit than
possums do.

Bats are farely easy to keep out with nets as they are fairly clumbsy
unless flying.

Yes but wait til one gets tangled in the net, you will find getting them out
quite entertaining unless you use the shovel anesthetic method (I don't).
For vegetarians they have a very fine set of teeth and are not shy about
using them. Some are disease carriers too.


We have a rat or two which is too smart for rat traps or poisons. It
gnaws a hole in the net. The birds (particularly introduced thrushes)
patrol around the net looking for holes and will find any little hole
to get through.

I buy ratsak in 3kg boxes and put it out all round the buildings in the
warmer weather. I will coexist with them out in the garden but they are
just too destructive in the house or shed.

David

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message

I have been pulling apples, pears and quinces this week. The pears are
still hard, hopefully the timing is right and they will ripen off the tree
this time.

The Granny Smith apples are beautiful; crisp, sweet and slightly tart. We
had some visitors and I pulled one off the tree and offered it around.
They said "aren't you going to wash it?" I said "why?"

The quinces are marvellous, truly the prince of cooked fruits, pink and
luscious. The medlars are a few weeks away yet. Such rewards make all
the fuss with nets and such worthwhile.

We too have had wonderful apples this year but I lost all but a couple of my
quinces because I ran out of bird netting so could only cover a few of them.
My peaches are jsut about to be right for harvest. I've had a few and they
are stunning. Nectarines were also good this year.

"SG1" wrote in message

I in days gone, long gone would steal (not borrow) quangers from grandma's
quince tree, a prince of fruit eaten straight from the tree. Mouth
watering & doubly jealous.

???? Never heard of eating uncooked Quinces. Arse puckeringly tart when
raw, IMHO.

David Hare-Scott wrote:

Tom N wrote:
Interestingly, possums don't seem to eat nectarine blossums (we get
a great crop of them - no spray - just buggerising around with nets
to keep out possums, birds, rats and bats).


They were lifting the net to get to my stone fruits even with bricks
every metre along the bottom.

I hold my net down with garden stakes with bricks on them.

You might find that if you built a fence around the bottom with
welded wire mesh (like chookwire but stiffer) that it would keep them
out (at least until they discovered they could climb it). Wouldn't
work for my place as they aren't on the ground to start with.

I'm told possums don't like climbing wobbly wire mesh fences so if
you build a fence that tips over a bit when they climb it, you might
keep them out.

I have 40 trees all up so this is too hard, I am making more wire pegs
for next year to peg down the bottom

The pest problem just gets worse in my experience. When we first
planted fruit trees, we had no problems with insects or animals or
birds.

Apart from the fruit trees planted in the ground, I also have berries
bushes and an apple in pots. I have made a wire cage to keep out the
assorted buggers. Works well. Bit expensive for 40 trees though.

Was once at a farm where they had an old orange orchard and a problem
with sulphur crested cockatoos destroying the fruit just for the seeds.
The cockies could recognise someone with a rifle and would stay out of
range, but would ignore people without a rifle.

Our possums would just jump onto the net from another tree and then
lie on it like a hammock. They'd stick their paw through and eat
nectarines through the net. But with a net there they don't eat much
and they choose ripe fruit by smell I suppose and they eat the whole
fruit. Other pests take a bite to see if it is ripe and rarely eat
all of the fruit so in the end they damage a lot more fruit than
possums do.

Bats are farely easy to keep out with nets as they are fairly clumbsy
unless flying.

Yes but wait til one gets tangled in the net, you will find getting
them out quite entertaining unless you use the shovel anesthetic
method (I don't). For vegetarians they have a very fine set of teeth
and are not shy about using them. Some are disease carriers too.

When were down to the last ten nectarines on the tree, a brush-tailed
possum got inside the net somehow and was trapped there until the next
day. It charged around flinging itself into the net when we went out to
allow it out. Got a bit tangled at one point but I can imagine a bat
being worse.

We have a rat or two which is too smart for rat traps or poisons. It
gnaws a hole in the net. The birds (particularly introduced
thrushes) patrol around the net looking for holes and will find any
little hole to get through.

I buy ratsak in 3kg boxes and put it out all round the buildings in
the warmer weather. I will coexist with them out in the garden but
they are just too destructive in the house or shed.

This rat we have is purely a garden rat. Too smart for ratsak or traps
or the wax poison blocks. It used to get into the compost bin until we
buried the edge of it down 15cm (it is one of those commercial plastic
bins with no bottom).

We did have a rat or two in the garage at one point and it ate a whole
packet of snail bait (the one with the bitter additive to deter children
and pets). The rat ate half one the packet one night and I saw the half
empty packet and thought the culprit would be dead and wouldn't come
back, and the next night it came back and ate the rest!

I reckon a lot of wild animals like foxes and rats and probably feral
cats live on pet food and scraps given to pets outside. I occasionally
see foxes around here and I am sure they patrol back yards for food
scraps.

The garage rat used to bring in lamb chop bones and nectarines and I was
cleaning out secluded parts of the garage and the carport behind some
boxes and other stuff, and I found dozens and dozens of nectarine stones
and chop bones. The nectarines were from our tree but the chop bones
must have come from someone else's yard.

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"SG1" wrote in message

I in days gone, long gone would steal (not borrow) quangers from
grandma's quince tree, a prince of fruit eaten straight from the tree.
Mouth watering & doubly jealous.

???? Never heard of eating uncooked Quinces. Arse puckeringly tart when
raw, IMHO.

You just never got to my grandma's at Maryborough Vic. Tart yes but also
like my apples b4 they are ripe & stone fruit you cud have a game of cricket
with. Only stuff U eat when ripe are oranges & grapes.