I think my quinces have brown rot. The fruit is falling from the tree although not ripe and they have patches of rot on them as do some of the fruit still on the tree.
I know I need to gather up the fruit and dispose of it as opposed to composting but does anyone know of a non chemical way of getting rid of this?
I'm pretty sure it isn't moths as I have a pheromone trap in the tree and the fruit is just falling off...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2018 02:01AM by helen.

Helen, here's a website that explains about brown rot: causes, timing of it, prevention and cures, both chemical and non-chemical. Seems like a very useful page: The Royal Horticultural Society, UK. Information is relevant to NZ, too.

[www.rhs.org.uk]

Thanks Lorna, in cutting into my fruit I have found the riddled with grubs - assume codlin moth.
I am so annoyed and do have pheromone traps hanging which catch loads of moths but obviously not all of them.
The whole crop is wasted.

I know you're opposed to chemical sprays, but the pheromone traps are better suited to being a indicator as to when to spray (or perform other treatment), rather than a sole solution. You'd have to catch every male moth before they mated for them to be effective. I think I've read that at best, the traps alone can reduce an infestation by about 50%.

I've had similar things happen with fruit crops, and it is intensely dissapointing as you've got to wait a whole year to try again.

Thanks Jenna and yes I will be spraying with coper and whatever else come September as every fruit was infected!
Damn.