I'm new to this site and new to apple growing. I acquired about 15 different apple trees when I bought my house 2 years ago and I've spent the last two years pruning. I just recently read about bagging the apples. I think this is a great idea. The article I read said to put the bags on the fruit 35-40 days after blossom drop. I've also read that the nasty pest plum curculio is very active during that time and I do have a bunch of apples with the cresent shaped mark on them and others with a round mark. In the future would anyone suggest Kaolin Clay sprays during that time prior to bagging or should I just thin as many of the apples that get infested and hope that enough apples are left.

On another note, I also have two different pear trees in the middle of the apple trees. Can the pears be bagged? Will they suffer the same plum curculio fate as the apples? By the way, if you've never had an asian pear plant one today.

Any help?

Hi denryk

I think I was a little mixed up when I wrote back to your email. I don't think we have Plum Curculios in the Northwest, so I thought you were talking about bagging plums, and some disease they get.

Ted Swensen (which I think is the author of the article you are talking about) lives in the NW, so they were probably not an issue when bagging fruit.

Anyone else know anything about Plum Curculios?

denryk, Steven: Every so often I'm reminded of how "lucky" I am to be living on this side of the Continent! Seems there's countless fruit growing "challenges" back east!
I also had to look up the "Plum Curculious," and fortunately have had no experience (in Oregon) with it...

So Steven, don't feel bad; and denryk, please keep "us" posted on your orchard adventures