Apple trees: The merit of shop bought products for problem prevention

[Philthy]

Hello. I was browsing in my local garden centre over the weekend.
I came across some products aimed at fruit tree growing; grease bands, and winter wash. Could someone please elaborate on these products? Are they a good idea, should I be implementing them at this time of year?

I have two apple trees: a 1 yr tree on M116, and a 2 yr tree on MM106. Both were planted this year; the 2 yr old in spring, and the 1 yr old a week ago.

Thanks for any help.

[Jeanied]

Grease bands are there to prevent female moths climbing up the trunk and taking up residence in the upper part of your apple tree, where they wait for spring to start egglaying. This results in the maggots in your fruit.
Winter washes are sprayed on the tree to deal with some pests and diseases - depends on which one you buy.
The choice is up to you - with new trees you won't have any nasties yet, but if there are older trees nearby you may need to use these preventative measures.

[FB.]

Depending on the variety you're growing, you may not need products which protect against pests and diseases. You might find that once the trees are mature there are plenty of fruits for the pests to take a small proportion yet still leave enough for you.
The fruit from young trees is often poor quality anyway, even if the pests and diseases don't destroy what little fruit a tree has.

Some of the products will contaminate the nearby area and affect friendly garden creatures such as worms, bees, ladybirds and hoverflies. Some plants are sensitive to the chemicals too - even some apples are known as "sulphur-shy" and don't like the anti-canker "Bordeaux Mixture" and Bordeaux is highly toxic to worms.
Don't underestimate the value of worms: they keep the soil aerated, they keep the soil regularly turned over, they pull leaf litter into the soil (improving soil quality by taking organic matter from the surface into the soil), and worm tunnels give young tree roots a fast-track journey through the soil.

[orangepippin]

A good preventive measure is to really tidy up the area around the base of the tree, remove all fallen fruit, leaves, and detritus. In the process you will naturally remove the hiding places of pests which climb up the tree later on. Chickens are also very good at doing this.

[Philthy]

Three great answers! Thanks a lot