High summer can be a discomfort for gardeners on the pest and disease front. A number of the conditions of earlier in the season will still be hanging about unless they were appropriately handled and both July and August have a few of their own to tax our ingenuity.

Tree fruit is the leading target, and the leader of the pack has to be Codling Moth (the 'g' is optional ). This is a tedious beast, and is typically only discovered when the fruit is harvested and the damaging results of the larvae are all too evident. The evidence of the Codling Moth remains in the eating, and otherwise healthy-looking fruit will be found to be anything but healthy when you take the very first bite. The chewed up interior supplies distasteful and adequate evidence of the caterpillars' activities.

This is a tricky one, as the moth lays its eggs in the flowers way back in the spring. When the larva hatches it feeds upon the unripe fruit and departs, generally prior to ripening, typically by way of the 'eye' of the fruit, and therefore prevents detection. The mature caterpillars then move downwards to pupate in fractures and crevices in the bark.

One from of control is to trap the mature larvae on their way to their pupation websites. The approach is to connect bands or sleeves of corrugated cardboard around the bases of the primary branches and/or around the tops of the trunks. The concept is that the descending larvae find these cardboard hideaways to be appealing pupating areas and sit tight. Early in September, when the down migration is well and genuinely over, you remove the bands, find the cosily ensconced pupae and dispose of them properly. It might not conserve any fruit this year however need to decrease the population next season.

Another scourge of apples which might be confused with Codling is Apple Sawfly. This wasp-like bug also lays its eggs in the blossom and the larvae likewise feed on the establishing fruit. The differences are that the sawfly larvae typically do their worst rather faster and the damaged fruitlets fall off prior to they are fully grown. The larva typically leaves a visible scar from its early activities near the 'eye' end of the fruit and normally emerges from a Mesa Trees hole in the side. The hole is usually marked by a yukky mess of dark brown frass. When the fruit has fallen the larvae take sanctuary in the soil to pupate.

The technique here is to capture them prior to they can manage the escape manoeuvre. This indicates analyzing the fruitlets on the tree and removing and destroying any which reveal the telltale scars. As the scarring is not totally ubiquitous, gather any fallen fruitlets day-to-day and ruin them too. Again, this will not do much for this year's crop but ought to help to reduce next year's Sawfly population. If you have an area of bare soil around the trees it will be a great idea to fork it over to expose the pupae to the birds prior to applying the fall mulch.

Apples are not alone among the tree fruit in being susceptible to maggoty pests at this time of year. Plums are susceptible to the depredations of the aptly called Plum Moth. This has a comparable mode of operation to its apple equivalents, the larvae consuming the centre of the fruit and leaving a nasty, frassy mess behind them.

The affected fruit normally ripen prematurely and might likewise be spotted by shallow indentations on the surface area. Take a look at the trees regularly and remove and ruin any dubious-looking fruit. Like Codling Moth, this one tends to pupate in bark crevices, so the corrugated bands might assist if you do not trust the birds to do the job.

These fruit bashers are pretty tough customers and we are not likely to be able to remove any of them by organic methods, however we can definitely reduce the damage and ensure we get a decent crop. When we simply have to accept some losses in the organic cause, there are events.

August is mildew month.

Powdery and Downy Mildew afflict the foliage of an entire range of plants at this time of year and, for beginners, it may be nice to compare them. Powdery Mildew typically announces its presence with a white, floury coating appearing on the upper surface areas of the leaves. This is followed by more 'fur' on the lower surfaces, spreading to stems and buds, and distortion of the young foliage.

Its Downy cousin normally appears initially as angular yellow patches, primarily between the veins on the upper surface of the leaves. It is most obvious on the young leaves, and can be confused with a variety of chlorosis-causing mineral deficiencies. The next stage, however, confirms the existence of the fungi. A grey/white fur appears on the underside of the leaves and, if the infection is unattended, the entire plant will start to look rather sorry for itself.

Between them, these two attack almost any garden plant from roses and apples to brassicae and cucurbits. They are unpredictable beasts and can occur basically anywhere at this time of year, however it seems that some ecological conditions favour their spread. As a basic guideline they appear to thrive best when the soil is dry and air conditions are humid. There is very little we can do about air humidity however we can make sure that the soil surface does moist out. To fight the mildews' preferred conditions as much as possible we must mulch strongly to maintain soil moisture without extreme water use, never ever utilize overhead watering, and area plants such as to permit a good air blood circulation.

The other essential anti-mildew action is the removal of contaminated foliage as quickly as the first signs of the fungis are found. There you go: alertness and quick response again.