Bill,
Your pruning on any apple trees should be done while the trees are in
complete dormancy. If you have stone fruit, prune them at green tip,
usually late March, or early April for Zone 5. Your dormant oil needs to be
done when day temperatures get above 45 degrees and freezing temps are not
expected for at least 24 to 48 hours. For apple trees your dormant oil can
be sprayed from dormancy up to green tip. You can never combine copper
sulfate alone with dormant oil, but your fungicide spray does not need to be
applied until green tip for apples and pink for stone fruit, so there should
be no conflict with the dormant oil and the fungicide if you do the dormant
oil prior to or at silver tip. We do all of our pruning (which began Feb.
4) and then do our dormant oil spray based on the 45 degree temp model at
silver tip. We follow with copper at green tip and our fungicides (captan)
at pink to bloom.
If you go to http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/sfg/ you can download free
copies of the various spray guides for the Midwest that will give you all
the timing for the various sprays needed. Hope this helps!
Dennis Norton
Royal Oak Farm Orchard
http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.com
http://www.theorchardkeeper.blogspot.com
http://www.revivalhymn.com
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