I have 3 apple trees that broke dormancy then the blooms and leaves browned and dropped off. I called the Maryland Extension service and he said “we don’t grow apples in Southern Maryland because of fire blight.” He also said that he felt it was a little early for me to have a fire blight strike. He recommended Streptomycin / Agri-Mycin, spraying it every 5-7 days. He also stated that I shouldn’t worry about my trees at this point and thinking that they will re-leaf out. I just checked and Agri-Mycin is about $50 for the smallest bag I can buy. I only have a total of 4 trees. Is there another option? What do you guys think about his suggestions? If I do use Agri-Mycin, what is the rate per gallon. The label doesn’t give that small of a dose.
Look for fert-i-lome version at your local garden centers or co-ops. It’s about $12
I use fert-i-lome plus biocide along with a sticker spreader weekly from blossom to fruitlet. Works alright, keeps it to a dull roar. I did nothing one year and lost the entire pear and apple crops. Only a few minor strikes with this regime. A container will last a season pretty easily.
Copper & streptomycin are fine and relatively inexpensive. Kocide 3000 is better copper but the cost is high for 4 trees.
https://www.amazon.com/Fertilome-Fire-Blight-Spray-10363/dp/B005XOPBCU/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1525232303&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=fertilome&dpPl=1&dpID=514IPMAAzDL&ref=plSrch
I have a bag of strep ive been using the last 2 years. It has been very dry and powdery. I pulled it out yesterday and it was a bit caked as if some humidity had entered the bag. Not really damp, but just not completely powdery anymore. My question is whether it is degraded and will be less effective. It was in a tightly closed and clipped bag but clearly not tight enough. Should have put in an airtigjt jar or ziploc.
Streptomycin is an antibiotic used to treat infections. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem. More and more bacteria are becoming antibiotic resistant due to inappropriate use. That means that some infections can no longer be treated with any antibiotics and people are dying as a result. Streptomycin is used in humans to treat tuberculosis. Spreading streptomycin in the environment will lead to streptomycin resistant bacteria. These bacteria can transfer streptomycin resistance to other bacteria, like the ones that cause tuberculosis.
Please do not use streptomycin.
Yes antibiotics are not something i use any longer for my trees and instead use just copper now. Clearly the decision to make this available to the public was unwise if they use the antibiotic in modern medicine. The antibiotic just did not work any better than copper alone anyway in my experience.