Apple tree needs organic help with pests and clay soil

[begining at 40]

To be honest the majority of it. My other young apple tree seems unaffected. I found a worm like thing the other day and today there were tiny little crawly creatures on it which were a milky coffee colour.

[FB.]

Do you know which variety and which rootstock?
How old is it (roughly)?
How big is the pot?
What soil/compost is in the pot and how long has it been in there.
How often and how much are you feeding and watering?

My best guess is that the apple tree is not happy in a pot. It's very hard to keep plants in pots happy.

I can see possible caterpillars and leaf miners. Nothing unusual. The same 'problems' will be back again year after year - and I can name you several more (including much more severe fungal diseases) that you might encounter in the future to add to your existing problems.

A happy tree will often shrug them off.

These days, my preferred way of growing apple trees is to plant tough varieties - usually old and rare - on strong rootstocks and leave them to get on with it; let nature take its course. The old varieties date back to a time when there weren't so many sprays to help them.

[begining at 40]

Hi fb, thank you for replying. The tree was given to me along with another which I doing great. So I have no idea to be honest. I'm going to plant them over my allotment. In winter as I thought its best to replant when they are dormant. It didn't look the healthiest when I first had it. I really don't want to write. It off and would like to save it. The tree is about 3 foot long if that's any help.

[fishpond]

Hi
As has been said, getting it out of the pot will be a great help for the tree to grow and shrug off these not so serious pests.
Prepare a planting hole (all weeds out, 3ft square and at least 2ft deep)(it may be there for 50 years so do a good job of it) on the lotty with about 50/50 with soil (not subsoil)/manure(well rotted) or good homemade compost, add a small amount of bonemeal(do not add more than manufacturers instructions), do you know the PH of your soil?
Plant it with the graft union about 4" above the soil.
Keep watered ---once a week during the hotish weather--do not overwater but do not let it dry out---really depends on your soil.
Do not expect it to do too much for 12 months, buy a good book on pruning apple trees, keep the area underneath the tree clear of grass and weeds etc and rake up and compost all fallen leaves which will go someway to controlling leaf miner and other pests and diseases.
It could take 3 or 4 years to fruit-- treat it like a baby and do not be impatient.

[Kirk]

Removing from a pot will help, what can happen is the pot loses nutrients and so weakens the tree and so it gts attacked.

Concerning the clay allotment, really it is dig out all the weeds etc. and add something like bags of compost and manure to alter the local nature of the plot.

B&Q have a big bag on sale think it is 125 litre and about £6.50 - £7.00. Will say not impressed with it. Sort of light and fluffy. But you just want to dig it in.

What I found on a clayish soil is that added anything helped, I did it over a few years. Anything spare compost, shreddings, mulch all went on and in, all dug in. Old used compost for container grown veg again in it went.

Weed removal, if organic is what you want then I think you will have to cut, strim and then either dig or burn and dig. Removing roots are they appear, which will be several every second.

Not organic I know but one good spray with glyphosphate to get the the roots then strim/burn/dig has it's plus side. Before you scream at me, since when is washing up liquid organic ? It does not rain nice refreshing Fairly Liquid from the sky and last I knew it was made in a somewhat inorganic chemical processing factory.

Apple tree: Allotment, mark off a strip say a meter wide at one end and dig out the weeds, add compost and manure, dig agian and add apple tree(s), then stake.

[begining at 40]

Aw thank you. I thought I had to leave replanting it till it was winter as it would be dormant. Have been researching. I already have homemade compost lucky. And two more in the go! I dont mind waiting for my little tree as ling as its healthy in the end. Thank you all so much, so glad I joined this site. I do feel like a bad apple tree owner�� I had no tag or information when given the tree. Just had a fab book called the encyclopedia. Of gardening and a good section on tree pruning. Wish me luck.

[begining at 40]

Good point kirk about the fairy liquid! Ha ha. Just want to get the beasties off. My other tree is unaffected.