Hi Aiden, I have to applaud your ambition! Given your large numbers you will need a very efficient pest control process. My best advice from what I have gained over the last 15-20 years is mostly about insect control. Not sure what pest you face in Wisconsin, but here in Kent, Wa my most significant apple pests are coddling moth and apple maggot fly. So my spray technique is adopted to defeating those two pests. I also use the same for stone fruit and it seems to work fairly well, since my primary insecticide is Bonide. I use liquid copper during dormant season once or twice, we get a lot of rain here in winter, so I use liquid copper in the fall and several times in Feb- March prior to bud swell.
I use no chemicals on apples or stone fruit until well after blossom fall and about when fruit is the size of a quarter, I start with the following chemical spray mixture.
2 Gallons of water, dissolve about 8 Oz of Kayolin clay and mix well, once dissolved I add the Bonide Fruit spray, and a few ounce’s of 20 Mule Team borax for a surfactant. A key to dissolving the clay to prevent sprayer clogging, is to first mix it in a small amount of cold water, shake well to make a slurry, then add remaining water up to 2 gal. During the spraying keep shaking the sprayer periodically to keep the clay in solution. The key to using Kayolin clay is covering each fruit a minimum of 3 times on the first spray effort, allowing the clay and insecticide to dry on the fruit between each spray. (The importance of getting a good initial coating, especially around the fruit stem cannot be over emphasized!) This gives each piece of fruit a nice protective coating holding the chemical to kill most any grubs that arrive to feed. Also be sure to get coverage of all foliage to assure any insects residing on the tree has adequate exposure and opportunity to feed on the coating. (See note below on the life cycle of the Apple Maggot fly to understand why the coating is so critical). At either a two week interval, or immediately after any significant rainfall, repeat the spray. This is done until several weeks before fruit ripens.
When you gather the fruit, do not remove the clay coating until ready to eat or market, then wash carefully with warm, soapy water and rinse until the white sheen is removed.
Adults Apple Magog flies
The first AM adults emerge from the soil from mid-June to early July. Peak emergence occurs during mid- to late July and is usually completed by the end of August. Emergence patterns vary considerably among different geographic locations and even within a specific area, depending on the host and environmental parameters, particularly temperature, soil type, and rainfall. Female flies are black, about 5.2 mm in length, with a wingspan of about 9.3 mm. They have a pointed abdomen with four white cross bands. The males are smaller and have three cross bands on a rounded abdomen. AM wings are clear and marked with characteristic black bands. Newly emerged flies are sexually immature and spend considerable time on apple leaves feeding on honeydew excreted by aphids and other insects. The flies mature sexually 7 to 10 days after emergence and congregate on the fruit, where mating occurs. After mating, the female punctures the apple skin with her ovipositor to lay eggs. Females can lay an average of about 300 eggs over a 30-day life span.
Website on Kaolin Clay for fruit protection:
http://www.groworganicapples.com/organic-orcharding-articles/surround-kaolin-clay.php/
Carbaryl
Carbaryl. Carbaryl is an older insecticide, typically sold under the trade name Sevin which can be highly effective against codling moth when applied during periods of egg hatch. It can provide control for a longer period than other treatments, typically 14-21 days.
Good luck!
Dennis
Kent, Wa
