So, I am looking for a general answer about my spray schedule. I sprayed my apples and cherries with Spinosad and Surround for my 2nd time, and have to go out of town for an extended time. I want to spray again before I leave, but the day I leave is 9 days after the last spray. I know I can do just the Surround, but - can I do the Spinosad? Label says 10 days. Would you spray both or just the one and hope for the best until I return and spray (which will then be 18 days if weather cooperates)? Anyone willing to share experiences or thoughts? Thanks!
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I spray spinosad every 8-10 days without much regard to a consistent interval. But I live in Utah with little summer rain, though UV can break it down I would suspect. I had 10-15% codling moth loss last year, which I’d call success.
With codling moth there are hatching generations so you can pause spraying between them and restart again later, which might impact your timing. It will obviously be different in your area but here’s an example:
At least for my cherries, they ripen in about a one month window so I only need two to three sprays before harvest depending on how hot it has been and how fast they ripen.
The bottle does say to not spray within 7 days of harvest so that’s another timing consideration. I haven’t researched why but presumably it’s about not eating the residue.
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I think you have enough wiggle room that you can spray a little early - the real world is just not as precise as the label world. It pays to stay as close to the label as you can, but you can bet there’s some safety margin built in. And the label cannot account for every variable.
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