To Mulch, or not to Mulch?

[nepia]

Pear rust! Is this what I've got? http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/tree-health-care/8927-pear-leaf-blister-mite-2.html

 

Your tree still very lucky to have met you btw!

 

 

Jon

Edited September 11, 2012 by nepia

[David Humphries]

Pear rust! Is this what I've got? http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/tree-health-care/8927-pear-leaf-blister-mite-2.html

 

Your tree still very lucky to have met you btw!

 

 

Jon

 

I'm not sure it is Jon.

Looks different to me.

Do your leaves have any growths on the underside?

 

 

Reckon the mulched pear could of kept a few log burners happy over the last couple of winters

 

 

 

.

[Xerxses]

Thanks for the update!

 

Any weed or grass showing through the mulch?

What about worms?

Any cardboard left?

 

Looks really good!

[Arob]

Just a quick post touching on a couple of side shoots on this thread.

 

Firstly i'm a bit puzzled by Gerrit's comments on Armillatox, there appears to be a degree of innuendo but it's all a bit vague, however i've successfully used Armillatox to treat Viburnum actively and prophylactically where honey fungus has been identified. To my small mind it's equivalent of using antibiotics.

 

Secondly, with regard to the apple tree, i agree with Alec that the tree is probably not in terminal decline, providing it has been well pruned and is not moving toward biennial fruiting due to neglect, it is most likely just hungry. On a fruit pruning course with the Northern Fruit Group we were advised to use chicken manure pellets or a standard fert such as growmore at recommended rates in late winter around drip zone, and so far so good.

[Arob]

Back on topic, perhaps this is the ideal spot for a link to this remarkable video Greening the Desert II: Greening the Middle East on Vimeo

[nepia]

I'm not sure it is Jon.

Looks different to me.

Do your leaves have any growths on the underside?

 

Yes I think it looks different too but not so much so that one could definitively say 'it's not the same'.

No growths on the underside: I'm sticking with Pear scab my end all considered.

 

Thanks.

[nepia]

Just a quick post touching on a couple of side shoots on this thread.

 

Secondly, with regard to the apple tree, i agree with Alec that the tree is probably not in terminal decline, providing it has been well pruned and is not moving toward biennial fruiting due to neglect, it is most likely just hungry. On a fruit pruning course with the Northern Fruit Group we were advised to use chicken manure pellets or a standard fert such as growmore at recommended rates in late winter around drip zone, and so far so good.

 

With yourself and Alec making encouraging noises I'm optimistic. The tree has been mulched for a few months now but the summer we've had has really helped and maybe the pruning in Feb made a difference too! It's looking more vital; new, healthy growth has been made and almost no dying of sideshoots as was happening previously.

 

Thank you gents.

[David Humphries]

Thanks for the update!

 

Any weed or grass showing through the mulch?

What about worms?

Any cardboard left?

 

Looks really good!

 

Howdee Tobias,

 

Four years on since the begining of the mulching, no weeds really, but then we pull them up if it looks like they're getting a foot hold.

 

Plenty of wriggly things

 

No fibre of the original cardboard is left, but the plastic of the selotape is obviously still in there.

 

Few pics from earlier this morning........

 

 

.

[Xerxses]

Awesome!

 

I had a look at my small trials that I did a few years back "2009 and 2010) on trees that were planted 2003 and 2007. They have really improved and put on some good extensions. Quercus robur, Crategus monogyna, Prunus padus and Acer platanoides. They all look better than the ones I didn't cardboardmulched!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Nice one David, lovely soil, lovely beasties and nice roots fine and ramified and at depth:beerchug: