Is it supposed to smell like gasoline? Is that the Captan? It got very frothy. I did not wear a mask. My neighbors would call the health dept on me. It was a chilly day , so no one was outside. My ornamental pears have had leaf spot every year, so I mixed this up and had way too much and hit my backyard fruit trees and roses.
Colleen,
That spray is not really helpful. Captan is a fungicide but at a low dose in this mix. You also need to acidify the water for it. The other two ingredients are for bugs but no bugs at this time yet. So, it is like a waste of spray.
Have you read Low Impact Spray that Scott Smith wrote in the Guides category.
Spray is confusing but @mamuang is right, Scotts spray schedule has been a good jumping off point for me. I’m still learning about the adversaries in my area, how my cultivars are affected, and when to expect them. Scott goes into some pretty good detail on the why in addition to what.
We had leafminers chewing on our boxwood last week so loud I swear I could hear it. I dusted everything with Spinosad. Do you think last nights cold temps froze insects out?
I have a whole shelf stocked with Bonide products … I always seem to buy the wrong stuff. And man, the Captan one smelled like gasoline.
I really need help to devise a personal low impact spray schedule. With pictures and measurements because I am very visual girl and bad at fractions. I use a small handheld sprayer because, well I only have 8 trees and they are all tucked into my 6,000 square foot yard very close together. And this one never breaks:
This winter and spring I hit my tiny orchard with dormant 3x once mixed with copper then serenade, then I dusted everything with Spinosad. Now, Captan. I just haven’t gotten to immunex or surround yet. Those 80 degrees days threw me off. I have a few flowers now and thought I should lay off… unless you tell me to go for it.
I am also toying with the beneficial insects and have eggs being sent to me. (midges that eat aphids, assassin bugs!!! And lacewings) I have also done what I can to keep them on my property by planting their favorite flowers. I used nematodes last fall to get the grubs… I am seeing a lot less of them this spring. But it is early. The Japanese beetles last year were unbelievable!!!
It’s the Malathion that smells like petrol, not the Captan. Since you’re not opposed to spraying Captan, Malathion and Carbaryl, you may be interested in Alans spray recommendations: Spray Schedule- Synthetic Materials - Guides - Growing Fruit
Colleen,
To me, when temp is over 30 F fruit trees are fine. Once it hits 30 or lower, damage will occur depending on the stage of bud development, how cold it goes and how long it stays cold.
I don’t have peaches, nectarines, apricots or Japanese plums. The winner in my orchard this year is Euro pears. Most blooms compared to Asian pears (most have taken this year off) or apples.
Most my E pears are young about 5 years old on OHxF 87.
Of all the blooms, two varieties that look different from the rest are.
Warren, very small.
Clark,
So glad you noticed this, too. The blooms on my Abate Fetel open later than most. With the blooms not fully open, it is harder for flying insects to help with pollination.
So far, I have hand-pollinated them with a paint brush. Unfortunately, it will rain tomorrow and Monday. Bad timing.
. Thank you.