PROTECT AGAINST BROWN ROT

THE apple and pear harvest is all but over and most of the leaves should have fallen.

It’s time to clean up the trees to prevent carry over of certain diseases into next season.

Wizened or mummified fruits, be they plums, apples or pears, can harbour the spore bodies of brown rot. If they are not removed, these could damage the new fruit that grows next season.

To prevent that, pick off as many as you can see. Look in the crooks of branches and in places where lodged fruit is difficult to spot.

If any branches broke under the weight of this year’s crop, cut those cleanly away, too.