Protecting Apples

[Plocket]

For the first time ever we are growing an apple tree. It is a little potted tree - Coxes Orange Pippin, and has four lovely little apples growing on it. However, I have been informed that birds LOVE apples. How can I prevent them eating our potentially massive (!!) harvest? Any advice greatly appreciated  :)

[Plocket]

[Mrs Ava]

I guess the birds will eat anything that is juicy and sweet, but have never known them eating my apples.  The wasps and other bugs yes, but not the birds.  However, if in doubt, I guess fleece or some sort of netting could be used to wrap the tree......or could you make little bags to fit over the fruits  ???

[Jesse]

Like EJ have never had a problem with birds eating my apples. Wasps are a problem and some years are worst than others. Until now I have not taken measures to ward off the wasps but I will be interested to see if anyone has some suggestions for you. When you have only a few apples like you do, covering each apple would be simple but a whole tree full of apples is another story! As the apple tree is in the garden it would be a shame to cover the whole tree with fleece or netting.

[Moggle]

Hurrah for your 4 applies Plocket. :) I have no advice for you, just questions, as growing fruit is something I have got interested in lately. There's little chance of me growing any on my 2nd floor balcony, but I'm hoping for a move to somewhere with a garden sometime.

Just want to know what in particular have you done with it to get it to grow in a pot. Is it a specially trained tree, like a minarette? Did you plant it from scratch? How big a pot is it in? How old is the tree now, is it your first year of fruit?  ???

Sorry for all the questions, I'm quite obsessed with it. I dream of growing lots of lovely espaliers and fans one day.  :D

[Plocket]

Hi all! Thanks for your comments! Excellent news about birds not eating your apples - have been quite worried. Have some mesh I can make little bags from - how cute! Might even keep the wasps away...

To Moggle - I bought the tree for my husband as a Valentines present because he has always wanted an apple tree. We only have a little garden and I happened upon a little apple tree with a label stating that it would stay miniature and is ideal for growing in a pot! The label says it is Cox's Orange Pippin grafted onto something suitable. We have it in a large pot - the label says 25 litre capacity but ours is about 35 - just in case! There is also a website which you might like to try, although I haven't looked at it yet - www.coronet.ie

I have no doubt this would be suitable for a balcony, and then you could take it with you if/when you moved!!!Good luck!

[Moggle]

Thanks Plocket, great website. I've also done a fair few other web searches and I think I've found most of the decent fruit-tree-related web sites over the last couple of weeks or so (when I should be working  :o )

I'm now on a mission to scan local library shelves, well if I can't be out there pruning and shaping and harvesting, at least I can learn all about it, for when I do have my own garden.  :)

[Plocket]

Hi Moggle! Good luck - it's a jungle out there!!!

Plocketx

[Jesse]

Just had to put an update on this and take back all that I said about the birds not eating my apples. Yesterday and today I have been watching a little blue tit feasting itself on one of the few apples that my tree has produced this year. Fortunately he is returning to the same apple and not moving on to others. But yes, birds do eat apples! But on the positive side they are not destroying vast numbers of apples (not that I have vast numbers this year anyway) so I probably wouldn't go to any effort to protect the apples.