Leaning apple tree

[Rosy no rose]

My four year old apple tree took a hammering in the last years winds, and now has a rather drunken tilt. We have stuck a stake in and tried to strap it up.

Should I leave it and hope that it will get strong in that position, or should I try straitening it? Somehow?

Also, it got loads of buds last year and lots of tiny fruit, and I ended up with THREE mealie little appls that tasted bitter. The leaves got a little brown and the fruit had little brown marks on it too. It was three less apples than the year before. What are you supposed to spray it with, when and how, do you need to get one of those monster sprayers with goggles and white suits? Or can you get a wee bottle of stuff and stand back and hold your breath?

[Lesley Jay]

It sounds like Apple Scab. Wet cloudy weather while the tree is in blossom will encourage this disease. If it infects the young fruit they can drop early. Any diseased twigs should be removed and any dropped leaves should be burnt with the twigs. Advice is to spray with Bio Supercarb or Bio Systhane, following the instructions on the pack.

Fruit can drop early - the June drop - and this can be worse following frost damage. Fruit can be shed before the June drop due to a cold wet spring or because of incomplete pollination.

My guess is that they tasted bitter because the apples were not properly grown and ripe. I hope this will help!