Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Wow, I am getting better on the posts. A few observations from my quick look-around:

Sunburn on apples is the worse I ever seen it. Undoubtedly from 2 weeks ago when several days approached 100 F. with full sun. (Is that like Washington weather?) I don't think this is going to go away by harvest. What to do? Well, if it is going to get hot and sunny again the only solution I know of is to apply Surround. I would do it only on my high-value apples like Honeycrisp and yellow varieties (maybe Gala?). Surround will also keep Japanese Beetles at bay. I am not sure if apples get more prone to sunburn as they ripen or not?

Dogwood borers in pheromone trap -- 19 in less than a week. Borers are mating and laying eggs on tree trunk/rootstocks with burr knots. Perpetual infestation by the borer larvae can eventually girdle and weaken or kill the tree. A trunk coarse spray of Lorsban targeting the above ground portion of the rootstock and lower trunk is indicated, particularly on rootstocks that have a tendency to form burr-knots (M.106, M.26, M.9).

Codling moth (CM) in dogwood borer pheromone trap. Hmm, what to think? I am concerned, although apple maggot sprays with an OP insecticide like Imidan should do the job in killing hatching eggs. I think, however, it is a matter of time before CM becomes more of a problem here in Massachusetts -- could this be the year? We may have to think about using newer chemistries such as Altacor, Delegate, and Turismo (among others) to control internal leps. I am confused -- are you? I would say there are no less than 15-20 chemical options, plus you could do mating disruption. (Too late for that this year.) Be sure to visit the NEWA website for real-time predictions on CM and other insect pests and diseases of apples.

Good luck. JC

1 comment:

Ben said...

Sunburn on our GingerGold as well...