7.Fruit

Question 1

Strawberries - Pest/disease

Answer 1

• Two-Spotted Red Spider Mite - Yellow mottling of the leaf/localised death
• Maintaining correct humidity
• Spraying with fatty acids
• Strawberry powdery mildew - grey/white patches on the underside of the leaves and red blotches on the upper surfaces of the leaf
• Avoid overfeeding with nitrogen which produces vulnerable soft growth
• Mulch to prevent fruit touching wet soil

Question 2

Raspberries - Pest/disease

Answer 2

• Raspberry Beetle - Larvee eat fruit and stalk
• Pheromone trap
• Spraying with natural pyrethrum
• Grey mould/botrytis - grey/off white fungal growth on all of the above-ground parts of the plant
• Remove all dead/diseased material
• Grow undercover in high rainfall area to prevent

Question 3

Blackcurrants - Pest/disease

Answer 3

• Birds - fruit is eaten
• Grow in a cage or under netting to prevent attack
• Leaf spot - Dark spots on leaves leading to defoliation
• Linked to poor nutrition so feeding and fertlising can help prevent

Question 4

Apples - Pest/disease

Answer 4

• Codling Moth - Damaged fruits tend to ripen and drop early, caterpillar holes are visable
• Pheromone traps
• Spraying with natural pyrethrin
• Apple scab - blackish/brown scabby patches on the fruits, greenish/grey spots on the foliage, fruits can become cracked or split in extreme cases
• Good hygiene
• Select resistant cultivar

Question 5

Plums - Pest/disease

Answer 5

• Winter moth caterpillar - Shredded leaves/severe damage
• Greese/stick bands to prevent flightless females laying eggs
• Insecticide dependent on local legislation
• Silver leaf - “silver” leaves, limbs die or fail to leaf, fruiting bodies may develop on dead wood
• Remove infected branches
• Prune in summer when attack is less likely

Question 6

Strawberries - Planting

Answer 6

• Plan - Plant Autumn (August/September)/ spring. Plant in a sunny, sheltered location with fertile, well-drained soil
• Water - Soak well before planting.
• Setting out - Planted 40–50cm apart in the row with 90cm between the rows
• Plant - Dig out a hole large enough to accommodate the roots (Trim the roots lightly to 10cm, if necessary) then spread them out in the hole. The crown of the plant should be above soil level to avoid rotting and the plants must be firmed in well to prevent frost heave and drying out
• Food - Mulch the ground with straw to prevent the fruit from touching the damp ground
• Water – Thoroughly

Question 7

Blackcurrant/Raspberry - Planting

Answer 7

• Plan - Plant in a sunny, sheltered location with fertile, well-drained soil
• Water - Soak well before planting.
• Setting out - Planted 1-1.5m in all directions
• Support - post & wire
• Plant - Dig out a hole large enough to accommodate the roots (Trim the roots lightly to 10cm, if necessary) then spread them out in the hole. The crown of the plant should be above soil level to avoid rotting and the plants must be firmed in well to prevent frost heave and drying out
• Food - incorporate organic matter into planting hole. Mulch the ground after planting 10cm
• Water – Thoroughly

Question 8

Strawberries - Harvest

Answer 8

• Herbaceous perennial
• Die back to ground level
• Spread by Stolons

Harvest:

• When the fruits are red all over
• Pick carefully to avoid bruising by pinching the stalk between the fingers
• Can not be stored for long
• Can be frozen/preserved to prolong
• Important not to pile too many fruits on top of each other to avoid damage

Question 9

Blackcurrants - Harvest

Answer 9

• Scrambler - woody
• Short lived stems continually reproduced - old should be removed
• Slowly spreading base

Harvest

• When black all over and soft
• Can be combined with pruning for ease
• Can not be stored for long

Question 10

Raspberries - Harvest

Answer 10

• Scrambler - semi-woody
• Short lived stems continually reproduced - old should be removed
• Slowly spreading base

Harvest

• When fruit is soft and comes of easily without forcing
• Can not be stored for long
• Can be frozen or preserved to prolong
• Harvest every few days once started

Question 11

Apples - Harvest

Answer 11

• Autumn - When time is right fruit comes off easily (will begin to drop)
• Taste should be sweet not sour
• Dessert apples can be harvested under-ripe and stored
• Cooking apples harvested before first frost
• Handle carefully to avoid bruising
• Store 3-7’ in dark, dry, well ventilated area
• Keep separate - wrap in newspaper

Question 12

Plumbs - Harvest

Answer 12

• Harvested when fruit is soft and comes off easily
• Should be sweet tasting
• Can not be stored for long
• Can be frozen or preserved to prolong
• Can be hand picked or picked using a long handled fruit picker
• If preserving tree can be shaken

Question 13

Name Apple, pear and plumb cultivars

Answer 13

Malus domestica

Dessert apples: ‘Lord lambourne’
Culinary apples: ‘Bramley’s Seedling’

Pyrus communis
Dessert pears: ‘Conference’
Culinary pear: ‘Catillac’

Prunus domestica

‘Victoria’

‘Jubilee’

Question 14

Name Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackcurrant cultivars

Answer 14

• Strawberry - ‘Cambridge Favourite’
• Blackcurrant - ‘Ben Lomond’
• Raspberry - ‘Glen moy’