We get lots of questions in our
clinic and at area meetings about whether a home gardener needs to
spray. Most of the time these questions relate to grapes, apples and
peaches in the home garden.
The easy answer is, “No, you are not
required to spray your plants.” But this is a great question and a
reminder of what our options are when we have disease and insect
pressure in our home fruit crops.
When it comes to insects and
diseases, if you want high-quality fruit, organic or conventional
insecticides and fungicides are usually necessary. The biggest challenge
for most homeowners when it comes to spraying grapes or fruit trees is
time and persistence. Most sprays need to be applied every seven to 10
days starting at bud break in very early spring. Getting sprays applied
in the correct manner at the correct time requires a commitment of time,
energy and equipment.
Thus, the better option for most
homeowners is proper planning and the adoption of integrated
pest-management practices before planting fruit trees or grape vines.
This starts with choosing varieties that are resistant to diseases. For
example, choosing an apple tree that is immune or resistant to apple
scab is a huge step forward in making apple growing easier and less
time-consuming.
The problem? Many people only want
to renovate an old orchard, grow an heirloom variety or get a free plant
from a friend or neighbor. These methods are fine, but they do not
guarantee a decent crop or disease resistance. Although many varieties
have some resistance to apple scab, there are still issues with insect
pests, fly speck and sooty blotch on apples. When it comes to insects,
monitoring for key insects will help determine if any controls are
necessary during the growing season.
Beyond disease resistance, the main steps to growing healthy fruit without spraying include:
1. Choosing the right site: A site
where there is good air circulation, morning sun to dry leaves and
higher areas that do not get spring frosts.
2. Soil testing: Be sure the soil is in the proper condition with the correct pH and nutrient levels for the fruit crop.
3. Proper pruning: The old adage
about throwing a baseball through a tree suggests the fruit tree has
been properly pruned. Generally, a fruit tree is not pretty to look at
until the ripe fruit is the main feature. When it comes to grapes, they
should not be grown on top of an overhead arbor. They should be grown on
a simple trellis and constantly pruned.
4. Sanitation and fall cleanup:
Keeping pruned branches and leaves out of the orchard will go a long way
in reducing re-infection of fungal diseases. Fall cleanup should
include the raking and removal of all leaves at the end of the season.
Courtesy :The Vindicator
