protect Apples & Pears

[GaryS]

I started an orchard three years ago. This is the first year that I'm going to let the trees grow some fruit. Any good ideas on how to protect the fruit? When the trees were smaller, I used Bayer Tree & Shrub but since that is absorbed by the root and moves through the whole tree I worry about that getting into the fruit. I should apply the Bayer in the Fall and will most likely do that again this fall.

What do folks use to keep the pests away from fruit trees?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I use a lot of different sprays to protect my fruit crop for a ton of different diseases, bugs and weeds so it is hard to say just use this or this as it depends on the growth stage, your area and what you want to do. I just came in from spraying Dithane DF, Rubigan EC and Danitol 2.4 EC.

I am not sure just how many trees you have and what your goal is for your orchard but my best advice is to go to your local chemical/fertilizer dealer and talk to them about it. They will advise you as to what you can legally use in your area. A lot of the sprays for commercial orchards are restricted use pesticides which require you to have a license. Your local dealer should be able to help you come up with a decent spray program to fit your operation.

 

[GaryS]

I planted 25 apple and pear trees. I'm a complete novice but proud that I got them all through 3 years. We have a lot of deer - I've seen 30+ on the property at a time.

I've attached the layout of the orchard and will check around for a fertilizer place. I'm a frequent HomeDepot/Lowes customer but don't know where a fertilizer place is

 

[ToadHill]

Do not treat the trees with Bayer tree & shrub if you want to eat the fruit. The active ingredent is imipropol (sp), and stays in the tree for over 1 year. Go to a nursery and get products designed for fruit trees, these products are designed to wash off the fruit and not be consumed.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

For 25 trees you will not want to go the commercial route for spraying. Find a good farm supply store (not a TSC or similar) and talk to them about what you are trying to do. They should be able to recommend something that is not restricted and help explain how to apply.

 

[Western]

Try your local ag agent, he should know your local common pest and recommended treatment for same, and he's free!

 

[rox]

I don't know the uS laws but over here in Provence we have to obey the laws about the products we spray on our olives. For example we spray an insecticde to kill the olive fly and by law we must wait at least 3 weeks after spraying before we can harvet the fruit. Actually we go a month and 6 weeks. We only spray our few apple and almond trees here whe they have buds on them and before they flower and our apples are good. think your local farm extension ofice is the way to go. They will ahve the best methods. One good trick we do have for our cherry trees, we only have 3 to keep the birds away, we cut a big hle in the side of a 2 liter bottle and put in moth balls. The birds hate the smell and won't come around. I checked with our chemical/fertilizer salesman an he said that was perfectly fine and the fumes from the mothballs would not affect the fruit for eating. Which reminds me I ahd promised my hsuband i would buy mothballs today and i forgot, i need to get to the store tomorrow and buy some. Our cherries are ripening right now.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I don't know the uS laws but over here in Provence we have to obey the laws about the products we spray on our olives. For example we spray an insecticde to kill the olive fly and by law we must wait at least 3 weeks after spraying before we can harvet the fruit. Actually we go a month and 6 weeks. We only spray our few apple and almond trees here whe they have buds on them and before they flower and our apples are good. think your local farm extension ofice is the way to go. They will ahve the best methods. One good trick we do have for our cherry trees, we only have 3 to keep the birds away, we cut a big hle in the side of a 2 liter bottle and put in moth balls. The birds hate the smell and won't come around. I checked with our chemical/fertilizer salesman an he said that was perfectly fine and the fumes from the mothballs would not affect the fruit for eating. Which reminds me I ahd promised my hsuband i would buy mothballs today and i forgot, i need to get to the store tomorrow and buy some. Our cherries are ripening right now.

By law we must follow the label on the spray. What the EPA and the local states approve to be written on the labels are our requirements. The labels include a lot of information but the main ones are the rates, what crop to be used on, worker protection standards (REI and handling requirements) and Pre-Harvest Interval.

So the EPA sets the standard and each state can either accept the EPA regulations or add to them. New York likes to add to labels and force companies to jump thru more hoops before we can use sprays allowed across the rest of the US (including California ).

We also have to keep records for where we buy our sprays, where they are used, what quantity is used and at what rate, what we are spraying, pesticide license number and so on so forth. My records are kept on a program Cornell made up and those take in a lot more information (what time I sprayed, what farm, what block, what sprayer I used, wind speed and direction) but it also gives you a cost breakdown for each spraying so I know what my cost is for the various different sprays and sprayings.

We also have to get recertified every 5 years in New York and in order to do so we need to go to classes and get recertification credits. We need to accumulate so many (can't remember off the top of my head) credits in 5 years otherwise we need to take our test again. We get credits by going to coffee pot meetings at various farms and wineries thru Cornell's extension agents, taking refresher courses, attending meetings and conventions that deal with spraying. I personally enjoy going to these meetings as they are generally all informal and a lot of fun. I get to see a lot of my friends, learn something and get credits for it. The only down side is these meetings are usually in the morning during week days which is fine if you don't have an off farm job. Luckily I can take off work quite often to attend these meetings as I enjoy learning as much as I can.

 

[forgeblast]

I have used products from this company, and have been happy with the results. the payola really gets rid of japanese bettles.

Home Orchards: Grow fruit the natural way – GardensAlive.com

mostly
Payola and soap shield.
payola is Canola oil with pyrethrins-an insecticide from plants for plants
Signature Product Pyola is a broad-spectrum spray that combines pyrethrin, a long-popular insecticide derived from chrysanthemum flowers, with canola oil extracted from rapeseed. Unlike most pesticides, it controls all stages of a pest insect's life cycle, including eggs. Pyola Insect Spray:
works as a dormant or growing season spray.
destroys all stages of an insect's life cycle, from eggs to adults! That's the beauty of Pyola-tested and proven in the field. Another benefit: you don't need to spray as often as with other pest controls.
has a residual repellent effect on mites and other insects. Pyola's repellent effect lasts for days, discouraging certain insects from feeding and laying eggs on sprayed plants.
uses only plant derivatives.
does not persist for long periods in the environment.
is effective on vegetables, fruits, shrubs and shade trees. Use Pyola all season on vegetable crops such as corn, tomatoes, soybeans, melons, cucumbers, squash, cabbage, peas and potatoes. Pyola also controls pests on fruit, including apples, cherries, citrus, figs, pears, peaches, nuts, grapes, strawberries and raspberries. Use it also on shrubs and trees, as well as on houseplants.
does not contain piperonyl buttoxide.

soap shield.
Easier to use! Other copper fungicides work only on wet leaf surfaces but Soap-Shield works on both wet or dry surfaces. It won't clog your sprayer, either.

Decomposes, benefiting plants! Over time, Soap-Shield decomposes to form soluble copper and fatty acid, both necessary to the growth of plants and soil microorganisms.

Controls powdery mildew! Soap-Shield does an excellent job of controlling powdery mildew, a widespread problem on vegetables and ornamentals, without adding sulfur.

Leaves no ugly residue! Soap-Shield is a "fixed copper" fungicide. Unlike other fixed copper fungicides, Soap-Shield leaves no heavy blue coating on leaf surfaces.
More About Soap-Shield...
With Soap-Shield, you now can grow vegetables, fruits and flowers that you may have given up on because of their susceptibility to disease! Soap-Shield combines copper with a naturally-occurring fatty acid. Together they form a "true soap" with disease-fighting power. The inert ingredients are water, gums and food-grade emulsifier.
In addition, as Soap-Shield biodegrades, its components are taken up and used by growing plants and soil microorganisms. And it works without throwing off the balance of sulfur in the soil, which can damage beneficial soil microorganisms and harm beneficial insects. Other fungicides can稚 control powdery mildew without adding sulfur.
We used to think tomato plants just died naturally after ripening their fruits. But now we know that if septoria leaf spot is controlled, the tomato plants keep producing many more, large, juicy tomatoes, greatly extending the season. Soap-Shield even controls botrytis neck rot disease on onions, so our onions last longer in storage, too.
Even if you're not sure which disease is attacking your plants, Soap-Shield is worth a try.

good luck forgeblast

 

[WTA]

I try to stay organic as much as possible. Chickens in the yard, LOT'S of them too, help with the bugs while providing some fertilizer. The goats keep them pruned up high enough to mow under and my shotgun keeps the birds out pretty well. The chickens also help with that. I have a few really mean roosters that go after any strange bird in the yard.

In total we have about 40 fruit and nut trees and if they survive a late frost we always end up with more fruit than we know what to do with. There are only two problem trees here and both of them are pretty large older trees. One is a cherry and the other is a Apricot. The birds usually pick them over pretty good. I'm thinking of putting feeders under each of them for the chickens and maybe the roosters will do their job around them too. They are in the far corners of our property so the chickens don't get to them much now.

12 gauge and number 9 or 12 shot works great. Even if you don't get them all a shot or two every day will keep them from setting up permanent homes in your trees. One big apple orchard owner I knew once who gave me damage permit tags for deer all the time had a 12 gauge powered noise maker that he made himself. He also had a big commercially made propane powered one that brought back memories af the battleship I served on every hour on the hour. That thing was so loud it scared turkeys off their roost on my property 3 miles away. That was really cool I thought. My wife didn't like it though.