Fruit woes

[KARL]

Two things:
Firstly, for years we have had a large crop from a single gooseberry bush and this year is pretty good too. However, about half the bush has what started like a fungus on the skin of the berries and now the berries have varying sizes of light brown patches on them although they seem to be growing to a normal size (i.e. whatever it is seems only to affect part/all of the skin but does not kill the berry). Does anyone have experience of this and am I correct to hope that next year the berries may all be fine ?

Secondly, we have a large pear tree which, to be truthful, until now I have only looked at occasionally but because it was compromised in a storm a while back I have been keeping a closer eye on it this summer. While previously we have hardly had a pear off it and I assumed it was just a bit useless, this spring (as sometimes before) there was a lot of blossom on it and (exceptionally) I saw these begin to develop into a big crop of pears. However, then in the space of a week or two the "pearlets" disappeared in large numbers. On closer inspection, I noticed that most of those remaining (about the size of a large cherry stone or a bit bigger) had dark patches on them and these patches had tiny holes in them - clearly insect attack at or immediately after the flowering stage. Now I realise that this has probably been a problem from the outset and wonder which insect(s) might be involved and how one can fight them (spray, and then which ?). Furthermore, I think this may also be the reason why cherry trees growing in the vicinity produce very few fruit in spite of profuse flowering and early signs of lots of fruit swelling.

Any advice would be welcome.

[Ratty2E]

It might be coddling moths in your pears, I know they affect apples in the way you describe. We put a pheromone trap in the tree, it attracts and traps the males so they can't breed and infest the fruit, and it does seem to work. The cherries might be being eaten by birds. This year I had lots of blossom and lots of little cherries. I noticed they were starting to ripen but sadly left it a few days to get round to putting a net over it. One morning they were all gone

[Chaffinch]

Have you pruned either your gooseberry or your pear tree, they will both benifit if not.

[KARL]

Neither have been pruned, that is until I had to reduce the height of the pear and hoist it up by a strap due to it being pushed over a bit in a very severe storm. It has not lost any leaves at all, but the storm occurred after the fruit loss.

[KARL]

What is the name of the pheromone product you use, ratty, and where is it available ?

[Ratty2E]

Here you go Karl http://www.amazon.co....id=1309195837&sr=8-16
You can get them in most garden centers, and the trap last for years you just need to get new pheromone refills