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Worm-Free Apples Without Chemicals


I have had great success with this recipe in drawing coddling moths away from my apples.  

This is what I do to trap them:
  • Using a cleaned out 1 gallon milk jug, cut a hole about the size of a  small egg just below the milk jugs shoulder.  This can easily be done if you first put hot water in the jug and shake it around until the sides get warm.  Empty out water and cut hole with a sharp knife. 
  • Recipe: 1 cup cider vinegar
                    1/3 cup dark molasses
                    1/2 teaspoon ammonia
                    Add enough water to make 1 1/2 quarts liquid
  • Mix together and pour into milk jug using a funnel. Make sure to replace the cap on the milk jug.
  • When apple trees are just about done blooming tie the jug on a sturdy branch with a strip of cloth. Hang the jug with the hole facing slightly down so the rain can't get in but also so the mixture can't spill out.
  • As the season progresses, you'll notice the mixture evaporating, I just grab my lawn hose and add more water to the jug. 
  • Keep jugs in the tree until harvest is over.  Discard the jugs, but first...be amazed at how many moths are in the mixture...pretty gross!
  • Place 2-4 jugs in different locations for an average sized tree.
This recipe is also supposed to work good in cherry and pear trees.

10 comments:

  1. Wow gonna to do it today ... no worms in my apples this year! Thanks for the know

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  2. Love it and cross posting it as well.

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  3. Thanks Grace...appreciate the publicity!

    joybug...it works really good, if you do it every year, the worms get angry and leave for good...lol

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  4. Oh! I'm so glad I read this. It is so timely. It's too cold where I live but my mother-in-law has apples and has the worm problem every year. Do you think it also works in pear trees? Thank you so much for the tip! If you don't mind, I'd like to re-post it someitme soon.

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  5. Sorry, you already said that it would work on a pear tree. I was just so excited about it, I guess I didn't read the whole thing. But now I have! Twice!

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  6. Melanie...you make me laugh! It's good to know I'm not the only mother with on eye on the computer and the other eye on the kids!

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  7. I never would have thought of this - brilliant! Now I'm wondering if there's a similar fix for fruit flies that eat all my strawberries before they ripen? Someone said to put a glass of wine in the garden?? Not sure about that one...

    RJ, the HOPE Coach
    http://jrrsehopecoaching.com

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  8. RJ,
    I planted a sage bush in with my strawberries and have no problem with fruit flies. I do have to keep the bush pruned down to keep it small.

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  9. Do you think it would work on an apricot tree? We battle worms all the time.

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