For about three years CAR heavily infested my apple tree leaves (crabapple, goldrush, winter banana). For the last two years I have had only a few spots that seem like an acceptable level. The drop in CAR coincided with my treatment and I’m hoping that it is to a manageable level. All of this is leading up to my question. Can treating my trees decrease the original source of infection. My neighbors yard has two cedar trees near the property line and for the last to years I haven’t seen any of those orange things that apparently are the infection source? Thanks, Bill
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I wouldn’t think so Bill, but I really don’t know. I just grafted winter banana to be later used as a interstem for adding pears to my apple frankentree. I wasn’t aware (until you mentioned it) of it’s extreme susceptibility to CAR.
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The disease needs both apples and cedars in alternation, so if there are no apples it can infect the disease will die from the cedars. So, your observation makes sense.
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My winter banana was also intended to be used for an interstem on my pear trees. It turned out to be a pretty good eating apple as well. I’m planning on adding WB limbs just for fruit. Good luck on your cross grafting. I have a few that are doing well. Bill
Thanks Scott
Just like Bill did a few years ago, this year I have pretty aggressively sprayed my apple trees for CAR. I did a dormant copper (w/oil) and then sprayed them with copper, myclo, and captan right before full bloom and again right after, and then a third time about 10 days later, and a 4th time about 2 weeks after that.
The results have been outstanding. This is the first year my apple trees were all large enough to make it worthwhile to aggressively spray for CAR. Its certainly hit my apple trees most years in the past but with only about 15 apples per tree I just took the hit rather than do all the spraying. This year my trees are all larger and have several dozen apples per tree.
Anyway, here is my question. For the first time ever all my apples on all my trees look great, as do the leaves on all the trees. From what I read, you only have to spray for Car a few times early in the season. What I want to know is whether or not it is now safe for me to stop spraying my fungucides for CAR and go to only spraying for bugs? I.E. how do I know when the CAR danger time has passed? My cedar trees certainly do have the orange balls but they appear to all be dried and not the jelly stage, but they have looked like that almost since my first spray this year, so the ones I’m seeing could be from last year or I’m not checking the right cedar trees.
Again, I just want to know how to tell when its safe to not spray for CAR in a given year. Its been about a month since apple bloom.
First time to use Myclo spray. For a few years my favorite crabapple tree has CAR and I think it has started hindering the health of the tree and fruit. By this time each year the tree had a pretty good infection. The label indicated that I should spray at loose cluster and again about 2-3 weeks later. I applied the spray at loose cluster on the crab and on my Goldrush that only had buds swelling. I only sprayed the one time and the apples are now about .5-.75". As of now the crab has no CAR and the Goldrush has only a few spots. This is a small test but it might only take a one time spray at loose cluster with no open blooms.
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Is CAR preventable if sprayed for in the fall? Or do I need to wait till spring?
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Let me start by saying my knowledge is very limited about CAR sprays and prevention. In fact it probably could be just my opinions. It appears that Myclo spray is systemic but I doubt it would last from now until the infection period in several months (not verified but would be nice). My guess is that it is designed to be out of the tree/fruit system by harvest time (opinion). My one spray last year at loose cluster resulted in no CAR observed on the leaves. I did a follow up yesterday. Small sample size but the tree sprayed at loose cluster had no CAR and the one other tree sprayed before loose cluster did well but had a small amount of CAR. I will stop with those comments and hopefully someone with more experience than I do adds more accurate information.
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What is “loose cluster?”
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I think this googled picture explains the stages better. I sprayed between these two stages. What I was calling loose cluster is described as pink stage. Hope this helps.
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@Susu .
Quote (" Is CAR preventable if sprayed for in the fall? Or do I need to wait till spring?")
The spores from the juniper are only released in the spring
~ May, so if you are going to spray ,it should be timed to cover apple tree leafs early , to protect them as they emerge and develop . Fall would not be the time to spray.
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Hey Susu,
I’m planning on spraying for CAR next season also. From all I’ve read, we need to spray in the spring like others have said. I’ll let you know when I spray next spring and you do the same for me, maybe we will get it right this year.
Hope all is well.
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Do you spray immunox or something organic?
I don’t want to do immunox but for next year I’d rather have non organic fruit than no fruit at all.
Yes, I’m going to spray immunox. I feel the same way, and have said before, I have not been able to get organic apples. Maybe I can try again in the future…maybe? Between the CAR and bitter rot, I have not gotten good apples yet.
Don’t give up Susu, we can do this!
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Some of my apple varieties appear to be resistant to CAR. I haven’t sprayed these and mostly consider them to be organically grown. Liberty, Enterprise, Red Rebel, Empire, Mollie, Carolina Red June are a few that have done well at my place. I bag my fruit so insects damage is minimal.
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Thanks for that list. I have Liberty, and more red cedars than can be counted. Will start looking into the others.
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