Monday, May 3, 2010

What a Hot Spring Weekend Does to an Apple Tree

I'm researching what to do about plum curculio and scab, two things that infested/happened to my apples last year.  I found out about horticultural oil and copper too late for this year, since they're supposed to be sprayed while the tree is dormant.

Other folks have recommended the insecticide Imidan, which I've just found out is only sold to professionals.  That may not be a bad thing, because once I go the insecticide route, it precludes being organic, and it can't be un-done after it's done (like most things in life, I guess).

What's recommended for organic folk is kaolin clay.  It has a name (Surround), but is really kitty litter ground up fine.  Same stuff.  It has to be sprayed on multiple times, and folks say it's difficult.  Cloggy.

I may give it a shot, but I'm not going to go all out for perfect apples.  Instead, I'll go for incremental improvement over last year and focus more on incorporating the chickens and new goats into the household this year.

3 comments:

  1. I still don't have any apple trees. Didn't find the ones I wanted, didn't order any, picked up a pear and blueberry that I haven't planted yet...hoping they aren't dead. Guess nothing gets done in the fruit while I'm typing, does it??
    Later ;o)

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  2. My apple tree plans skidded to a halt when I realized that it was going to be expensive to buy a tree in town ($70-$100) and have been thinking of just buying one of those funky grafted three-kinda apples on one tree trees. And haven't gone any further. I like that trees will wait for you to tend to chickens and goats.

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  3. Karen Sue - last year, I just threw stuff in the ground any old place to get it into the ground. It's OK to do that.

    Linda - I bought my trees online for like $20/$22 each. St Lawrence Nurseries has a good rep, and I bought mine from Miller Nurseries. $70-$100 each would have stopped my plans too!

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