While trying to determine an appropriate insecticide application rate for a young orchard, I came across a guide listing the amount of dilute spray required for mature orchard. Midwest fruit pest management guide page 6; https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/hort/documents/id-465.pdf According to the guide For a mature semi-dwarf apple orchard it will take 185 gallons per acre to spray. It would be less with an Air Blast sprayer but, that’s a big expense. With the insect pressure here, it seems prohibitive of orchards in the 1-5 acre size that want to produce marketable fruit.
In my climate growing 1-5 acres of tree fruit with a quality level people will purchase does require a Airblast, or at least some type of tractor pulled mist blower. Might try a vertical boom on a 100 gal sprayer running at high pressure with a roller pump if the trees are not too big. Probably cost about $1000 compared to 6K-10K for small AB sprayer.
I now get by with 50 gal/acre on peaches and apples using my Airblast by turning the lower nozzles off. My 9 foot apple trees are in rows 12 feet apart and I get good coverage at 100 PSI. The peach trees are in rows 18 feet apart and it takes 150 PSI to fill the canopy. My Tree Row Volume calculates at slightly less than 100 gallons.
Another possibility for smaller trees may be spraying alternate rows. Penn State pioneered this approach for dwarf apples but I have never tried it.
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I’ve seen small airblast sprayers on Craigslist from time to time, although none are on there right now. Last year there was a nice John Bean small airblast for $2500, as I recall.
I wouldn’t be afraid of a small tank airblast. I currently use 75 gal. per acre with an airblast and could reduce that with smaller nozzle size if I wanted to.
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Missouri has a decent number of vineyards which use AirBlasts a lot, maybe sniff around there if it isn’t too far. Any ATV/UTV mounted sprayer is likely to be more expensive, in my opinion.
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As you know, I use a handgun. I manage to spray an acre of big 100 year old apples trees with under 75 gallons, and get full protection. When tree care companies spray a stand like this they’d use over 150, partially because they have twice as much power pushing their spray.
Yesterday I sprayed 50 mature apple, cherry and plum trees with over 15’ spreads with 30 gallons of spray. I’m not sure how much area that was, the spacing is crazy, but that’s how little material I need to cover a mature apple tree. The apples are pyramid shaped with two tiers, the first starting above the browse line.
Are you using the full label application rate on the Acre of standards? How do you calculate application rates on all the different plantings you manage?
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I divide the acreage number in half to calculate my per 100 gallon number and end up with a bit hot of a mix, but using considerably less material per acre than what is legal and standard practice. I don’t know if the gun gets more material on the tree than a mist blower, or what, but I get thorough coverage and spray until it starts to drip.
It takes me over an hour to spray an acre but would be quicker if I used a larger tank. Most of the orchards I manage are considerably less than an acre and require less than even 25 gallons to spray, a lot less.
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Chemicals seem to be labeled for an Acre of standard, Mature apple or pear trees. Which is stupid because, large plantings of standard trees are rare. You are lucky to manage it as a benchmark to judge other applications by.
The dilute volume guildlines in MFPMG may not workout in real life but, do seem helpful to determine reasonable dilution rates per gallon for small / young plantings. According to the guide, a acre of standards takes 300 gallons minimum. Let me know if this is in the ballpark of what’s reasonable to spray apples with:
Captan 80WDG 5lbs per Acre / 300 gallons = .27 oz / Gal
Mancozeb 75DF 3lbs per Acre / 300 gallons= .15 oz / Gal
Imidan 70w 5.3 lbs per Acre / 300 Gallons = .28 oz / Gal
Assail 30SG 8 oz per Acre / 300 Gallons =.027oz / Gal
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