Garden Guru

Q

We moved into our current house last autumn and inherited an established apple tree. It bears plenty of fruit, but when we cut open the apples, a considerable amount of rot has spread through the core. What can we do? Kenneth Harris

A

‘Bramley’s Seedling’ and several other varieties of apple are susceptible to mouldy core, a fungal disease that strikes at flowering time, and is only ever detected when the ripe fruit is cut open. It tends to be a bigger problem on older, congested trees, so establish a routine pruning programme to ensure that light and air can penetrate branches more easily.

Q

I live in a ground-floor flat and have a small, shady plot. What can I plant? Dennis Thom

A

There are plenty of shrubs to consider – sarcococca, Hydrangea serrata or Fuchsia ‘Celia Smedley’.

Q

The young fruit of my pear tree keep turning black. Any idea why? Debbie Woods

A

This sounds like pear midge, a tiny insect that lays its eggs in the blossom, hatching into larvae that attack developing fruit. The larvae migrate from the fallen fruit into the ground, where they remain over winter, ready to come up as flies in the spring. You can reduce the severity of attacks by clearing up any fallen fruit and putting in a bin, while hoeing the surface beneath the tree will expose grubs to birds.