Need advice on Spray selection

[OhioJeremy]

Hello,
I found this forum yesterday and was excited to see all the information posted by others. I have a small orchard 60+ trees all on my home property which is just over 3 acres. I've been nervous about using aggressive sprays like Imidan or Avaunt at petal fall for a couple of reasons. 1st, my home is also on the 3 acres that the orchard is growing on, so how safe is it for kids and pets to be out in the orchard after a day of spraying? 2nd, my neighbors, also have a dozen or so fruit trees that they don't prune or spray. They also have bees which they are 100% AGAINST any sprays because of their bee's. I"ve been a respectful neighbor for the past several years regarding their bees but I am at the point where I really hate burning thousands of pounds of wormed filled fruit every season. I sprayed Bonide Fruit Tree Spray at petal fall this year mixed in with Kaolin Clay. The clay helped deter some insects but on some of the trees where the rain washed away the clay I have Coding Moth and Plum Curculio damage.Last summer I also had issues with Apple Maggot. Needless to say I am disappointed once again this year. Some of the fruit is untouched so it isn't a total loss yet but I'd say about 60% or more is damaged. One of my concerns also is, since my neighbors don't do anything with their trees, am I at risk for those insects to come in and destroy my fruit even if I use a more aggressive spray?

I am tired of burning tons of bad fruit and want to spray something where I can still enjoy my property where my home is on? Thoughts?

 

[Charman03]

I was hesitant about imidan as well at my home orchard for same reasons as you. I think if you spray small scale and are smart about drift etc you will be fine. Try to keep the kids out for a day to be safe. Using a hand held tank sprayer is easier controlled than a big commercial orchard sprayer.

 

[Jhoss]

So another member to the "No Spray - No Apples" club...welcome. I tried and tried to aggressively limit the amount of insecticide but like you and seeing the waste, and then again, seeing what guys on this forum can produce (and how they produce it), that being, pristine blemish free fruit, I sucked it up, got out the credit card (yeah, buying Bonide off the shelf is great but the stuff is ineffectual) and ordered Imidan WP and Captan WP. I totally agree with Charman, be sensible - spray after petal fall to protect the bees - and churn out good fruit.

 

[OhioJeremy]

So another member to the "No Spray - No Apples" club...welcome. I tried and tried to aggressively limit the amount of insecticide but like you and seeing the waste, and then again, seeing what guys on this forum can produce (and how they produce it), that being, pristine blemish free fruit, I sucked it up, got out the credit card (yeah, buying Bonide off the shelf is great but the stuff is ineffectual) and ordered Imidan WP and Captan WP. I totally agree with Charman, be sensible - spray after petal fall to protect the bees - and churn out good fruit.
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one thing about the insecticides like Imidan or Avaunt is how to measure the correct amount for a small portable sprayer or larger 30+ gallon sprayer. I've seen the 1lb bags of Imidan on eBay and also mentioned here but how much are you actually using for a small orchard?

 

[Charman03]

I believe you can open those water soluble 1 lb bags and just mix 2 tablespoons per gallon I think it is. Obviously take precautions when opening the bag and handling the powder

 

[Prof.Kent]

Using Imidan: buy and wear a Tyvek suit while spraying, or at least long sleeved shirt and pants. Wash your clothes immediately after spraying and take a shower. Wear gloves. Getting it on your hands is where you potentially will get the most skin contact (see below). Buy a good LONG sprayer wand so your face isn't close to the spray. Wind drift gets you eventually. Wear glasses/goggles and a large brim hat. Or you can wear a face shield. I wouldn't wear a backpack type sprayer. If they leak you get covered with poison. Avoid skin contact! Spray before and after petals. Bees are our friends.
Keep the kids out of the orchard for 24 hours after spraying if they like rolling around in the grass.

I use a 15 gallon spray tank mounted on my golf cart (with a 50 ft hose) for spraying. You can use a quad or a lawn mower too. I use an 80" wand. When the trees get tall it helps! In this demonstration video I'm not wearing a Tyvek suit. (But I'm not planning on having any more children. :-)

Here is my sprayer setup:
1) 15 gal. tank
2) 12V electric 2.1 GPM pump
3) 50' hose on retractable reel with quick disconnect fittings
4) Fimco model 5163117 80" Telescopic Sprayer Wand
5) Disposable Nitrile Black Mamba gloves (50 Pair 3XL for $20)

 

[Cap'n]

No mater what chemical you chose to use, read the label. It will tell you everything you need to know. Re-entry time, rate per acre / rate per 100 gal, whether or not it controls your target insect or disease. It's all on the label. PPE, check out the PPE section, and all the restrictions. Chemicals are not "poison" when the label is followed.
I like the set up in the video but that nozzle choice is terrible. That fine mist is going to drift all over everything and everyone , it's almost a fogger. I've sprayed trees for 30 + years commercially and I can tell you it's much safer to use an adjustable nozzle that could go from fine to a large droplet. The larger the droplet the less drift and the less chance the spray mix will get on you or anywhere that is shouldn't be. Wind direction and speed isn't a constant. Be prepared for the worst. Adjust your nozzle to hit the target and only the target.
And never spray when bees are foraging.
Read the Label, if you don't understand it contact the manufacturer. They can put you in touch with someone that can help you out.

 

[Prof.Kent]

No mater what chemical you chose to use, read the label. It will tell you everything you need to know. Re-entry time, rate per acre / rate per 100 gal, whether or not it controls your target insect or disease. It's all on the label. PPE, check out the PPE section, and all the restrictions. Chemicals are not "poison" when the label is followed.
I like the set up in the video but that nozzle choice is terrible. That fine mist is going to drift all over everything and everyone , it's almost a fogger. I've sprayed trees for 30 + years commercially and I can tell you it's much safer to use an adjustable nozzle that could go from fine to a large droplet. The larger the droplet the less drift and the less chance the spray mix will get on you or anywhere that is shouldn't be. Wind direction and speed isn't a constant. Be prepared for the worst. Adjust your nozzle to hit the target and only the target.
And never spray when bees are foraging.
Read the Label, if you don't understand it contact the manufacturer. They can put you in touch with someone that can help you out.

All good advice. The spray nozzle is adjustable. I use more of a fine spray when there's no wind and larger droplets when the wind is wrong.

 

[Don'tWorryIHuggedItFirst]

You can also limit your spraying to early morning and evenings when bees are not active.

 

[Jhoss]

Google "Imidan WP mix rate per gallon" then pick the first response from University of Kentucky. On Page 2, Imidan WP 70, 2.5 teaspoons per gallon. Note that 3 teaspoons equals 1 Tablespoon so pretty close there to 1 Tablespoon per gallon.

 

[SmallChunk]

I got ripped on here for spraying captan and Imidan at first pink. Was I wrong to do this?

 

[Jhoss]

I got ripped on here for spraying captan and Imidan at first pink. Was I wrong to do this?

I think the popular theme here is no insecticide until petal fall, Imidan being insecticide = shame shame.

 

[SmallChunk]

I searched everywhere on here for what to spray and when before I sprayed. Everyone said to spray at first pink, 90% petal fall and every ten days after. Just curious about the ten or so other guys that do it this way. I will say this, my trees have never looked better than they do with these sprays!