Spray Schedule- Synthetic Materials

I still use some propiconazole for rots on stone fruit. I tank mix it with Captan using the 1/2 max rate of Captan (2.5 lbs. per acre). It reduces the cost of Captan alone and works better.

Remember if using Captan, unless you are certain the pH of your water is at least pH neutral, or acidic, make sure you acidify the water before the Captan is added.

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Once and Done is probably better for bugs.

How to lower PH of water? Put some Vinegar?

Thanks for that Alan,
I primarily grow Apples and Pears and not so familiar with Diseases of stone fruit.

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I use Li700 to acidify my water.
I doesn’t take much. If you live anywhere near me you can have some as I have probably a 5 year supply or more.

Do you do any dormant spray?

I don’t consider half-inch green thorough tight cluster to usually be essential, but it depends on pressure the previous season. I found out this year that I can control peach leaf curl without an additional spray if I time it just as apples show some green- when I am doing a “dormant” spray.

Private message me. I live near Ann Arbor MI.
I will be purchasing all new chemicals this winter as I have run out of Imidan Captan and Rally.
My orchard is pretty small and these chemicals usually last me 5 years or more. I am looking to reduce the total amount of chemicals I need to buy if you know what I mean.

Just about any organic acid would work. Vinegar (acetic acid) will work. I use citric acid because it’s cheaper.

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Captan is very pH sensitive, At pH of 8 half the Captan is destroyed in 10 minutes. Citric acid is probably the best for pH adjustment since it’s a powder and only a small amount is required per gallon of water. Locally you can usually find it in the food canning supplies area since citric acid is used in canning. Here is a link to an older post talking about adjusting pH for spraying Captan.

I live in NW Arkansas. Too far from you.

Too bad

Citric Acid is also cheap on Amazon. I should also mention that you should get some PH strips.
I buy the cheap ones on Ebay.

My pear trees have FB issues. I plan to spray copper at dormant time. I still have a lot of lime sulfur. I am not sure if I am OK to mix both together.

I don’t know, I believe it’s usually one or the other because they are for the same issues. I haven’t used lime sulfur ever and don’t have that much experience with copper either.

Great information!
My husband usually checks the water PH in swimming pool. I just think if I can use his tools to check PH

@alan Do you spray anything for fireblight when come conditions are conducive of meeting infection? e.g. when it rains during bloom with temperature in the seventies.

A related question, does summer/late spring pruning pose a risk of fireblight infection? I watched a couple of videos from ag extensions advertising summer pruning for inducing fruiting bud formation, but I wonder if that is recommended for areas with dry summers only.

@Ahmad
During the dormant season I spray all my Prunus and Pomes with copper hydroxide (Kocide) + surfactant (Hi Wett). Then right before bud break the Pomes get AgriMycin.

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Thanks Richard. I do the same, and I have excellent control of disease like Peach Leaf Curl. This year is my second year growing apples (some have bloomed) and I am not sure what to expect. U Conn extension newsletter recommended spraying Streptomycin a couple of weeks ago when it was wet, warm and trees in bloom (I did not, but I bagged my bloom/fruit clusters).

FB doesn’t tend to be a big problem in the many orchards I’ve managed. Over the years I’ve lost not more than 5 pear trees and never an apple- so no, I don’t spray for it. It would be extremely difficult considering the narrow window for applying anti-biotics and I do not have time.

What’s more it is entirely unpredictable as far as it moves from one orchard to another and has never been a repeated problem at a single orchard I manage. Wet, warm springs or not.

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