Pip and Stone Fruit

I have a beautiful apple tree which has given us and our neighbourhood a wonderful supply of apples. But this year it has become riddled with apple moths. Can you advise us what to do and when to take action. It would be much appreciated.

Please help me with my espaliered blackboy peach. I had lots of blossoms but no fruit. What do I have to do? I understand they fruit on second plus year 'wood', but their growth needs to be 'controlled' as they are growing against a border fence so can't be allowed to grow too high.

I usually spray my peach tree early in the season, but this year I forgot. While the foliage and immature fruit are doing well, I’ve just noticed a few hints of leaf curl. Will this affect the crop, is it too late to treat, and with what?

I planted two feijoa plants two years ago which have grown about 1.2m tall. One has more flowers and fruit, the other has only produced a few flowers and no fruit. They are planted in the same location and have the same amount of water and fertiliser. Is there a way to help the plant produce more flowers and fruit?

My nectarine and peach trees have recently begun to develop leaf curl. I have cut off some of the worst branches but new growth still has leaf curl. What should I do to prevent this?

What is wrong with my poor lemon tree and what can I do about it? It looks terrible!

What varieties of eating Apple or other fruit trees are best to espalier?

My eight-year old Stellar cherry tree has been shedding more than 50% of its fruit prematurely. I had sprayed leaves affected by aphids with a light dosage mixture of neem oil and kitchen detergent. Would this cause the shedding? 

Last year, my peach tree had leaf problems and I sprayed copper and it worked. This year, the plum tree and its leaves have been twisted and there is only one plum on the  tree. Is this due to the weather? 

I want to try and grow an apple as an espalier. Is there a variety which is best and what else do I need to know?

Can my self-seeded avocados, in Masterton, produce edible fruit? Also, I have a large horse chestnut tree, and while walking in the park I collected chestnuts and their casings from two different looking chestnut trees, in case they’re edible. How do I identify them?

We want to plant three or four fruit trees that will give us fruit spaced throughout the year. What grows well in Dunedin and how can we give them the best start?

My passionfruit plant had over 90 fruit this year, do we need to prune it and what fertiliser does it need? Would really appreciate your help. 

Many of our apricots are displaying a small brown spot, which turn into a soft rotten spot. I have sprayed a copper spray in the spring as a preventative measure. What causes this brown soft rot and how do we prevent it?

My garden has a hedge of olive trees. Last year I harvested some of the olive fruits, but they were very small. What can I do to make the olive fruit fleshier?

We wish to plant an apple and a plum tree. We are thinking of planting grafted trees with two varieties on each tree. Which system is best? Do Gala and Pacific Rose apples complement each other or should we plant Gala and Braeburn? What about Santa Rosa and Omega plums?

I saw a photo in a magazine of an apple and pear tree on one trunk growing up a fence and the branches were trained to grow horizontally. How do I do this?

I want to plant a Blackboy peach tree in the middle of a section of grass. Do I need to dig out some of the soil and replace it. How big should the hole be compared to the rootball?

Could you please advise me of the best fertiliser you would recommend for olive trees in the home garden, particularly to stimulate the production of fruit?

I have a Guava plant that is dormant over winter. I’ve had two small crops off this plant. What do I feed it for better growth? Do you prune guava plants?

I planted a dwarf apricot tree in the centre of my front lawn with a cement ring. It has leaves each year, but no fruit. Is being planted in the lawn the problem?

Last spring I planted a miniature peach tree in a sunny spot in my garden. It was very healthy until it was flooded and lost most of its leaves. Should I replant in a drier place, or replace it?

I have an olive tree grew well in the last ten years. The last two years there have been no olives and the leaves are all in the top 1/3. Should I prune the bottom leafless twigs?

Could you please advise me of the best manure or fertiliser you would recommend for olive trees in the home garden, particularly to stimulate the production of fruit?

I am trying to grow a persimmon tree for the second time. The first tree just withered away. What do these fruit trees need to thrive?