fruit fly resistant fruit trees (forum)
25 responses
Diana Lakiss starts with ...
I have HUGE problem with fruit fly but would like to grow some interesting fruit trees. Any suggestions on what I could grow in a fairly small garden that is fruit fly resistant.
Time: 13th January 2009 10:40am
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About the Author Diana Lakiss
Australia
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John says...
Qld or mediterranean fruit fly?
Time: 13th January 2009 12:00pm
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About the Author John20
Perth
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Diana Lakiss says...
Sorry John have been away. I really don't know what sort of fruit fly does it make a difference?
Time: 26th January 2009 7:14pm
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About the Author Diana Lakiss
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RolFlor a says...
Casimiroa seems to have a low fruit fly problem.
Greenharvest.com.au had a list of 18 tree species in their past catalogue early last year,including the Avocado,Custard Apple and Mulberry.
Time: 27th January 2009 5:58pm
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About the Author health101orgarticles1
Ovahere
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HappyEarth says...
Hi Dianna,
Not sure where you live but for a small garden you could possibly grow:
Avocado: wurtz
Bananas
Blueberries
Citrus except Meyer lemon
Custard Apple, cherimoya
Grapes,
Grumichama
Jaboticaba
Kiwifruit
Longan
Lychee
Macadamia - dwarf
Mulberry, sometimes affected
Nashi Pears, sometimes affected
Passionfruit
Pawpaw
Persimmon, early varieties like Fuyu are susceptible
Pineapples
Pomegranate
Pitomba
Im sure their are many others
Rich
Time: 28th January 2009 6:17am
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About the Author HappyEarth1
Wollongong
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Diana Lakiss says...
Thanks Rich, I am in Sydney so some of those will work I will give it a try.
Regards Diana
Time: 14th February 2009 7:45am
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About the Author Diana Lakiss
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Karan says...
You could also think of growing dwarf varieties of the susceptable trees and then bagging the fruit to avoid them getting stung. i personally haven't done this but a friend has with her peaches and it worked well. Don't you just hate fruit fly. We were in Melbourne in January picking and eating plums of a backyard tree I was so envious.
Time: 20th February 2009 8:41am
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About the Author Karan
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Elf says...
Happy Earth - why are blueberries and grapes not affected by fruit fly? I'm interested seeing I just bought a blueberry bush and I had been thinking I'd have to net it. I was hoping to grow grapes as well. This is good news :)
I'm relatively new at this and that was a really interesting list you posted. With mulberries being sometimes affected - does it depend on seasons, the area or the variety?
I found a tomato variety in the Eden seeds catalogue that was listed as being fruit fly resistant. What would the difference be between that and other toms?
Angela
Time: 25th October 2009 5:47pm
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About the Author Elf
Albury
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HappyEarth says...
Hey Elf, not sure why blueberries and grapes are not affected - you'd think they would be. As with mulberries - this happens on occasions here in Wollongong but id say you be fairly safe in Albury. the first time i discover fruit fly in mulberries was when i was boiling the fruit for jam and the little grubs came up to the surface. Normally you cant see them!
As for tomatoes, I only grow cherry tomatoes (the ones that come up in worm castings or compost) as they seem resistant to fruit fly - so yeah its possible some tomato varieties are resistant and id say that is what they would be selling you.
Hope this helps,
Rich
www.happyearth.com.au
Time: 25th October 2009 5:57pm
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About the Author HappyEarth
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Julie says...
I don't get fruit fly in my citrus, unless I leave the Valencias a bit too late. But most other growers in my area get it in oranges, mandarins and grapefruit. We only get the medfly in WA.
So I wouldn't rely on citrus being fly-free.
Time: 25th October 2009 6:25pm
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Elf says...
Thanks for your advice Rich and Julie. Do you think Pawpaw is growable in Albury or is the climate too hot and cold? I'd like to get the cutting grown one from Daleys when they're ready.
Really like the blog you and your other half have Rich, great garden. Green with envy :) Good luck!
Time: 26th October 2009 10:04am
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Diana says...
Hi everyone,
I don't think Qld fruit fly stings citrus, but the introduced medfly in WA is quite a different animal.
I think (Qld) fruitfly does not usually attack things very close to the ground with small fruit like strawberries and blueberries, even if it is soft.
Orange pawpaw might grow in Albury but probably wouldn't be very sweet (like in Sydney).
Diana.
Time: 26th October 2009 8:53pm
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Elf says...
Thanks for your advice Diana, I was worried about my strawberries, they have just started to fruit - I really know nothing about fruit fly, but clearly I need to learn if I want to have fruit.
So does Albury have QLD brand of fruit fly?
Time: 26th October 2009 8:59pm
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Diana says...
Hi Elf,
If you are in WA it could be mediterranean fruit fly. On the east coast Qld fruit fly go down to south of Sydney, but not to Victoria. I'm not sure exactly where the southern range limit is.
Diana
Time: 1st November 2009 11:46pm
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gardana says...
First harvest of grapes - huge, bountiful delicious, all subsequent ones sickeningly
destroyed by fruit fly. Do not plant grapes in Brisbane unless you have some magical answer to this problem....
Time: 6th March 2010 10:04pm
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About the Author gardana
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Diana says...
Hi Gardana,
The non-magical answer if you have this problem is to bag the grapes when they are small and green with either paper bags tied at the top, pestguard (from green harvest- they have a website), fly mesh, or those nearly transparent gift bags with fine weave. Bunches of grapes are a good shape and size for bagging.
Diana.
Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1
Time: 7th March 2010 9:23am
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Julie says...
I used to use old pantyhose to bag my grapes - not against fruit fly, but birds. (I guess it could work with fruitfly).
Seemed to work for a while, then they just poked through the bags and wrecked the fruit. Same with peaches. If they can see through it they will have a go.
Time: 7th March 2010 7:00pm
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davewastech says...
I can confirm that in Sydney Qld fruit fly is a problem for wampi (half my crop ruined this Feb), yellow cattley guava and pepinos. Yes pepinos growing on the ground have to be bagged or in the warmer half of the year most will be ruined. So far no problem with papaya, red cherry guava, emperor and murcott mandarins. Not much problem with cherry tomatoes
When I was in Perth Med fruitfly did affect my grapes a little, although powdery mildew is the main problem for most grape varieties.
Time: 26th February 2016 11:38am
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MyrtleTurtle says...
What should be safe in Sydney: Garcinias, Ice-cream-beans, Jaboticabas, Soh-sang, Lychee, Peanut Butter Fruit, pomegranates, dragonfruit, Pouterias, Kiwifruit, passionfruit, most Citrus, most berries.
What hasn't been safe for me: cherimoya, guavas, feijoa, fig, early persimmons, stone fruit.
Time: 8th February 2022 5:10am
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About the Author MyrtleTurtle
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Edward3 says...
Fruit fly in Sydney will also attack banana passionfruit because of its thin skin, tomatoes (even cherry tomatoes to some extent), capsicum, pawpaw, jujube.
Olive, Pitomba and yellow jaboticaba are safe. Non-astringent persimmon is usually OK as long as it is picked when still hard - any fruit fly stings can be cut away before eating.
Time: 22nd February 2022 1:47pm
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Original Post was last edited: 25th February 2022 2:20pm
About the Author Edward3
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davewastech1 says...
I've also found that some of my Fuyu Persimmons (early season) get attacked (although I have more problem with ringtail possums).
Not attacked include cape gooseberries.
There are vastly more fruit fly around during the warmer half of the year, so anything fruiting during the warmer time is more likely to get attacked. Sometimes my ruby red grapefruit ripen too early (February) and are attacked, whereas the ones that crop normally (September) are not attacked.
Also some thick skinned fruit like passionfruit may be attacked but the pest doesn't get through the skin.
Time: 23rd February 2022 2:46pm
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About the Author davewastech1
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Edward3 says...
Dave, netting the persimmon tree works well for me in preventing possums and birds.
Time: 25th February 2022 2:19pm
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About the Author Edward3
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QRcode says...
It does depend on the season and whether the conditions are favourable (ie. wet and humid)and the pest pressure in your neighbourhood.
Figs: definitely prone. Though they tend to get stung when they are ready to be picked. I have only occasionally found maggots in the fruit.
Citrus: grapefruit definitely susceptible due to the thin skin, though they have thick pith. Even though the egg/maggots may not penetrate the white pithy section the fruit gets a fungal pathogen at the sting site and drops. I always lose a certain % of grapefruit at colour break. Fruit held late spring will develop maggots if not protected.
Oranges: susceptible to being stung at colour break, causing them to drop prematurely, usually from secondary fungal infections.
Lemons: any left too long on the tree will get stung in spring and be ruined.
Raspberries: contrary to what some sites say and the claim from what someone living in QLD told me, raspberries are very prone to fruit fly. So much so that I regretfully pulled all mine out.
Avocado: haven't noticed any stings or damage.
Feijoa: = magnet; net or expect zero edible crop.
Pink Guava: see Feijoa.
Stone Fruits: goes without saying, these will be decimated without netting.
Apples: will get stung early after fruit set; the fruit tries to heal the wound--but the weeping clear sap like fluid invites fungal infection and the fruit drops prematurely.
Passionfruit: will occasionally get a few stung, but yet to see any make it to the pulp.
This year I noticed first hand that immature baby pumpkins with thin unhardened skins, being stung by fruit fly. The question now is whether these pumpkins will keep or develop mould in storage at the sting sites.
Time: 26th February 2022 12:50pm
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Original Post was last edited: 26th February 2022 4:22pm
About the Author QRcode
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davewastech1 says...
Feijoa - yep it's a shocker both in QFF territory and in Med Fly country (SW WA).
Pink guava - I know where there's one in a park in Sydney that doesn't get attacked - but the fruit on that tree are very bland tasting (my guess is that's why QFF don't bother them)
Time: 16th March 2022 10:26pm
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About the Author davewastech1
WILLOUGHBY EAST,2068,NSW
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davewastech1 says...
Thanks Edward,
Re persimmon tree - I've been using medium size fruit fly bags (organza bags) which work well for fruit fly, but they're no use against ringtail possums.
The tree's getting a bit big for me to get a net over, but it's a possibility.
Time: 16th March 2022 10:31pm
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bspargo says...
some people are saying pomegranate to be resistant. this is known to be untrue. lots of people have pomegranate that get affected, even with their thick skin. I keep all fruits in the mesh bags now as lots of things get affected unfortunately.
Time: 31st March 2022 7:42pm
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