Apple trouble
QEvery year our apple tree produces apples with a super taste, but many of them are covered with what looks like some sort of scale. What can I do?
John Torode, Guernsey
AI think that the scale-like substance coating your apples is scab disease. Severe attacks result in deep fissures in the skin and blemished leaves.
All you can do to improve the fruits’ quality is to thin crowded branches and to feed your tree with sulphate of potash. Sprinkle it over the root area, monthly, from April to September, and repeat annually. It toughens tissues and improves the fruits’ resistance to adverse conditions.