WOW, The weather's turned 'ever so hot all of a sudden;
What's going on in our apple orchards?
I start with a caterpillar invasion. A call from my grand daughter alerted me to an invasion of caterpillars in the Espalier Apple trees in my son' garden. Now I have been growing apples for more than 60 years and I don't remember seeing these little 'critters!
Of course, at my age the memory is not so good!
In truth as our industry uses less chemicals, pests which would have been removed by a green cluster 'broad spectrum' insecticide would rarely be seen, now emerge...........
Ermine Moth Caterpillars
The life cycle of ermine moth caterpillars is a captivating journey of transformation. From their humble beginnings as eggs, they hatch into voracious caterpillars that voraciously feed on plant leaves, spinning intricate silk webs as they go. These webs create a protective shelter for the caterpillars as they devour foliage, leaving distinctive trails in their wake.
As they grow, the caterpillars undergo a series of moults shedding their old skin to accommodate their increasing size. Each molt brings them closer to their final stage - the pupa. Encased in a cocoon, the caterpillars undergo a remarkable metamorphosis, emerging as adults with colourful wings and a different purpose in their adult lives.
Ermine moth caterpillars also have an ecological impact. They can influence the health of plants and surrounding ecosystems by defoliating trees and shrubs. This can have cascading effects on other organisms that rely on the same resources. The trees look demolished of all foliage but they will bounce back. Nature has its ways.
Machine Planting Apple Trees
Over the last few years planting vineyards has been transformed by agricultural contractor Sam Barnes who has planted many thousands of vines across Southern England. Sam has also planted apple tree and one of the first to try this system, was father & son partnership David and Richard Budd at Stevens Farm Hawkhurst. a couple of years ago.
Last week my friend David Budd rang and invited me down to watch Sam and his team planting a new orchard of Braeburn Apples.
Although I was aware and seen Sam planting vines on YouTube, this was my first 'live' experience of seeing apple trees planted this way.
David told me they planted an orchard of Magic Star for Nigel Jenner at Marden recently, and Nigel watched the ease of it all and said "why don't we all plant trees that way"
Below: left. The trees are delivered to the farm in the winter month, bundled into units of ten and put into cold store to maintain 'dormancy' - this allows late planting in April/May when (hopefully) the soil is in good condition. After removing from the bin. the netting which keeps the bunch contained is removed and the trees stacked up ready for planting
Below: left. Trees stacked ready for planting and right. Richard transferring trees to the stack in readiness for the machine planter.
Below: The orchard area planted since the morning start should be finished by the end of the day
Below: Sam Barnes with apple planting machine working at Stevens Farm Hawkhurst
The beauty of machine planting is there is no need to 'mark out the orchard' which was a very time consuming operation. The GPS controls where the rows are and each individual tree planted within 'millimetres' of the designate place. Just programme the detail into the computer and 'off we go'
The tree are just showing green leaf tips, and after a week in the ground will be in leaf!
Click on: Sam Barnes Limited
To finish this week's Journal, "Congratulations to Nick Dunn and his daughter Stephanie Dunn James for another tremendous performance as they follow last year's Chelsea Flower Show - Silver-Gilt Medal with a Gold Medal this year.
Full Story
Frank P. Matthews Trees win gold at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
A Tenbury-based tree nursery are celebrating gold medal success at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Frank P Matthews Trees, specialists in both ornamental and fruit trees, received the top award for their standout exhibit at the world-famous event, marking their second appearance at the show after earning a Silver-Gilt last year.
This time, the nursery impressed judges with a striking display dedicated to the Malus genus, featuring more than 50 trees in full bloom.
Steph Dunn James, of Frank P Matthews Trees, said: "This is only our second year at Chelsea, so to achieve a Gold Medal is a real testament to the dedication, passion and skill of our team back in Tenbury Wells.
"It has been wonderful to see such enthusiasm from visitors to our curated display of Malus trees, which is an expression of what we do best."
That is all for this week
Take care
The English Apple Man