I have a row of 7 apple trees, and on one side of the trees, I have a row of marionberries and on the other side, I have a row of flowers. In the fall, I rake all the leaves out from under the apple trees and put them on the plant beds on either side of the apples. The flower and berry plants are about 10 feet away from the apple trees.
Should I remove the leaves completely or are the leaves far enough away from the apples (10 feet) to prevent (or reduce) codling moth and apple scab?
Dan
You're probably OK
codling moth eggs overwinter under the bark on trunks and large limbs
apple scab spreads from the fallen leaves under previously infected trees, in which case you would want to burn the leaves or bag them for the landfill. As long as there has been no apple scab, use your leaves.
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