Looking good so far

Howgate Wonder by R MAURINS, on Flickr
I have been having problems with scab on my three apple trees, finally had to resort to spraying before the flowers opened(hate using chemicals), but it seems to have helped.

 

Look healthy enough now

 

The pollinators seemed to have done their work well for you too burnie

 

I was chatting to a professional gardener a few years back and mentioned that my ancient Apple trees produce huge amounts of fruit but suffer badly from Scab which I've never bothered to spray for to be honest. He told me the main reason for Scab was that the trees must be too dry at times and if I watered them a good deal in dry periods the Scab would be maybe not eliminated but vastly reduced. Certainly my Apple trees are close to an enormous, ancient Lime tree and are in very very dry area. Last year was a wet summer and do agree the Scab wasn't nearly as bad as when we've had dry summers. maybe worth watering your trees during dry spells and see if it helps.

 

Interesting Silu, but being in NE Scotland, lack of water is not usually a problem. I am only one mile from the sea so the soil is a bit thin and sandy, so well drained, maybe the manure mulch might help, I will try it at the end of this season. I did a fair bit of pruning to get the air flow improved as the centre was rather cluttered, this might also help.

 

I'm in Fife so know what you mean but even still, this guy really "knows his Onions" having been the head gardener at a massive castle in England (better not say which!).I know here in Fife it can get very very dry during the growing season and I use mulches extensively. People think of Scotland as being very wet. Yes in The West but not so much in the East. I believe we in Fife have about the same amount of rainfall as Lincolnshire. I lived over on the West coast of Scotland for 18 months, left after I thought I could detect my feet becoming webbed! OMG the rain hardly ever stopped.
Despite having had a fair doze of rain this last wee while after nearly 6 weeks of 100% no rain during May and the beginning of June, the farmers around here are busy waters their Potato crops.

 

Ah you live in balmy tropics of the south then........................

 

James Greive by R MAURINS, on Flickr