If you want a great crop of apples next year, deal with apple canker now. It's particularly virulent in damp conditions and on badly drained soil.

Early symptoms include dead, leafless twigs or shoots bearing small sickly-looking leaves. Telltale signs are flaky brown patches of bark, usually in rings in an oval shape.

The edges of the affected areas are transformed into a ridge and eventually the branches wither and die. The diseased tissue from underneath appears and a whitish gum oozes from the cankers.

Cut off and burn any affected young branches. Use a sharp pruning knife on all cankered areas on the larger branches until you expose the healthy wood. Apply canker paint to the cut areas.