North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Road's End Farm <organic87@frontiernet.net>]

Yes, you really need to identify first what the problem is -- not only  
insect or disease, but also which insect(s) and/or disease(s). Most  
organic solutions are fairly specific.

I hadn't heard of paw paw as a spray. I just tried looking it up, and  
wonder whether it's the paw paw or the soap in the recipe I found  
that's doing the job (presuming that it is doing the job, that is.)


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale




On Feb 11, 2012, at 11:03 AM, Ginda Fisher wrote:

> What is the goal of your spraying? That is, what are you trying to  
> protect against?
>
> If it's bugs, zip-lock bags provide pretty good protection for pomes  
> (apples, pears) but tend to rot stone fruits. Of course, they don't  
> do anything to protect against squirrels, raccoons, or deer. The zip- 
> lock bag also provide some protection against fungal diseases,  
> because they are a physical barrier between the fruits and the  
> spores. Clip off the corners so that water doesn't collect in the  
> bags.
>
> Ginda
> eastern MA, zone 6, with lots of squirrels, raccoons, and deer.
>
> On Feb 11, 2012, at 10:56 AM, Steven Covacci wrote:
>
> > Is there an organic (one that will not harm wildlife, such as  
> > amphibians) solution for spraying fruit-crop trees (apples/pears,  
> > stone-fruits, etc.)?
> > Is paw-paw (Asimina) a legitimate solution?  I know that even this  
> > is toxic to fish (and I have no doubt toxic to amphibians).
> > Anything I can do?  If I don't spray, will I be able to cut away  
> > damaged parts, and still eat the fruit.  No extra-protein jokes lol!
> >
> >
> > Steve