Fruit Tree Spray

[benjamming]

Back in Oct/Nov 2009, we planted 5 fruit trees: two apple - (1) golden/yellow delicious & (1) granny smith, (1) New (or Red?) Haven peach, (1) montmorency cherry, (1) AU-cherry plum tree (named cherry due to the red color), (2) rabbiteye blueberry bushes, & (2)semi-erect thornless blackberries. We plan on adding figs & a pomegranate tree this next winter. I need to get my chemicals together & spray them for the first time for the dormant spray. I have the Home Fruit Spray Guide ANR-50 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System from mainly Auburn University. It was published in Jun-2000. I'm a newbie when it comes to growing fruit trees.

They recommend the following:

Apples & Pears
First Dormant - Mid to late winter
5 T. Superior oil (90%) or 5 T. Suuperior oil (90%) + 4 T. Kocide 101
Kocide is said to control Alternaria leaft blotch & fireblight. Is that really necessary the 1st year? I'm having difficulty finding it locally at the feed & seed/hardware type stores. I'll try to the county co-op extension next but what say ye?

Apples & Pears
2nd Dormant - 3 weeks after First Dormant Spray
1/2 pt. Liquid Lime Sulfur or 5 T. Superior oil (90%) or 5 T. Suuperior oil (90%) + 4 T. Kocide 101
This is to protect against scale, mites, & powdery mildew plus Kocide typical stuff


Peaches & Plums
First Dormant - After all leaves drop
5 T. Superior Oil (90%) + 1.5 T. Carbamate WDG (water-dispersible granules) to protect against scale, mites. Carbamate after leaf fall for best peach leaf curl control. Why in the heck would I care what the leaves are doing since I don't eat them.

Peaches & Plums
Second Dormant - 2 weeks following first dormant
more of the same


Blackberries
First Dormant - In late winter before growth starts (bud break)
3/4 pt. liquid lime sulfur to control Anthracnose

I would like to use wettable powder as much as possible since buying water seems silly.

I've bought paraffinic oil for the Superior oil. I bought the liquid lime sulfur as well. I've also bought Captan 50WP which is called for later on during flowering & bloom. I can find Malathion liquid but not powder. However, I haven't even been able to find Benlate 50WP (wetted powder), Carbamate 76 WDG, Imidan 70WP, Dimethoate 2.67EC (emulsifiable concentrate), Syllit 65WP (for scab & frogeye leafspot on apples & pears), or Streptomycin 21WP (for fireblight on apples & pears). However, many of these are fungicides only if necessary.

Help.

 

[doitmyself]

Benjamming,

That's quite the chemical arsenal you are mounting there. I am not a fruit expert, but I do have some opinions to share based on my pesticide certification in other catagories.

MUCH has changed since that 2000 publication you have and you really should get a new one. Here's a start, but it doesn't contain all you need:

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0500-B/ Your county agent should direct you to some "cookbook" solutions and you should learn about IPM methods to reduce pesticide use.

An example of how out of date your info is: Benlate went out of production in the early 90's and/or 2001 due to formulation accidents and lawsuits. That makes me nervous about your literature sources. We use Clearys 3336 as a replacement for our crops....check the label for yours. http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/foliage/resrpts/rh_93_1.htm

Is that "paraffinic" oil you bought a true Horticultural Superior Oil? They have been improved over the old "dormant" oils.

 

[benjamming]

Thanks for the great reply. We just talked to them a couple months ago, & they mailed us the 2000 version. I knew it had to be old but figured, well the government is just slow in updating. I guess they are trying to exhaust their stock.

Are there particular temperatures for dormant treatment? I assume that applying any treatment prior to rain is a bad idea.

Benlate was withdrawn by DuPont at the end of 2001. Suprising that AU would recommend it in 2000 with the history of problems associated with it. However, on the back of the 2000 pamphlet, they do recommend IPM-8 Commerical Peach IPM, IPM-11 Commercial Apple IPM, IPM-478 Small Fruit IPM, & ANR-816 Home Applications of Fungicides which I haven't read yet.

From your link, IPM-1308 Home Orchards is what I needed to get more up to date. I'm sure that I'll be back with more questions after reading & more shopping trips.