This my first time to use surround and I know that coverage must be constant but with all the spraying looks like any additional items added to the spray would be a time saver. Do any of you add to your surround spray? If you use additives why or for what purpose? Any input is welcome even if your not sure why your adding things. Assuming my fruit survives the predicted 25F my spaying of surround will start soon. Thanks in advance, Bill
Just piggy-backing here, but is it a good idea to add a sticker such as Pinene to Surround?
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Thanks. I have never used a sticker before but I am going to look over my local Walmart and Home Depot to see if they carry a sticker.
Here’s the label. http://www.cdms.net/ldat/ld7JJ004.pdf
On the bag, I believe it says not to add sticker like Nufilm or Turbo Spreder/sticker.
I believe it is for the purpose of using Surround to protect fruit (not at dormant stage). Coat of Nufilm over Surround would not make Surround flake well and may cause an issue with post harvest wash-off.
When I first used Surround with a handheld sprayer, I did not read the label well (nothing new 
). It’s’ clogged. Now I mix it in a 5 gal bucket before I pour it in the tank since my sprayer does not have an agitation system.
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Good point, and something that hadn’t even crossed my mind.
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Thanks.
Has anyone added sulfur to the mix?
Sulfur can be mixed. Most pesticides can be mixed to.
The label also said to watch for fruit that has fuss like peaches or small fruit like cherries re. post harvest effect.
I grow to eat them myself so I am not too worried.
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RuralKing has a gallon at $9.99. I bought some yesterday. Was planning on using it with fungicide and herbicide.
http://www.ruralking.com/drexel-hum-ac-820-surfactant-1-gallon.html
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Yes. The purpose of Surround, in part, is to flake off and irritate the insects so they spend so much time grooming as to not do anything else. It also messes with touch/sensing of fruit by insects. I suspect unlike diatomaceous earth it does not kill the bugs. Michael Phillips discusses Surround in his book, The Apple Grower, and is my primary source for this info.
After using a coat of Surround a couple weeks ago with a healthy dose of Nufilm, my observation is that Nufilm didn’t do much to reduce wash off by 1" of rain. No idea if it helped slowing the growth on my plums. I sort of doubt it. Either way it was probably a wasted effort as they are going to be toast by single digit temps on Wed morning.
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The additive I like to use is hort-oil. Surround encourages scale and mites, apparently, or at least does not discourage them, and oil added as long as weather is cool enough seems to help- at least it kills the offenders present at the time of spray. I believe the oil, purified for rapid evaporation, does little or nothing to alter the effectiveness of Surround.
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Bill,
How’s your Surround spray this year? I got my 2nd spray of Surround this evening.
I was on an auto pilot and mixed Nufilm in without thinking (use Nufilm on everything else for the most part). Oh, well!!!
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It worked really well. I used it to allow my apples and pears to get large enough to easily bag. I think I will really like using it on my plums and pluots when they have a heavy crop. I have only seen one PC bite on everything. In my opinion it works very well if it is applied regular. I’m also using Surround/Neem/Soap on the trunks of my fruit trees and blackberry vines. I’m not certain but I think it is an effective deterrent for borers. How has it worked out for you?
I don’t go totally organic yet because OFM and PC seem to act faster than I anticipate every year. I mix things up as needed .
My first spray is at shuck split which is after petal fall so I used Immunox (for CAR) and Triazicide. The second spray was Surround. By now, I can bag all apples.
I have peaches and plums to worry about. I use Surround with Spinosad and Indar (brown rot). So, I can’t do totally organic. Brown rot is a real party wreacker if not using chemicals.
Immunox gets rid of CAR, scab, mildew, sooty blotch and fly speck in apples, all in one or two sprays. It is worth it for me.
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I have used Surround before bagging with so-so results in the past, so this year decided to try adding Spinosad, as Scott suggested. So far, so good. Very few PC bites on the apples. But I am wondering, is there really any point in using the Surround if one is already using Spinosad?(Both of which are somewhat expensive). I am getting too many apples to bag now, so will Spinosad alone carry the unbagged ones through the season (Wisconsin zone 3/4), especially if I should go away for two weeks on a vacation? I also used dormant oil/copper spray in the early spring.
North,
I’ve just use spinosad again this year. The one I have is called Conserve SC (talking about expensive). I read the label, 3 things stand out to me.
- use high ph water 6-9 ph
- should not spray more than two consecutive times. Need to switch up with a different class of insecticde
- it does not list plum curculio, my arch enemies but list oriental fruit moth.
I don’t think spinosad has a long lasting effect. That’s why Surround will help irritate the bugs until you bag or spray again. @scottfsmith probably has an answer for you.
I bagged about 750 apples this yesr. This is about as high as I want to bag. I know people who bags in a thousand. If I only grow apples, I would be all done by now.
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