Spraying apple trees now (September)

[James P. Bipps]

2 questions. When do you stop spraying your apple trees for the year?

I use a mix of Captan and Imidan. I forgot to empty it out of my sprayer the last time I sprayed. Would it still be okay to use this year?

Thanks.

 

[Charman03]

I don’t have any apples yet so I haven’t sprayed at all lately once I took care of the Japanese beetles.

 

[James P. Bipps]

Is anyone still spraying or is everyone done spraying for the year?

 

[Jhoss]

I’m thinking one last fungicide (Captan) for my late late ones, Goldrush Sundance, GrannieSmith, Oxford Black. Already seeing some SootyBlotch on ripe ones coming in...meaning someone’s been shirking spraying duties...

 

[OhioJeremy]

IMO, really depends on your insect pressure. In my orchard I am catching Codling Moths and have applied another cover spray for the fruit not yet ready for harvest. on my new planted trees I had an Aphid issue a few weeks ago and sprayed Malathion to control them. So yes, i am still spraying. While walking the orchard tonight I also noticed I had tent catapillar's in one of my Pecan trees so I will probably spray that tree tomorrow.

 

[MojoRisin]

I hope nobody minds if I piggyback in here with a related question. I am still very new to fruit trees.

Does one need a do a fall dormant spray after the leaves drop or is a later winter/early spring dormant spray sufficient?

 

[Charman03]

I’m thinking one last fungicide (Captan) for my late late ones, Goldrush Sundance, GrannieSmith, Oxford Black. Already seeing some SootyBlotch on ripe ones coming in...meaning someone’s been shirking spraying duties...

Jhoss, your apples have looked incredible. If you get a chance I’d love to get an idea of your spraying regimen throughout the season.

 

[Jhoss]

Jhoss, your apples have looked incredible. If you get a chance I’d love to get an idea of your spraying regimen throughout the season.

Hi Char - Thanks for noticing! I've tried no spray for a couple of years but this renders all fruit completely useless. My OCD will not allow for wormy, scabby, misshapened apples.

It all starts in late March around here in SE Mich. As soon as night time temps stay above freezing dormant oil goes on. In some years I've done this 3 times before leaves pop which is first of May. Most years, one spray of dormant oil.
Then it is all-stop until petal fall when Captan and Imidan go on...and then repeat every week to ten days to 2 weeks depending on rain. Heavy rain?...spray again. Now the early apples I quit spraying a month or so ahead of them coming ripe in mid August. I haven't sprayed anything since July 7th. I get some damage still...sawfly, PC and Codling moth, but the loss is negligible...painful to see but negligible in the overall picture. Right now, I am regretting letting up on the spray as I see sootyblotch and flyspec coming on. We've had rain everyday for about the last 2 weeks and in these humid conditions these two fungi hit their stride and although cosmetic - it's gross and nobody will go near the fruit.

 

[MojoRisin]

Hi Char - Thanks for noticing! I've tried no spray for a couple of years but this renders all fruit completely useless. My OCD will not allow for wormy, scabby, misshapened apples.

It all starts in late March around here in SE Mich. As soon as night time temps stay above freezing dormant oil goes on. In some years I've done this 3 times before leaves pop which is first of May. Most years, one spray of dormant oil.
Then it is all-stop until petal fall when Captan and Imidan go on...and then repeat every week to ten days to 2 weeks depending on rain. Heavy rain?...spray again. Now the early apples I quit spraying a month or so ahead of them coming ripe in mid August. I haven't sprayed anything since July 7th. I get some damage still...sawfly, PC and Codling moth, but the loss is negligible...painful to see but negligible in the overall picture. Right now, I am regretting letting up on the spray as I see sootyblotch and flyspec coming on. We've had rain everyday for about the last 2 weeks and in these humid conditions these two fungi hit their stride and although cosmetic - it's gross and nobody will go near the fruit.

How late into the year will you continue to spray? My trees are young with no apples.

 

[Jhoss]

How late into the year will you continue to spray? My trees are young with no apples.

I try to be done a good month before expected harvest so you gotta know your ripen or harvest timeframes. The instructions on the insecticides and fungicides suggest a time span between last spray and harvest....like liquid 7, I believe is seven days. I try to double or triple that depending on the threat. I think I could be by now with just fungicide (Captan) as the damage done by insects is earlier on...petal fall on. I just read where somebody is catching codling moth now. This is scary as they can do horrible damage. Maybe I will hit it with another Captan+Imidan dose. I just dont know and Im leaving town for a full week, sunday thru Saturday..I would hate to come back to a mess. I'm lucky enough to be able to stroll thru the trees pretty much everyday and I look for signs or changes. Just last night I was out into darkness thinning and "may-poling" some branches that would probably be broken during my trip...already lost a branch off a Honeycrisp that I guess I just missed during a previous thinning session. This is not a huge deal but preventable..damn it..just triggered my OCD.

 

[OhioJeremy]

I try to be done a good month before expected harvest so you gotta know your ripen or harvest timeframes. The instructions on the insecticides and fungicides suggest a time span between last spray and harvest....like liquid 7, I believe is seven days. I try to double or triple that depending on the threat. I think I could be by now with just fungicide (Captan) as the damage done by insects is earlier on...petal fall on. I just read where somebody is catching codling moth now. This is scary as they can do horrible damage. Maybe I will hit it with another Captan+Imidan dose. I just dont know and Im leaving town for a full week, sunday thru Saturday..I would hate to come back to a mess. I'm lucky enough to be able to stroll thru the trees pretty much everyday and I look for signs or changes. Just last night I was out into darkness thinning and "may-poling" some branches that would probably be broken during my trip...already lost a branch off a Honeycrisp that I guess I just missed during a previous thinning session. This is not a huge deal but preventable..damn it..just triggered my OCD.

I am not too far away from you, my property is near the Mi/Oh border just outside of Toledo. A week ago, I wen't out at dusk and saw a few Codling Moth's on some apples. I set a trap at each tree and had 3 or 4 moths in each trap the next day. Haven't seen any since. the damage thus far seems to be minimal. It was so dry here June and July that Apple Maggot's never came into my orchard, thank god.

 

[Charman03]

Hi Char - Thanks for noticing! I've tried no spray for a couple of years but this renders all fruit completely useless. My OCD will not allow for wormy, scabby, misshapened apples.

It all starts in late March around here in SE Mich. As soon as night time temps stay above freezing dormant oil goes on. In some years I've done this 3 times before leaves pop which is first of May. Most years, one spray of dormant oil.
Then it is all-stop until petal fall when Captan and Imidan go on...and then repeat every week to ten days to 2 weeks depending on rain. Heavy rain?...spray again. Now the early apples I quit spraying a month or so ahead of them coming ripe in mid August. I haven't sprayed anything since July 7th. I get some damage still...sawfly, PC and Codling moth, but the loss is negligible...painful to see but negligible in the overall picture. Right now, I am regretting letting up on the spray as I see sootyblotch and flyspec coming on. We've had rain everyday for about the last 2 weeks and in these humid conditions these two fungi hit their stride and although cosmetic - it's gross and nobody will go near the fruit.

Bump for bows

 

[roymunson]

just posting to be tagged on this for spraying purposes next spring

 

[CrazyEd]

Where is a good place to buy captan + imidan?

 

[Jhoss]

Keystone pest is where I bought mine many years ago. I hear now there is like a 75 dollar up charge for hazmat protections on the Imidan. This screams for a group buy. I’m probably good for 2019 but would participate/hate to lose out on a good deal. One buy and your set for years-at least I was/am.

 

[Charman03]

There’s a place on eBay that sells the imidan out of Florida. Sunshine garden or something similar. Great price on 5 lbs. I only needed a pound and she hooked me right up.

As for captan, I’m still using the bonide captan stuff you can find anywhere off the shelf. There’s a place in Shippensburg Pennsylvania that’s only 30 minutes from me where you can but straight captan.

 

[Charman03]

It’s still available on eBay just search imidan 70w. Gloria’s garden