North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["tanis cuff" <tanistanis@hotmail.com>]

Reading the paragraph below reminded me of a comment in the current 
'Pomona'.  The fireblight article recommends spraying copper fungicide.  
Fireblight is a bacterium.  Fungicides kill fungi, not bacteria.  Is the 
fungicide spray intended to promote over-all health of orchard?

Another question which the fireblight article prompts me to ask is about the 
rubbing alcohol.  I was taught you need to soak anything in rubbing alcohol 
for half-an-hour, to sterilize.  Does anyone know if this is right?



----Original Message Follows----
From: "Stephen Sadler" <
To: "'North American Fruit Explorers'" <>
Subject: RE: [NAFEX] Substitute for Surround
Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 12:46:53 -0700

.... Although in practice the milk/garlic spray seems to work, in theory I 
wonder
if milk alone would be better.  If milk works by increasing the population
of beneficial bacteria (which in turn inhibit fungal viability), and garlic
is antibacterial, seems it might defeat the purpose to do both.  Maybe
garlic is somewhat selective.  Okay, I know the antibacterial effect of
garlic to be selective, but I have no certainty of how that would work in
the garden.  I actually have used milk alone when I suspect a fungal or
viral problem, and just garlic when it seems bacterial - and both when I'm
unsure.  That's a confession - 'twould have been better to have tried one,
then the other....