Fertilizer and spray spending amounts

[Barndog56]

I'm cheap, because I'm poor, so do my best to find inexpensive ways to fertilize and protect my apples, vegetables, and dahlia field. That means using things like my own compost and comfrey tea, and trying to attract beneficial insects.

There is one company, Advancing Eco Agriculture, that's big into regenerative farming, that is creating sprays to fight insects and diseases by making your plants and your microbiome healthier. I have used a couple of their products, including one that prevents apple scab, and they seem to work well. Of course it's not cheap. Especially if I were to send in plant tissue samples and have them tailor a program for me.

They do have standard, baseline programs for several different crops. It looks like their program for apple trees would run around $1,000 for my 150 trees. I wouldn't consider that at all if my trees were just for deer apples, but my trees will be counted on for some added retirement income in 7-12 years from now. This does look like it's the first year I'll be harvesting enough to sell. But not enough to cover that $1k price tag yet.


Just wondering if that's a crazy amount to spend on this sort of thing?

 

[homerj]

$1K annually?

 

[Catscratch]

I have no clue what prices are appropriate for a commercial orchard, but I'm interested in what people tell ya.

Is their program "organic"? That might let you command a better price for the apples.

 

[Barndog56]

Yes, $1k would cover the standard apple program for a year, although there would be no doubt be some leftovers of some of the 7 products for the next year.

That comes out to $6.67 per tree.

Yes, it's all organic.

 

[homerj]

$1K a year for $.40/lb roadside stand apples seems a bit much. Maybe you've already done the math.

 

[Barndog56]

If all I can get for apples this fall is $.40/lb I won't even be picking them, let alone spraying them.

 

[homerj]

If all I can get for apples this fall is $.40/lb I won't even be picking them, let alone spraying them.

How much do you expect to sell them for per lb.?

 

[Catscratch]

Going to sell them as apples, or maybe make some jellies/sauce/cider?

 

[bigboreblr]

$2 a pound in ny is not unreasonable.

Walmart has mulch on clearance $1 a 2 cu ft bag. Bought 60.

Tax write-offs..........

 

[H20fwler]

At our county fairgrounds people board horses year round. They put the stall cleanings in a concrete three sided compost area. Free to public.
Lots of locals fill small wagons or trucks with it and use it for gardens and trees.
Road apples are great fertilizer.

They do the same with the livestock barn cleanings after the fair

That’s about as natural and organic as you can get.

 

[bigboreblr]

Treating scab is $$$$, cedar apple rust is much cheaper to handle. Seems the ones that get scab are more desired varieties. Got to sell well known ones, and give away an extra apple or two of the modern varieties. This way they know the taste of them. Folks want what they know.

Somewhat decent market selling 2nds.

Fertilizer.... Buy a soil sampling tool. Whats 2 feet down is what apple trees are getting, espcially orchards w/o irrigation. IT cheap if you apply what you need.

1 part triple 15 1 part 6-24-24 1 part potash comes out pretty close to orchard maintainence ratios. Spreading potash in the fall helps too.

Cleaning under the trees reduces scab issues and amounts.

Late bearing trees are usually poor sellers at roadside stands, unless ou put them in cold storage. When granny smith is ripe, almost nobody goes to a produce stand alongside the road.

Modern organic farming needs more equipment. manure spreader and a duster. Some organic pest treatments use dust based natural chemicals.

M111's are about 110 trees an acre.

 

[homerj]

Captan is cheap and deals with scab quite effectively.

 

[bigboreblr]

Organic for you, or for the market selling prices? Some of that organic stuff is more toxic and dangerous than traditional stuff like malathion.

90% of my trees are not bothered by scab. Only exceptions were varieties my wife particularly likes.granny smith, mcintosh, empire, and arkansas black. Arkansas black is a pretty good southern tree, I got it for the scion exchange mostly.

Scab is cosmetic to some tree varieties, a few get damaged more than that. For me, apple trees are 90% baking, applesauce, and cider. Wont notice it there.........