Mark,
If it is codling moth and/or apple maggot that is the main problem with one or more varieties I'll tell you a little story. One person in our area told me that he had a number of trees in his small orchard and every year the apple maggot or codling moth was very bad in his Chehalis apple tree and not very bad in the others around it. So since he wasn't getting any use from the Chehalis tree he decided he would take it out. Well, guess what happened to the other trees in his orchard? Since the flies for the worms didn't have the Chehalis to go to the other varieties were much worse. He didn't gain anything by taking the Chehalis out. Just something to think about.
Bob
----- Original Message -----
*From:* mddorogi@comcast.net <mailto:mddorogi@comcast.net>
*To:* North American Fruit Explorers <mailto:nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
*Sent:* Thursday, April 03, 2008 12:12 PM
*Subject:* Re: [NAFEX] Cut down apple trees?
Thanks for the responses, all, here's what I can add.
Regarding bugs, we have them all, since I'm surrounded by old
crabapples, wild apples, hawthorns, cedars, etc. I think I have the
worst case: a few small heirloom trees in the midst of acres of
great habitat for all these bugs and fungii. One year the curculio
were so numerous I couldn't believe it; the next year, I almost
didn't see any.
Last year I had my best results with three sprays (as I recall) of
malathion/captan up until the apples were about nickel sized, then I
bagged them with baggies. Previously I used sulfur and Surround
with not as good results, since more spraying is required and I have
trouble keeping up with it (kids, job, etc), particularly in the
summer. I intend to keep going with the bagging; I'd like to get
away from the malathion/captan though.
I think the biggest bug problem is codling moth. The curculio are
bad but are only there for a while; but I'm assuming that the
codling moth have several generations that cause problems later in
the year for the later ripening apples. Oriental fruit moth are
around too, since they are all over my peaches, but I don't know if
they are bothering the apples. I don't think that apple maggot are
a big problem typically. One year I sprayed a fair amount of Bt; I
didn't seem to get good contol of whatever lepidoptra were there though.
Jim - the trees are kind of lawn trees: they are in a lawn, but in
their own raised beds of ~ 4' diameter with cobblestone borders. I
did this since the soil conditions underneath were crummy (clay). I
don't fertilize the lawn much, but I guess once or twice a year I do
spread some organic fertilizer (milorganite). At the beginning of
each season, I usually mix in a few shovelfuls of compost and some
balanced organic fertilizer under each tree. I did have the soil
tested last year but I don't have the results with me. It came back
"OK" as I remember, nothing stood out. I had been curious as to
whether there were any soil parameters that would affect water core,
since not only Tompkins King gets it, but also the Lymans Large
Summer to a lesser extent, and I've even seen it in some of the
other trees occasionally.
I'll read up on topworking and grafting; I hadn't considered that
option. I have Michael Phillips' book which I think covers it to
some extent, but I've glossed over it in the past.
Mark
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.