Everyone dreams of growing fruit including peaches without spraying. For people in regions with high humidity, that is very difficult task to achieve.
Even bagging, you need to spray a combo of insecticide and fungicide a couple of times before bagging.
Bagging has been discussed many times. This is one of the threads.
I have honeybees and don’t spray. Bagging is my only option. Sprays have always resulted in massive hive loss. I use paper sandwich bags for grapes and staple them closed. I got the idea from EdibleLandscaping which is somewhat close to me. It’s worked great for grapes. I bought a couple of peaches this year and will try this method in the future. But, I don’t have any experience with peaches to recommend it. Video below of EdibleLandscaping with bagged grapes.
Everything I stated well almost everything was learned here.
Here is one article that has a chart. Each chart I have seen is a little different but agree in general. More comprehensive charts are out there, I don’t have them book marked.
web version of the same article and chart.
With copper or sulfur use tap water only! No acids.
Thanks! That chart at the end of the article was helpful.
I hate to hear about hive loss. I don’t have any hives near me, but I do try to use organic sprays and I never spray during the day or when I see pollinators out. But… Do you think spraying in the morning versus the evening is safer for the bees? I would guess evening, but I don’t know. I just know I need the bees!
One question about Infuse… the bottle says no more than 4 sprays in a season, 21 days apart each. If I started now and spaced the sprays out, I would have to stop by May. With the peaches ripening through the end of June, would I just watch for brown rot and treat if it breaks through here or there, using a different fungicide?
Not sure why there is a four-spray limit.
I rotate sprays. I spray Infuse and then 18-20 days later spray Plant Guard. So don’t use both at once, rotate and you can cover the season, I suggest keeping a log of sprays. Here is one of mine.
2018 03 17 Sprayed Kocide copper 2tbsp/gallon with Nu Film 17 sticker.
2018 04 22 Plant Guard (4tbs) can be used every 14 days 4 sprays left (Nu Film is used in all applications)
2018 05 18 Infuse (2tbs) 3 sprays left, and Fruit Tree Spray (2.5 tbs) 21 days 2 sprays left
2018 05 24 first PC strikes (plum curculio beetle)
2018 05 24 Ortho Flower, fruit, and vegetable (3 tbs) extra for trees because of bad PC. need to find something else.
2018 05 29 Plant Guard (4tbs) can be used every 14 days 3 sprays left
2018 06 06 Fruit Tree Spray (2.5 tbs) 21 days 1 spray left.
2018 06 14 Infuse (2tbs) 2 sprays left, Ortho Flower, fruit, and vegetable (3 tbs)
2018 06 28 Plant Guard (4tbs) can be used every 14 days 2 sprays left
2018 07 15 Infuse (2tbs) 1 spray left, Ortho Flower, fruit, and vegetable (3 tbs)
For dormant protection
2018 11 23 Lime-sulfur with oil
Apply 4 fl. oz. lime-sulfur plus 1 1/4 fl
. oz. dormant spray oil per gallon of water.
Most years I can quit spraying by mid-July. Last year though I needed to spray longer from heavy rains. The whole season. My last spray was in September. I have stone fruit ripening until October. Fall Fiesta pluot, Indian Free Peach, and Flavor Finale.
Before my neighbor died, he would spray his boxwoods and within a few days my hives would die. After he died, I haven’t had any significant hive loses. Honeybees have a 3 mile forage radius. I don’t think spray times matter.
Bee keeping is illegal in my suburban city Sterling Heights. Although my yard has hundreds of bees most of the season. I love it. It does limit when I can spray. I get more bees and beneficial insects every year. Unfortunately none help with brown rot except man made fungicides. It would be great to come up with a more natural solution. Although some man made pesticides are safer than many organic solutions. Shorter half lives is the biggest benefit. Copper is forever.
Just as a general comment, hive losses can be prevented by avoiding drift toward the hive, not spraying when crops are in bloom, avoiding drift on blooming weeds (this is generally done by mowing the weeds before spraying).
Everyone here in GA thinks that they can grow peaches easily because we’re called the Peach state. Every variety will need a detailed spray schedule to stop brown rot, borers, etc.
So either just say No to peaches or resign yourself to keeping a few gallons of chemicals handy to spray every few weeks.
Peaches, Plums, Apples, Cherries, Almonds, and Grapes will all need frequent interventions if you want salvageable fruit.
The only popular fruit that can get by without your help are Pears. And that’s only with specific varieties (and you will still get fireblight strikes most years).
For your piece of mind, I strongly recommend that you keep a few trees/bushes that are less care so you don’t feel so bad when you do tons of work, miss one spray, and have all your fruit rot as a result.
Try figs, blueberries, and muscadines first. Then, you will at least be assured to have some fruit as long as you can beat the birds back…
Drew: I am having a challenging time finding miller “nu film” 17. Is there an alternative?
Look here.
That’s a good price. A lifetime supply, it does not go bad.
I also use it to protect scion.
Seals them in, add copper to prevent molding, soak 5 minutes or more.
