A few years ago we planted 3 Johnathon apple trees. For the first time we are getting apples on them. The apples are just coming on, is there any way I can keep the worms out of them without using pesticides? Should I have done something earlier on? Thanks!

-- Anne (mistletoe@earthlink.net), April 25, 2000

Answers

have you got any red christmass balls? paint them with tangle foot to trap moths. I live in town and have not had to spray my apples yet, [now they will be wiped out by worms]there is also phermone traps you can buy but that can just lure them were thay might not have gone on there own.after a year or two you will know what is a problem for you, gardens alive sells a wide variety of organic products.Gardens alive # 812 537-8650 has a nice pamplate which show diseases, and bugs, and remedys in it.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), April 25, 2000.

Anne ~ As a wise guru on this site has recommended, please state where you are, so the rest of us can more readily attempt to help. You are obviously somewhere south of here. I never use anything that is not organic IF IT MAKES SENSE! I guess I am not a purist. I use water-soluble fertilizers, and I use "Home-orchard sprays", which are broad spectrum, rather benign, sprays. The "tangle-foot stickies" work, and I use them, but don't rely upon them exclusively. Chronoligically, I don't think you have a problem. Look for entry holes on the fruit, and cull those. Use the sticky traps. And then sort the apples. Some will be unscathed. Keep those for yourself. Take the others and give them to your neighbors, or make applesauce without telling the rest of the family. REALLY! You'll never notice any difference, it won't hurt anyone, and the miniscule added protein will be undetectable! Squeamishness is squeamishness ONLY when the squeamish eater knows there is something to be squeamish about! In any case, GL!

-- Brad (Me) (homefixer@mix-net.net), April 25, 2000.

It may depend on what type of worm you are talking about. If it's the apple maggot (the fly looks like a small black and white plane with swept back wings, smaller than a housefly), it can be trapped with the red balls with tangletrap. I've used can lids and styrofoam balls, spray- painted red then covered with Tangletrap. Hang a bunch of them in the tree as the apples are developing. I don't like to put them out while the flowers are in bloom. Birds and bees can also be trapped. I'm not sure what to do about the Gypsy moth, that is just beginning to make its way into this area.

-- Peg (NW WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), April 25, 2000.

Hi all, thanks for the info and sorry about leaving out where I live. It's south east Tenn. Just one more question...have never heard of tangletrap, where can I get it? Thanks!

-- Anne (mistletoe@earthlink.net), April 25, 2000.

Tanglefoot and related products can be found at a lot of greenhouses and even hardware stores or places that sell the stuff that goes along with plants (so maybe even Walmart, Kmart, etc). Check in the pesticide area. Or if they've got a special organic growing area, it would probably be there. Many of the gardening catalogs also sell it. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), April 25, 2000.

If you go the tanglefoot and red ball route, put the red ball in a clear plastic bag, maybe one left from shopping or a used pint freezer bag, tie securely and cut off excess, coat the bag with the tanglefoot or even vaseline. When fall comes and you don't need the balls until spring, remove and toss the plastic bag. It didn't take me long to learn this after I spent more time than I cared taking buggy tanglefoot off a reusable ball.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), April 26, 2000.

Thanks everyone for the great tips. Hopefully I'll get to eat some of the apples bug-free! If not, I'll take Brads' advice and opt for the extra protein! :)

-- Anne (mistletoe@earthlink.net), April 26, 2000.

When we were living in South Korea, there were a lot of orchards growing "Asian Pears" or pear-apples they are sometimes called. In any case, the Koreans didn't use pesticides, but they did tie a small paper bag around each fruit as it was developing. I know this would be labor-intensive, and heaven knows they have the labor available. I always meant to try it myself when my apples began to produce fruit. It also keeps the fruit from getting marks from branches, etc. so it is more desirable for market. Jan

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), April 26, 2000.

Jan B,

We have Asian pears ( I love them) and I will try tying bags around them this year. I haven't had problems with worms, but my apples get that way sometimes, so it might be worth it. What a great fruit!! I am planting more this year.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), April 26, 2000.

My farm came with an old orchard that had been neglected for years, and the apples weren't fit to bring to the house. I fenced it in, and use it for my chicken yard. They cleaned up all of the apple fall as fast as it hit the ground, and apparantly the next generation of apple pests as well. In one year, I went from having nothing worth fooling with, to having to buy a cider press to deal with the huge crop of wonderful apples. There are still a few bugs that migrate in from the neighbors neglected trees, but nothing a bit of trimming doesn't take care of. I just chop them up to make apple- current chutney.

-- Connie (connie@lunehaven.com), April 27, 2000.