[Lesley Silvester]

Auctions are dangerous. I would have to have both hands tied behind my back if I went to one. Hands have a habit of slipping out when you sit on them. 

[little blue]

I've just "accidentally" bought 270 bedding plants .... oops!

they'll go nicely with the bulbs I'm waiting on delivery for... and an accidental Eucalyptus tree! (I just like them!!)

[Lesley Silvester]

That's a big 'accident', Ruth. 

[devonlady]

You know what you've done now MGW. We will all be buying things "by accident" I bought 3 silver pencilled wyandotte bantie pullets from our smallholders market last Saturday, by accident of course.

[Lesley Silvester]

Oops, sorry everyone. 

[little blue]

 
at least these are all "nice accidents"

the 270 bedding plants are a Suttons deal through Groupon, if anyone's interested!

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I can't buy Bramley apple trees were I am, I have a cooking apple tree which was here when I moved in and it fruits every 2 years, thinking of chopping it down. I had to get rid of my goats due to the fact they were so mischevious they kept getting into the garden and stripping the bark off the trees. That's probably why its gotten diseased.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

The problem with bidding accidentally is looking at the auctioneer right in the eye. The trick is don't stare at the auctioneer otherwise he thinks that you're bidding and he keeps eye contact. When I was a lot younger i went to a poultry auction and by accident looked him in the eye, before I knew it I was bidding against another person. Embarrassing     

[Womble]

I accidentally bought a bare root plum tree at Asda yesterday. As soon as I'm home in daylight, it's going to accidentally fall into a hole somewhere in the garden. I hope it's going to be ok!   

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Actually its the right time to buy fruit trees, because the weather is nice and cold so they'll be dormant.

[Marches Farmer]

I can't buy Bramley apple trees were I am, I have a cooking apple tree which was here when I moved in and it fruits every 2 years, thinking of chopping it down.

You can sometimes stop a tree that's got into the habit of biennial bearing by summer pruning - just go out with the secateurs in July and cut back all this year's new shoots to four or five buds - around 15cm.  The tree will often respond by throwing fruit buds rather than the new shoots growing ever longer.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I can't buy Bramley apple trees were I am, I have a cooking apple tree which was here when I moved in and it fruits every 2 years, thinking of chopping it down.

You can sometimes stop a tree that's got into the habit of biennial bearing by summer pruning - just go out with the secateurs in July and cut back all this year's new shoots to four or five buds - around 15cm.  The tree will often respond by throwing fruit buds rather than the new shoots growing ever longer.

I think i might do that. here's a question if the whole tree is diseased and only fruits every two years what do i do?

[Treud na Mara]

When you say it's diseased do you know what the disease is ? If you had an animal like that you wouldn't keep it in case whatever it was got passed on to the rest of your flock/herd. So if the disease can be successfully treated - fine, otherwise it's firewood. Spits a lot though even when dry. Then it's time for a new tree, best planted in a different place so it can't catch what the old one had. A bit of research may lead you to a locally successful variety, we have several Scottish ones able to stand our weather (yes even in coastal Caithness !). And if your current one only fruits every two years, you won't mind waiting and not letting the new one fruit in its first year so it can really get established.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

When you say it's diseased do you know what the disease is ? If you had an animal like that you wouldn't keep it in case whatever it was got passed on to the rest of your flock/herd. So if the disease can be successfully treated - fine, otherwise it's firewood. Spits a lot though even when dry. Then it's time for a new tree, best planted in a different place so it can't catch what the old one had. A bit of research may lead you to a locally successful variety, we have several Scottish ones able to stand our weather (yes even in coastal Caithness !). And if your current one only fruits every two years, you won't mind waiting and not letting the new one fruit in its first year so it can really get established.

It has woodlice living in its trunk

[Treud na Mara]

Hmm I thought wood lice only lived on decaying material so if there's some dead wood that is rotting that could be the attraction for them. Tree surgery might remove it but if it's due to a fungus it will likely return so I would say it's even more reason to cull this tree and start again elsewhere.