Dormant Spray and Copper Spray

[SpudDaddy]

Is it to late to spray copper (Kocide 3000) on these trees?

Braeburn Apple Tree?

Pear Trees? Asian & European

!

Use full strength dose? - Kocide 3000 - dormant 2 Tbsp/gal?

Thanks upfront.

Spud aka Richard

[alan]

The label suggests you are too late- sprays are supposed to be done between silver and green tip and you are almost to tight cluster. The danger appears to be severe russeting, which may not be a problem for you.

[scottfsmith]

I have sprayed copper full strength at that time and did not notice any adverse affects. I was battling fireblight and wanted it on as late as I could get it, so sprayed at tight cluster. If you don’t have severe problems you need to solve I would reduce the dose a bit to be safer. These days I use lime-sulphur on my apples and spray as late as tight cluster with no problems.

[SpudDaddy]

I have lime sulfur, what dosage do you recommend - the full dose?

Thanks,

Richard

[SpudDaddy]

Thanks Alan, I have never experienced russetting - from what I read it is cosmetic?

[scottfsmith]

Yes, at least thats why I always do…

[alan]

Yes, and Scott is speaking from actual experience- labels tend to be very conservative so Soctt’s comment is invaluable. I knew he used copper later than label recs and hoped he’d chime in.

[ltilton]

So many sprays in such a short period!

What can I mix streptomycin with? Copper? Indar? Immunox?

[SpudDaddy]

Well I sprayed my apple trees today with copper Kocide 3000 and NuFilm 17. I didn’t spray my pears, ran out of time, so I guess I will take my chances. Used 1 tablespoon per gallon, hopefully I didn’t burn the buds. Thought I may have seen some pink on my Williams Pride, apple tree not sure if the Kocide will burn the buds when pick.

[growjimgrow]

I sprayed cooper with a sticker on Saturday. I only did my peaches and plums. I had sprayed all my trees with dormant oil, cooper, and sticker (way, way to much sticker) in the late fall. My plum tree has so many buds about to open! I’ve had the flowers wiped out the last three years because of late cold spells, so hopefully this will be the year.

[MikeC]

What sticker did you use? I may start using a sticker since we get so much rain at intervals to try and re-spray over and over again every day or so after the heavy spring rains.
Thank you.

[thecityman]

I was battling fireblight and wanted it on as late as I could get it, so sprayed at tight cluster.

Did you feel like spraying copper as late as the trees in @SpudDaddy 's photos gave you any help with fire blight? I sprayed copper this year before bud swell and again at the stage of the photos because I’d read that it MIGHT help with fireblight- just as you said. So did it? Thanks

[alan]

I wonder how the calculation is made that early copper MIGHT help FB, that is whether it is based on clear research that shows it sometimes helps or if it just seems like a good idea. For the home grower, FB is the most mysterious of diseases- it is supposedly all about weather conditions but I will have orchards have it one season and not the next while an orchard in the same area has it the season the other doesn’t.

[scottfsmith]

Yes, its difficult to say that something helped with fireblight. What definitely helped me was removing the highly susceptible varieties (European cider apples in particular, all very late bloomers), I know that worked because once they were gone my fireblight nightmare suddenly ended. When I had it badly I threw everything I had at it, including maximum copper with a heavy sticker.

[blueberrythrill]

I wonder how the calculation is made that early copper MIGHT help FB, that is whether it is based on clear research that shows it sometimes helps or if it just seems like a good idea

Here is some research on the efficacy of Copper to control FB from Cornell. The article also recommends that blooms be removed on first and second year trees, because they can be permanently damaged when the FB bacteria gets to the leader.

FB really is mysterious. I’m in a climate very prone to FB and I struggle with it every year. My worst case was on second and third year trees a few years ago. FB is a good reason not to grow apples, especially in a hot humid climate like mine where heavy dew or rain during the bloom period are normal.

http://nyshs.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Successful-Fire-Blight-Control-is-in-the-Details.pdf

[SpudDaddy]

I had fire blight on a tree that had never bloomed last year. It was a Williams Pride on Geneva rootstock so all fire blight resistant. I cut off the branches that had fire blight but I only cut back about 4 inches on one because that was the space to the main trunk. No idea if the tree is still infected. I bought some 5 gallon potted trees that were stressed that showed signs of fire blight after I planted them, on those I cut the recommended 12 plus inches off below the fire blight. Never had fire blight on my pears.

[growjimgrow]

I used NuFilm P. It is the organic version of NuFilm 17.

[MikeC]

Thank you. I will try to find some of the NuFilm P to use on my trees. I am trying really hard to stay with organic sprays. I have a pond and a creek running through my property and it right by my orchard. So any runoff goes into the pond and creek.

[Amy]

I saw Nu-Film P @ groworganic.com, Mike.

[MikeC]

Thank you Amy. I will go there and order some. I appreciate this very much.