Why is this tree wearing nylons?
Posted on June 17th, 2009 – 2:18 PMBy Connie Nelson
Guest blogger Jane Friedmann sez:
I have an immense, poorly-pruned apple tree in my backyard. Every other spring, the tree is covered in white blossoms so fully that I have flashbacks to snowy winter days. And then I remember the thousands of rotten apples I’ll have to pick up off the ground in the coming months because of apple maggot infestation.
Just look at the harvest two years ago:
Mushy, rotten, smelly apples: 6,972
Healthy, edible apples: 0
I counted. Really.
I don’t spray. The tree is too big and I don’t like to use pesticides unnecessarily. So when I saw the product the Seattle Fruit Tree Society came up with as a natural control for the apple maggot, I couldn’t write my check fast enough. They looked like nylon stockings for one-legged Cabbage Patch dolls. I ordered 600.
They are now covering 600 lucky lottery-winning applets. It took hours to dress my tree for success. The nylons, which will stretch as the apples grow, are supposed to keep the apple maggot flies from laying their eggs in the flesh of the apples.
Has anyone tried this product before? Has it worked? Has anything worked for you besides spraying? Should my neighbors call the aesthetics police on me?
See the maggot barriers at http://www.seattletreefruitsociety.com/maggot-barriers
6 Responses to "Why is this tree wearing nylons?"
Reminder for everyone, now Linder’s Flower Marts are 50% off.
Jane,
The University of Minnesota recommends wrapping apples in plastic bags, too. Here’s a link to more than you need to know about the apple maggot life cycle:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1007.html
Hey Jaime!
I did know about the plastic bags, but had visions of them flying off the tree in a good wind and fluttering around the neighborhood. I also wondered about moisture getting into the bags, or do you cut a hole for ventilation? What I liked about the nylons is that I could wash and reuse them indefinitely.
I want to know how this turns out. Picking up/stepping on mushy fruit is the worst!
Linder’s stuff is really nice, esp. at 50% off.
Anneesha, it sounds as though you are speaking from experience!
I saw this done in apple orchards in Japan. They also used apple bags. You can see them here:
http://www.backyardnature.com/japan/s-GDN-PaperBagOnApple103.jpg
More info about their usefulness here:
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef218.asp
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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