Q.
I heard a radio interview where an apple tree grower suggested under planting the fruit trees with herbs in order to reduce weeds under the trees. Can you suggest suitable herbs to plant please? Thanks, Janice.
A.
This is a wonderful idea. Try planting perennials like thyme, chamomile, oregano or look to parsley. Be careful not to cultivate under the trees roots to much as this will disturb them. Add in some fertiliser such as Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser to give both the herbs and the fruit tree a boost.
Also, comfrey is an ideal companion plant to plant under apple trees as it has high levels of important nutrients for plant growth. When the leaves drop, they act as a natural mulch for the plants around it to give other crops a good feed. The purple flowers are also wonderful for attracting the right kind of insects to your garden.
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What herbs are good to plant under fruit trees? Comments
I planted lavender under my apple tree worked a treat.
Fion Buckley
Great tip Fiona thanks for sharing! - Tui Team.
jenna
I moved into a new house in March, the people before me were renters so not so well looked after. around the edges of the lawns was an strip of about 4 inches of bare or mossy grass. Over the winter this has slowly crept into the grass to around 10 inches deep, and just recently looks like has been dug up and bare. there is also a lot of ground cover that looks a bit mossy but more like very tight clover, some of this also has chick weed growing out of it. Not sure if this is grass grub or something else. Any ideas??
Maria Hamelink
Hi Maria, thanks for getting in touch. Are you able to email a photo to info@tuiproducts.co.nz to help us identify the issue? Thanks, Jenna - Tui Team.
jenna
I'd appreciate the names of some plants to plant under fruit trees that are beneficial for the tree but that rabbits (wild) aren't keen on. Thanks
julie
Are you having watties tomatoes growing competition this summer
Patrons chetty
Hi there, no this isn't a project Tui is involved in. It was run last year by Palmers garden centres. Thanks, Tui Team.
jenna
Hi can nectarines get coddling moth. If so suggestions for treatment . Thanks
Sam boyd
Hi Sam, yes they can. Codling moth live in the bark and soil over winter. You can hang traps in the tree to trap the moths. Also spraying with a registered insecticide spray as soon as the moths appear will work as well - check at your local garden centre. Thanks, Tui Team
jenna
I have beautiful apple tree in the garden of my new home but it has coddling moth. What do you recommend and when do I use it. Thank you.
Barbara
Hi Barbara, that is a shame! The moth flies in September/October so a pheromone trap that attracts the male is the most effective way to control the moth, stopping it from mating. These can be purchased from garden centres and hardware stores and hung in the tree. Wrap corrugated cardboard around the tree, the caterpillars that have been dormant in the soil over winter crawl up and hide in the corrugating - burn or dispose of in the rubbish and replace. A grease band can be applied to the tree as well, this stops the caterpillars crawling up the tree into the fruit. Collect up fallen fruit at the end of the season and burn or throw in the rubbish, don't compost as the caterpillar can over winter in the fruit and emerge in spring. All the best, Tui Team.
jenna
Hi Jenna 1. What can be done to get rid of bores on apples? 2. My young citrus trees are not growing well and have curled leaves - what can be done to remedy this? 3. What can be done to my Nashi Pear tree which bears a lot of fruits during its season but have bores in them? Thanks.
Aurora
Hi Aurora, on your fruit trees (apple and nashi pear), if sounds like it could be fruit worm rather than borer? Have you spotted any worms? Fruit worm will bore into the fruit, where as borer bores into the bark of trees. To treat fruit worm, spray your tree in winter with copper and spraying oil to smother any overwintering larvae which hide in leaf nodes and under bark. Pick up fallen fruit to prevent the caterpillar overwintering in the soil and dispose of fallen fruit. Spray in spring and summer with Tui Insect Eliminator or Tui Caterpillar Eliminator. For your citrus is it the new foliage or old foliage that is curling up? They are also frost tender, if there have been late frosts or sudden climatic changes the leaves will curl and the plant should recover from this. Treat the citrus with Seasol, a seaweed based plant tonic every 7 days at a rate of 70ml per 9 litres until the plant picks up then ease back to 30ml per 9 litres every 2-4 weeks. Regular feeding, watering and mulching will ensure the plant stays healthy and actively growing. Check out our Citrus Growing Guide here: http://www.tuigarden.co.nz/howtoguide/citrus-growing-guide All the best, Tui Team
jenna
Thanks, Jenna, all helpful. I have another question. This is about our Avocado tree. The tree is about 10 meters tall and about 10 yrs old. It was not planted it just grew on its own. It had borne flowers but they had never developed into fruits. What is the reason for this? I have also a young Avocado tree about 2 meters high, already starting to give flowers. This is grown from a seed. But it looks like there are pests damaging the leaves. What is there to use to get rid of these pests? Thanks.
Aurora
Hi we have an espellier cherry tree on the back fence of our garden bed, we like to grow lettuces, onions etc below the tree and be as organic as possible. But the cherry tree gets absolutley riddled with tiny black aphids, the leaves curl and it looks awful. We have squashed them by hand daily and jet blasted them with the hose which is quite effective but only if done daily - this is too time consuming and we end up giving up! We’ve tried some organic sprays but to no avail. There are also ants on the tree. Please help!! Many thanks
T
Hi there, thanks for getting in touch. That is a shame that aphids have taken over your tree! In addition to blasting them with a hose, have you tried spraying the leaves with soapy water? Or Tui Insect Control for Fruit and Veges, our natural based spray? With natural based sprays you will need to apply more than once. The ants will be from the aphids as they excrete honey dew. All the best, Tui Team
jenna
Hi Aurora, avocados grown from seed can vary a little on when they will fruit, in some cases it can be up to 7 years. They are self-fertile in warmer climates of New Zealand due to having female and male flowers on the same tree. If the temperature does not exceed 17 degrees the female will not open at all, and if the temperature drops when the female flower is open, the flower will close. Due to this it is best to plant a different flowering variety and have bees around at flowering times to ensure fruit. Without knowing what the pests are on your other tree it is hard to recommend a product, however there are natural based sprays available to spray insects on fruit trees. All the best, Tui Team.
jenna
Hi I was reading some of the garden questions. I am wanting to know what I can grow under my old peach tree.companion planting to help it. I am also looking for something to tell me about spraying and mixing oregano oil to spray over peach tree as it has got curling leaf and peaches are falling off.
Bernice Lawson
Hi Bernice, leaf curl and brown rot are fungal problems which are prevalent in peach trees, especially old ones. Companion planting will deter pests rather than prevent fungal problems. To treat the fungal issues, you need to implement a winter spray program. There is nothing that will treat these issues effectively at this time of year unfortunately. Applying seaweed plant tonic will give the root zone a boost and pruning out any dead and diseased branches and wood now will help as well. Thanks ^Tui Team
jenna
Kia ora! I have a Meyer Lemon tree that looks like it is not doing well. We've had it for more than 5 years but it is still so tiny. It keeps being eaten by something but we cannot catch it. I look under the leaves constantly but cannot find anything. I grow a healthy Oregano underneath this tree, do you think it is affecting it badly? Also, we suspect is MIGHT be slugs eating the lemon leaves? And they leave during the day time? What do you think it could be? Please help our lemon tree :(
Lyly
Hi Lyly, your lemon tree will be competing with the oregano for nutrients and water, as long as the oregano is not planted too close to the base of the tree, it will be okay. Citrus like a sunny, sheltered spot, they do not like frosts when they are young trees, but once established tolerate frost. They don't like wet feet, so good drainage is important, and remove about a 50cm circle around the tree if it is planted in the lawn as this will also be competing for nutrients and water. If you have poorly drained soil or suffer hard frost, then consider growing the tree in a pot where you can move the tree in winter. Pot the tree up into a large pot (50cm) using a quality potting mix such as Tui Citrus & Fruit mix which has all the nutrients the tree requires for at least 6 months. Feed citrus in spring and again in late summer, early autumn, in the garden Tui Citrus food is an ideal fertiliser, or if in pots, use Tui Novatec. Make sure your tree gets plenty of water, in summer you may need to water 2-3 times a week. The insects eating the leaves could be slugs and snails, go out at night with a torch to see if you can catch them. Alternatively there could be a caterpillar rolled up in the leaves, or beetles such as the brown beetle or bronze beetle feeding on the leaves at night. If it is a beetle, the edges are jagged not smooth like slug and snail damage. Place Tui Quash Slug and Snail pellets around the tree to control slugs and snails.
Lianne