Editorial / 1
Forthcoming Events / 2
Recent Events / 2
SLOG Orchard Update / 4
Plagues & Pestilence:Bacterial & Fungal Canker / 4
Fruit Harvest 2017 / 5
Heritage Apple Variety:Blenheim Orange / 6
Restoration of Fishgarth Orchard / 7
The Cubbington Pear / 7
Grass Management Group Initiative / 7
Rootstock Orders / 8
Grafting to Order / 8
SLOG Shop / 8
Slog Discount at Suppliers / 8
Editorial
Apples are swelling fast on the tree and with autumn approaching, thoughts turn to harvest. Crops vary from one location to another, but overall it promises to be a reasonable yield.
The SLOG fruit presses are ready for action and hiring arrangements are the same as last year. Bookings for the popular Spiedel Mill & Hydropress +/- pasteuriser kit should be made with Heather Birkett on 07843275695or email: Heather will let you know the dates that the equipment is available. Give her your SLOG membership number and the date/s that you require the press. The equipment must be collected from, and returned to, Sizergh Castle, Kendal, LA8 8DZ, between the hours of 9am & 5.30pm.Please respect these hours because it is unreasonable to ask volunteers to hang around after their working day has finished.Hire charge is unchanged at £20 per day of use. You will be asked to return the equipment clean and ready for the next person to use in order to recover your £25 deposit. The earlier you book, the better the chance of getting the weekend date you want. Weekday dates are generally easier.Contact details for the large press and trailer will be posted on the website.The large press hire charge is £25 per day for individuals and remains unchanged at £50 for groups or £25 for local community group pressings co-ordinated by a SLOG member.
We still have a hand scratter and barrel press which are available on a free of charge collect and return basis to local schools to encourage children to take a greater interest in local fruit. If you know any schools who may be interested, please let them know and advise them to email:
There will be a number of community pressings as shown on page 2. In anticipation of strong demand and in a desire to be fair to all so that people do not have to wait an excessive time, we ask participants to bring not more than a single batch size to press. This batch size is 40kg for the big press and 20kg for the Hydropress. People with quantities in excess of this will be asked to allow people with smaller batches to proceed first. The best way to deal with large quantities is of course to hire the kit yourself!
The next SLOG Committee meeting will be on Tuesday 5th September at 7.30pm at the Derby Arms, Witherslack: all members are welcome.
Finally, please note that it’s time to order your rootstocks for next season – see page 8 for details.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
For the most up-to-date information look in:
Thursday September 14th - Westmorland County Show, Lane Farm, Crooklands, Kendal 9.00am – 5.00pm The SLOG stand will NOT be at the County Show this year so don’t go looking for it
Saturday September 23rd - Apple Pressing, Wilf's Cafe, Staveley nr Kendal 11.00am to 3.00pm Bring your (clean) spare or windfall apples for juicing and containers for the juice.Directions: Wilfs Cafe:
Saturday September 30th - Apple Day at Arnside & Silverdale AONB 10.00am to 4.30pm at Briery Bank Orchardsee: details on SLOG website in due course.
Saturday October 7th– Apple Day at Ford Park, Ulverston 11.00am to 4.00pm Bring your (clean) spare or windfall apples for juicing and containers for the juice. Fordirections etcsee:
Saturday October 7th 10.00am - 4.00pm - Members' Apple pressing day at Thornbarrow, Witherslack (provisional – check website) Once again, members have a chance to bring their apples for pressing into juice. It can be pasteurised and kept, or fermented into cider. All welcome. Free to members, and visitors can join on the day. Directions: Follow A590 west and take the Witherslack turning. Pass the Derby Arms and take the left turn the village centre. Follow the road up the hill and take the 1st turning on the left into Thornbarrow. Continue to end of rough track.
Sun October8th - 11.00am - 4.00pm Apple Day at Acorn Bank, Temple Sowerby, near Penrith SLOG will have a jointstand with NCOG to demonstrate apple pressing. Apple identification, advice, apple tasting and grafted trees for sale. Family entertainment with range of childrens games plus wide variety of stands.
Saturday October 14th 10.00am - 4.00pm - Apple pressing day at Levens(provisional on finding new location, check website for details)
Saturday October 28th 10.00am - 2.00pm - Sedbergh Apple Day at The Peoples Hall, Howgill Lane, Sedbergh LA10 5DQ Organised by COGS (Community Orchard Group Sedbergh), there will be apple pressing using the Spiedel Mill & Hydropress, apple identification & advice, other related stands & music Directions:
Sunday November 5th 10.00am - 4.00pm - Members' Apple pressing day at Sprint Mill, BurnesideThe final opportunity to bring your apples for pressing into juice. Don’t forget to bring containers for the juice and bags to carry away the spent pulp.Directions:From Burneside take road past paper mill towards A6, Immediately before bridge over River Sprint take track on left for 100yds then park on left.
Tuesday 28thNovember – Winter Talk 7.30pm Levens InstituteDetails to be advised later. Directions: Take A590 direction Barrow, then after 2 miles turn right signposted Levens. Go to centre of village, Institute is on crossroads across from Methodist Chapel. Park on roads nearby.
RECENT EVENTS
SLOG Orchard Open Day Saturday13thMay
Kendal’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Andy Blackman, unveiled the new information board and formally declared open the SLOG orchard containing over 160 different apple and pear varieties. The orchard contains all known Northern English apple varieties and is unique in that they are planted in county rows, one each for Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire. Most are ancient heritage varieties and this project will help to ensure their survival. The authenticity of some old varieties can be dubious at times, so DNA analysis is being carried out to validate them where appropriate. The orchard is open to the public and the information board explains the layout and objectives of the orchard. Each tree is labelled with its name, date & location of origin, type (eater or cooker) and season of use.
Cllr. Andy Blackman describes the SLOG orchard “a hidden gem”
A story board illustrated the development of the orchard over the last five years from a weedy & stony plot containing willow trees and stumps to its current fully planted status. The list of volunteers whose hard work had made this all possible ran to over thirty names. We concluded with apple scones washed down with SLOG apple juice and Bob’s cider.
SLOG Annual General MeetingTuesday25th July
The AGM, held this year at Crook Memorial Hall was attended by almost twenty members. A quick check around the room on fruit set this season indicated that the prospects for apples and pears seem about average overall, with roughly equal numbers reckoning to have either below average, average or above average crop prospects. Damsons and plums are fairly good.
Reports were presented by the Chairman (Andy Gilchrist), Membership Secretary (Adam Rubinstein) and Treasurer (Adam Walker). The following officersre-elected: Andy Gilchrist as Chairman, Adam Rubinstein as Membership Secretary and Adam Walker as Treasurer.Most existing Committee members (the three above plus Penny Hinsinger, Adele Jones, Hilary Wilson, Phil Rainford, Dick Palmer Anthony Fitzherbert, Win Postlethwaite & Steve Wright) were re-elected. Membership subscription rates were agreed unchanged. There was a fair amount of discussion on a range of topics under “Future Direction” and “A.O.B” The AGM minutes and reports by the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer can be viewed on the website:
After refreshments, we judged the berry & currant show. The winning Gooseberry was anunknown variety grown by Hilary Wilson weighing in at 14.2g. Second was Andy Gilchrist’s White Lion at 11g.Third was Penny Hinsinger’s unknown variety at 8.4g.Hugh Connor won the best Blackcurrants award. The fruit show was good fun, if you didn’t enter this time, think about it next year.
We also enjoyed Adam Rubinstein’s gluten-free gooseberry muffins so much that none were left.
Budding & Summer Pruning Workshop Saturday 12th August
About twenty members gathered in the yurt at Growing Well where Andrew Forsyth of Weasdale Nurseries demonstrated chip budding. Andrew uses this method for his own propagation work and has a high success rate, so we hope for better results than in the past. One key point was to do a lot of practice cuts on other wood before progressing to the real thing. Another was the use of buddy tape, a special stretchy tape which Andrew always uses to great success.
Andrew Forsyth demonstrates the cut on the rootstock Afterwards, we moved outside to practice summer pruning on the cordons, most of which are now well established with vigorous growth up to (and above) the top wire. In the time available, we managed to do about half of them.
SLOG ORCHARD UPDATE
The trees have grown on well this year. The good weather in April/May led to a heavy fruit set on the apples, but the earlier blossom of the pears was touched by frost so we have virtually no fruit on the pears this year.Subsequent rainfall in June/July has encouraged a scab outbreak and the different varietal susceptibilities are quite revealing.
Fruit scab in Fiesta
Most of the newer varieties have the heaviest infection levels including: Delcorf, Delbar Jubilee, Christmas Pippin, Cybele, Otava, Santana & Limelight. Saturn, Elstar, Prima, Rajka, Redlove Era & Rosette are all clean. Also clean are all the Cumbrian varieties with the sole exception of Carlisle Codlin.
Leaf scab on Fiesta
By contrast, several Lancashire varieties are scabby, such as: Gressingham Lady, Lady’s Delight, Golden Spire, Florence Bennett & Potts Seedling. Lancs varieties which are clean include: Sowman’s Seedling, Gold Medal, Lady’s Finger of Lancaster, Proctor’s Seedling, Philip Barron, Lord Suffield, Royal George, Lancashire Seedling, Trumpeter & Scarlet Tiffing. Most Yorkshire varieties are clean, but Grandpa Buxton, Red Balsam & Dog’s Snout are scabby. Amongst the other varieties, Court Pendu Plat, Bloody Ploughman, Josephine, Merton Russet, Pearl, Black Gilliflower & Harvey are scabby. The Cumbrian seedlings are mostly clean, the exceptions being Lorton Vale & Mauld’s Meaburn.The good growing weather also meant strong weed growth so a summer working party was planned for22ndJuly.
The rather striking blue flowers of borage – the only weed not removed!
Unfortunately the weather was wet and only three members donned their waterproofs and braved the elements.Great credit is due to the hardy trio of Mark Fawcett, Romola Stringer and Edward Aclandwho cleared a huge amount of weeds in the rows and filled the compost heap.Members at the AGM gave them two rounds of applause for their heroic effort which has left the orchard in terrific condition. The next Working Party on Saturday 19th August enjoyed better weather to do the summer pruning. We then inserted twenty long canes, tied in new growth and loosened some ties. Many thanks to Neil, Catherine, Chris, Janice, Jane, Jodie, Adam and Romola.
“PLAGUES & PESTILENCE” Bacterial and Fungal Canker
Cankers in fruit tree species are characterised by the death of cambium (inner bark) tissue of woody stems, branches or twigs, causing them to sink in. They can completely girdle the stem, disrupting the vascular system so that shoots beyond the canker wilt and die through a lack of water.Large numbers of smaller cankers can also disrupt vascular systems enough to cause gradual wilting and shoot death.
The most common canker pathogens are the fungus Nectria galligena, which causes cankers on subjects such as apple, pear, willow, mountain ash, beech and poplar, and the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae, which exists as a large number of subspecies and can cause cankers in a wide range of trees and shrubs.
Pseudomonas syringae pv. mors-prunorum is widespread and serious on cherry and plum but also found on almond, apricot, peach and related ornamentals. A low pH in growing media can create a papery bark-like canker (high manganese availability), especially on container-grown trees.
Notifiable diseases (producing canker-like symptoms)
Including Xanthomonas campestris pv. Pruni on Prunus spp. and fireblight (Erwinia amylovora), which causes cankers at late infection stages.
How to distinguish them
Fungal cankers: White, orange or pink conidial (spore-producing) pustules develop on infected tissue in summer, followed by small red perithecae, which produce ascospores. In early stages, lesions may produce blobs of amber gum.Bacterial Canker on Cherry
Bacterial cankers Xanthomonas populi or forms of Pseudomonas syringae: Creamy slime or sticky gum oozes from canker lesions, particularly in spring. Xanthomonas populi may cause orange staining of outer wood at infection sites.
Xanthomonas campestris pv. pruni: Leaf spots may exude bacterial slime.
Erwinia spp. Foliage looks burnt and girdled stems form a "shepherd’s crook" shape. Affected plant material and blossom can exude bacterial ooze and usually remain attached to the plant.
Biology
Canker lesions themselves, including those caused by physical or physiological injury, can provide entry points for other pathogens or wood decay fungi, which may lead to symptoms that mask the true identity of the primary infection.
In Pseudomonas bacterial canker of Prunus, Pseudomonas syringae may infect leaves in summer. Cankers are initiated in autumn by bacteria splashed from the leaves that enter stems through abscission scars.
The bacteria lie dormant over winter and lesions develop in spring.
The characteristic depressed lesion of canker infections is caused by the arrested development of the infected bark tissue. Corky tissue layers may even be actively produced by the plant around the lesion as a means of defence.
These may impede the canker’s progress but will not prevent the infection from spreading.
Treatment: cultural control
Avoid unnecessary wounding, improve air circulation around plants, remove and destroy fallen leaves and make sure that tree ties do not become too tight. Wash pruning tools in disinfectant between cuts and avoid pruning plants in wet conditions. Make sure that all equipment used is kept sharp. Biological and chemical treatments are available to commercial growers and nurserymen but not to amateur gardeners.
Article courtesy of Dove Associates/Horticulture Week
REDUCED COMMERCIAL FRUIT HARVEST IN 2017
This spring, many top-fruit growers in the UK and across Europe were dismayed to discover that swathes of their orchards had been hit by frost. Some growers feared that as much as 70 or 80%of their crop had been lost to the frost, which was followed by a very hot period in June and July. After such a precarious growing period, it is unsurprising that there has been a feeling of relief among growers as they finally begin to harvest their crops. AC Goatham & Sontechnical directorNigel Stewart said: "2017 has been a very challenging year for growers with the late, hard frosts in the spring followed by the very long dry spell and then the recent heavy rain, which brings with it the threat of hail. We are beginning harvesting today (16 August) and we will all be relieved to get this year’s crop into cold stores and then out directly to customers." Grower James Smith of Kentbased Loddington Farm says: "It’s not going to take very long [to harvest our crops.] It’s quite an early season, so we’ll start early and finish early. Some farms have got a full crop. I am going to produce about 60% of a full crop because of the spring frost. It’s bad. Like most people, I could have done with a good year this year." Commercial production of Gala in Kent As growers’ harvesting got underway, the World Apple & Pear Association (WAPA)confirmed at its Prognosfruit conference in Leida, Spain, that apple production is indeed set to be 25% down this year in the UK. Moreover, at 9.34 million tonnes, the EU apple crop is forecast to be 21% lower than last year and the smallest in the past decade. The association estimates pear production at 2.15 million tonnes – 1% lower than last year and 8% short of the 2014-16 average. The pear crop is also the second smallest in the past 10 years. Most of the Continent’s main apple growing areas have been affected to some extent. The frost which struck on the night of 19th April particularly hit apple growers in Belgium and the southern Netherlands, southern Germany and Italy’s South Tyrol region, while Europe’s biggest apple producer, Poland, was hit by frosts later the same month. Only France escaped largely unscathed. Article courtesy of Rachel Anderson/Horticulture Week