Captan on Pears?

ok, so how would that translate to the gallon? I guess I’ll have to determine the weight per tbsp. or something and do the math. I wish I had a sensitive scale I could weigh it on.

I think about one rounded teaspoon per gal.

Apple,

As a general rule WDGs and WPs don’t follow the old rule, “Pint a pound the world around.” That rule works pretty well for most liquids which are close in density to water, but dry pesticides are much “fluffier” than liquids. As I recall, it takes about 1.5 times more Captan by volume to equal the same weight as water (I measured it once, but don’t hold me to that ratio. I’m going from memory here.)

For some commercial WDG and WP pesticides, they give you a free plastic measuring cup to measure their pesticide (It’s really not free when you consider how much the pesticide costs). I think this is becoming more common practice because it’s harder to measure with a scale than with a see through cup. I have some of the see through cups for dry pesticides but made my own see through cup for measuring liquids.

When I first starting spraying, I purchased a digital “mail” scale to weigh small amounts of pesticides. I think you can get them pretty cheap. I bought mine through some police confiscation website auction. They had tons of these little scales they’d confiscated from drug dealers presumably. They sold fairly cheap. I researched a bit and tried to get a good one. I think it was something like 80 bucks new and I think I bought it for something like $20. This was quite a few years ago, so I don’t know if the police auction still exists, but if it does it might be cheaper than Ebay, since they constantly had lots of these scales for sale.

The scale is also nice for weighing mail to know whether it needs an extra stamp. As a bonus, I’ll already have the equipment if I ever want to go into drug dealing (just kidding). :smiley:

Olpea, you mention an early aspplication of Captan to control scab in your peaches. Would that be before petal fall or immediately after? I have young peaches in my orchard and I am always interested in staying ahead of any diseases.
I will be using Captan this year after petal fall to control sooty spotch and fly speck. By the way do you have a source for Oldmixon?

Tuff,

I don’t spray anything anymore on peaches before shucks off. Peach scab really starts after shucks off. The shuck pretty much protects the peach from insects and diseases. Some recommendations call for fungicide applications at pink or bloom, but this is for blossom blast, which I don’t see very often. There is a thought that a fungicide application at petal fall will minimize release of scab spores from infected twigs, but so far I’ve found it’s not necessary.

Vintage Virgina apples sells Oldmixon free. I think the Arboreum Company offers it for sale some years. I don’t grow Oldmixon free, I think are some on this forum who do. I bet if you gave a shout out, you could probably get some wood next year. Even if you don’t have any rootstocks, you can always graft your the scionwood to one of your existing peach trees until you get some rootstocks going.

That’s what I did this year. A friend sent me some pear wood I wanted to try, but I don’t have any pear rootstocks. I grafted the scionwood to a couple different mature pear trees as a repository for the wood so I can graft the wood to some pear rootstocks I hope to grow from seed.

Just out of pure curiousity…what was the pear variety?

Yes, sniff, you weren’t interested in any of my pear varieties last year (smiley face).

Apple,

It was Harvest Queen. It was a blight resistant pear put out by the Harrow breeding station in Ontario.

:smile: Alan, I don’t know if you’ve tried that one or not. I’ve always wanted to try it ever since (years ago) the Fluffy Bunny said it was the best tree ripened Euro pear he’s tried on the Nafex forum (I don’t even know if that forum exists anymore.) Some other Nafexers also said Harvest Queen didn’t get the credit it deserved. I recall someone (can’t remember who) said everyone always wants to plant another Ontario pear (Harrow Delight) but they claimed Harvest Queen was better. That always stuck in my mind because I had Harrow Delight but not Harvest Queen.

I’ve got a couple Bartlett pears which lost a lot of wood last year to fireblight, so I need to replace them with something. I put the scions on top of the Bartletts for safe keeping, until I can get some rootstocks growing. In reality, it’s probably not the safest place to store pear scionwood. If the Bartletts succumb to fireblight this season, I will have lost my scionwood, but I’m hoping both won’t die the same season.

I occasionally slip over to the GW forum just to see if there is anything interesting going on over there. Not much happening over there but I did notice last week the Fluffy Bunny was posting some over there. That was a surprise. I also noticed Bill Fleming from Montana State Univ. had a few posts over there. Wish they were posting over here.

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Olpea,I’ve never tried it and when Fluff raved about it I thought he was talking about Atlantic Queen and probably made a comment about how over rated “it” is. Its description sounds like a great sub for Bartlett. I almost posted a duplicate comment but decided to look it up first after all the endorsements you listed sunk in.

I should invite my former enemy now good on-line friend over to this forum. I sent him some wood this year and he sent me a $20 gift certificate to Walmart in appreciation. I don’t know if there was some joke in that because he probably realizes that we East Coast liberals shop at Cosco for our bargains. They pay their help much better.

I realize this is an A - B conversation but as a C listener I find this humorous and I don’t even know who the person in question is. :grinning:

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Appleseed, I just invited him to our forum. If he joins he will be noticed.

Olpea, I started a new topic/thread in regard to Harvest Queen among other Harrow Pears.

the fluffy one

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Alan,

I really,really pondered long and hard about that gift card. Originally I thought some type of food,but had no idea as to your taste.then I thought gas station but I had no idea what chains were in your area.So I figured Walmart was everywhere. Actually before that I thought about getting you autographed pictures of the Koch brothers but…

fluffy

Fluffy, I’d like to hear your opinion on Potomac. I’m growing it and it may fruit this year. I’ve read all sorts of mixed reviews on it.

:anguished: Koch Brothers?

My woman likes Potomac. It is an Anjou class pear, and she likes Anjou. It is very, very fireblight resistant and of exceedingly high quality. I am just not an Anjou fan so I use it as a base for a multi-graft tree. Mine is on OHxF 282 and I have had it about 15 years. Either Rocky Meadow screwed up on the rootstock (unlikely) or the darn thing is very, very,very vigorous. Basedon what folks have told me it is vigorous and out grows any thing else. I can keep my pears on 333 at 8 feet easy,this thing I have had trouble keeping it at 20 feet. It has a very vertical habit and even fall prunings sends up watersprouts.

Looks wise,it is an ugly pear,but then I think all Anjou pears look like hobbit pears:dumpy little squat unattractive things.

That being stated if I wanted to grow Anjou type pears for market this would be it, as it has a great taste for a Anjou type and is ever so fireblight resistant. Also it has a biennial tendency at least here and I never have heard other people mention that.

IMO, it would make a nice shade tree if you wanted an integrated landscape.

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Wow, mine is on either Quince or perhaps seedling rootstock and is growing glacially slow with a red Bartlett right next to it and planted at the same time going gangbusters.

Glad to hear you think it’s flavorful, I’d read some poor reviews on taste.

Fluffy, I was just kidding, but a signed portrait of the Koch bros would certainly be a huge score. For my son’s generation, irony is the north star of humor. He could mount the portrait in his Brooklyn apt (by mount, I mean hang on a wall). Next time you are having them over for dinner, you could get that for me.

My three favorite pears are Harrow Sweet, Sheldon and Duchess, all late ripening for pears. On good years Sheldon and Duchess rival Comice. Harrow Sweet is more reliable than either, about as good, a bit sweeter, and less fussy about picking time as it can even be ripened on the tree.

That Harrow Delight drops hardly seems a problem because by the time one does you best pick the rest. I just don’t like summer pears- and not just because they are not as richly aromatic as later varieties. No room left for fruit after eating nectarines, peaches, plums, etc. but having amazing pears through fall into winter is wonderful.

Apple,

This is all written “tongue in cheek”. I don’t want to take this thread into controversy, but if you google Koch brothers political activity, I think you’ll understand the joke b/t Fluff and Alan.

hahaha…I’m very familiar with the Koch brothers Olpea. I’m not lost on this humour at all.