Making plans for downsizing based on the new council strategy. (Yes it is for public consultation but we know what that means!)

The most logical spot to move my favourite trees is down the back of the plot but it will be near a hedgerow with some Harthorne in it. I vaguely remember something about some disease you can get transferred to your fruit from Hawthorne.

Is there or am I confusing it with something else?

Westi

Yes I have heard this also , I know you shouldnt plant them near rose bushes .... I think its a leaf blight they spread , but Thats all my memory from the days of lisening to my old dad can drag up.
Im sure some one who will know better will come along soon
Mean while I will have a look at my old gardening books see if
I can come up with any thing better .

I can't imagine that moving them a few yards is going to make any difference and if the Hawthorns are not diseased there won't be a problem.

How big are the trees you intend to move because if they've been in the ground more than a couple of years it's a major undertaking and must, obviously, be done while they are dormant.

There is only one that is quite big - An apple about 6 years old which has already been moved once about 4 years ago. There is a Beauty plum been in 2 years but not much spread and a Redlove apple I want to move from home which is the same age but even smaller. And 1 pear which has been in for a year. I will be leaving all the others, another plum, 2 apples, pear and cherry which are far too big.

I know time is against me which is why I want to find the right spot asap. Unfortunately it won't be their last home as the site is marked for re-development so they will be moved again. Perhaps I should pot them for the interim - what do you think? Would large trugs be big enough to hold them or would I need containers bigger than this?

Westi

After all there is a risk. You have to be careful while moving a tree. And it's older tree so the risk is higher. I would suggest to check Hawthorns (proper check) either it's deceased or not. So, it won't be confusing.

Hi Westi,
Herefordshire is a county with an enormous amount of apple orchards and just about every one of these orchards are surrounded with Hawthorn hedges, generally grown higher that the average, to prevent deer encroaching. Deer can be a real nuisance in an orchard as you will appreciate.
I have never heard of Hawthorn having anything untoward fruit trees and would appreciate any input from anybody with such information.
My own orchard is Hawthorn down one side with some Holly and two wild Crab Apple trees and the other three sides is mainly of Hazel and Ash with a few Wild Plum Trees and two Wild Pear Trees. The Wild Plum Trees are very productive and are amazingly sweet they are very small round jobs very similar to an Early River.
JB.

Roses and Apples are distantly related I think.

The famous fruit nursery Thomas Rivers was a few miles down the road from me and the "specimen" orchard survives as a community orchard, surrounded by largely hawthorn hedges.

Some of the apples on our plot are by a bird sown hawthorn tree and have never suffered any ill effects. To be honest I'd never heard of this problem before!

I have been googling for a couple of days on and off to try and find a pest or disease in Hawthorn that would also be injurious to fruit trees.
So far the only one I have come across which is relevant to the United Kingdom is the Hawthorn Top Gall Midge. There is no mention that this gall is injurious to anything other than Hawthorn itself.
There are several mentions where Hawthorns in the USA seem to attract certain pests that we do not have here in UK.
They cannot even refer to the correct variety of Hawthorn which is most commonly grown here. They call English Hawthorn Crataegus Laevigata which is a pink variety that has been bred as a specimen tree/shrub rather than for hedging and the true Common Hawthorn in Crataegus Monogyna which is the most common form used for hedging here in UK.
JB.

The only disease I can think of that it might be is Fire Blight, which affects all Rosaceous plants, that is, most of our top fruit and most amenity trees and shrubs. But keeping hawthorn away from fruit trees: I've not heard of this before.

These sound like Mirabelle, which are delicious. They grew all over our neighbourhood when I was growing up and nobody else seemed to realise they were edible. My mum made pounds of jam from them. And puddings, too, of course.

Thanks All - appears I was confused(.com).

Haven't had to move them as we have been given 5 years notice that we have to give up one of the plots - and frankly who knows what will happen in 5 years! New council in, current GYO interest waned, or they just get sick of myself and the others with 2 plots whinging!

Westi

Hi Felix,
With the wild plums its a case of right size but wrong colour. These plums are dark purple and at least twice as sweet as Mirabelle's. I do actually have two Mirabelle plums and used to make wine from them and they really do make a very drinkable wine but apart from that they are very much on the tart side and need two tons of sugar to the pound when stewed! (IMHO)
JB.