Spraying fruit trees
- Thread starter coolbrze0
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Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Sixty views and no responses. Hopefully someone will eventually respond and talk to you about spraying.
In the meantime, you're stuck with me - and I don't spray. Many of us on this forum are into planting highly disease resistant varieties of apples and pears that don't require spraying for diseases. We can still get some insect and bug damage to the fruit, but we don't care and the deer don't care either. If I saw a very heavy infestation of something like bag worms on one of my trees that I couldn't take care of by hand - I probably would spray them. I've done that one time in the last few years - it was on a chestnut tree, and they were about to defoliate it.
If a guy is going to spray, one of the best and easiest things you can do is a dormant oil treatment in the early spring. It kills all of the overwintering insects like scale mites, etc. If you are going to grow "hippie apples" you will be spraying all year long, and this is for two reasons. First, most of those trees are like the hippies they were developed for - they can't survive without "life support." Second, the hippies demand perfection without the slightest blemish, because a slight blemish would ruin their "perfect little world." Never mind that they don't even realize they are eating poison.....
Some people grow fruit that requires "life support." I would much rather grow fruit that "supports life." The day will eventually come for every man when he will be unwilling or unable to spray fruit trees. I would like for mine to survive past that day.
I wish you the absolute best with your fruit trees and let me know if I can help in any other way......
In the meantime, you're stuck with me - and I don't spray. Many of us on this forum are into planting highly disease resistant varieties of apples and pears that don't require spraying for diseases. We can still get some insect and bug damage to the fruit, but we don't care and the deer don't care either. If I saw a very heavy infestation of something like bag worms on one of my trees that I couldn't take care of by hand - I probably would spray them. I've done that one time in the last few years - it was on a chestnut tree, and they were about to defoliate it.
If a guy is going to spray, one of the best and easiest things you can do is a dormant oil treatment in the early spring. It kills all of the overwintering insects like scale mites, etc. If you are going to grow "hippie apples" you will be spraying all year long, and this is for two reasons. First, most of those trees are like the hippies they were developed for - they can't survive without "life support." Second, the hippies demand perfection without the slightest blemish, because a slight blemish would ruin their "perfect little world." Never mind that they don't even realize they are eating poison.....
Some people grow fruit that requires "life support." I would much rather grow fruit that "supports life." The day will eventually come for every man when he will be unwilling or unable to spray fruit trees. I would like for mine to survive past that day.
I wish you the absolute best with your fruit trees and let me know if I can help in any other way......
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Hippy apples? Ha ha, thanks for motivating me on a lazy Saturday morning. Do they also dry and smoke these apples? Btw, if you ever want a change from eating apples, here in Denver, PA we have Hippie Cheese Frank's, the best hotdogs on the market.Sixty views and no responses. Hopefully someone will eventually respond and talk to you about spraying.
In the meantime, you're stuck with me - and I don't spray. Many of us on this forum are into planting highly disease resistant varieties of apples and pears that don't require spraying for diseases. We can still get some insect and bug damage to the fruit, but we don't care and the deer don't care either. If I saw a very heavy infestation of something like bag worms on one of my trees that I couldn't take care of by hand - I probably would spray them. I've done that one time in the last few years - it was on a chestnut tree, and they were about to defoliate it.
If a guy is going to spray, one of the best and easiest things you can do is a dormant oil treatment in the early spring. It kills all of the overwintering insects like scale mites, etc. If you are going to grow "hippie apples" you will be spraying all year long, and this is for two reasons. First, most of those trees are like the hippies they were developed for - they can't survive without "life support." Second, the hippies demand perfection without the slightest blemish, because a slight blemish would ruin their "perfect little world." Never mind that they don't even realize they are eating poison.....
Some people grow fruit that requires "life support." I would much rather grow fruit that "supports life." The day will eventually come for every man when he will be unwilling or unable to spray fruit trees. I would like for mine to survive past that day.
I wish you the absolute best with your fruit trees and let me know if I can help in any other way......
I second not spraying apples besides dormant oil in late winter/early spring. I will also spray for special conditions, this spring I had one tree with a gray fungus on the bottom of the trunk, I hit it with Bonide Fruit Tree spray and it cleaned it right up. I've sprayed insecticide for bad infestations of Japanese beetles as well, couldn't just stand by and watch them defoliate all my trees.
dogghr
Well-Known Member
For the deer fruit I don't prune, spray, mulch or anything. If they can't make it I don't want it. As for my Golden Del trees in my back yard that I live for, I occasionally will spray Sevin for bugs some years early July. If Sevin won't kill it then they are Zombie bugs and can't be addressed.
If you google WV or VA forestry, they have a regiment I think for spraying fruit and other type trees you might follow. Good luck.
If you google WV or VA forestry, they have a regiment I think for spraying fruit and other type trees you might follow. Good luck.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Sevin must be amazing stuff, usually a chemical gets banned or isn't effective anymore after a number of years. My dad used Sevin fifty years ago, it was invented in 1958 or so. And it's supposedly pretty safe, although I take that with a grain of salt.
dogghr
Well-Known Member
It has been around. In all fairness I used it in part as my FIL was In the research dept of Union Carbide and he swore by it and prob would have hit me w a 2x4 if I considered anything else. And since I spent my early years inhaling UC fumes being released in the predaylight hours while I delivered newspapers, I’ll be danged if I’d use another competitor.
It does kill most any invertebrates and relatively safe as far as chemicals go and cheap.
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TheOldOak
Active Member
Not much to add here. I use sevin once a year when the Japanese beetles move in, other than that, nothing. Biggest pest I deal with are the four legged kind with fluffy tales that strip the tree when apples are about half mature. For those I use an insecticide called Henry Golden Boy .22 which is quite effective if my aim is true!
Very good info, thanks guys. I have been purchasing relatively "disease resistant" trees but we'll see how that goes. I've only got 25 trees now but plan on adding 4-8 more per year. I've been using Sevin for my entire life also. Funny thing... my grandad used to put it on his dogs for ticks & fleas. I still remember him covering them w/ the white Sevin powder. Will def. get in touch w/ our local ag extension & see what they say.
We've been watching gimpy (a 3 1/2 legged bear) that was 375 lb. last year strolling through our 'new' orchard since he came out of hibernation a few months ago. He's looks to be 425 lbs now which is weird since they lose a lot of weight while hibernating but he's a good bit bigger than last year. I think he's making his rounds like a great white shark would circle a boat, just waiting to attack. Looks like I either need to get my hot fence up or pinch the remaining fruit off before he destroys my trees...
We've been watching gimpy (a 3 1/2 legged bear) that was 375 lb. last year strolling through our 'new' orchard since he came out of hibernation a few months ago. He's looks to be 425 lbs now which is weird since they lose a lot of weight while hibernating but he's a good bit bigger than last year. I think he's making his rounds like a great white shark would circle a boat, just waiting to attack. Looks like I either need to get my hot fence up or pinch the remaining fruit off before he destroys my trees...
Headdigger
Member
I'm spraying apples and peach trees with Surround this year. So far, things are looking good.
g squared 23
Well-Known Member
The active ingredient changed in the last few years to my knowledge, so who knows how many times it has actually changed. This isn’t your papa’s insecticide.
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Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
That's news to me. In what way did they change Carbaryl (1-naphthyl methylcarbamate)(Chemical formula C12H11NO2) which has been the sole active ingredient in Sevin since 1958?
dogghr
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure so much what that change might be but I do know this, if its on an invertebrate it is dead before long. And better, if it is a nesting insect, it carries it back to its kin and they bite the dust also. And if they munch on a leaf with Sevin on it, no longer will they munch.
Now I do know the coffee can full of Sevin I used to get from Union Carbide thru my FIL at one time was certainly more potent than storebought but that would be expected.
Hillfarm
Member
I use one spray for all my fruit trees I have so far. The spray is one teaspoon of neem oil and two teaspoons of Castile soap per gallon of water. I use this as a dormant oil spray before leaf out and I also use this spray to boost immunity of my "hippy dippy apples" so I can grow Honeycrisp and other harder to grow varieties. The spray helps with mites, cedar apple rust and powdery mildew. I only use this spray after the sun has set, as it can leaf burn some fruit trees. I am starting a post (as an addition to one I started this past winter) on the subject of spraying fruit trees.
