December is coming in with a cold bang... my apple trees still have their leaves and the temperatures have dipped into the low thirties and even twenties at night. Yet it is blessedly dry and a great time to add compost to your trees. I like to use mushroom compost I purchase from Mt. Scott Fuel, www.mtscottfuel.com. I like to put at least a wheelbarrow full around the drip line of all my trees that are now 5 years old. You can definitely put on more but aim for about a 1 inch layer all around the drip line. The winter rains, at least in Portland, will bring the nutrients to the trees roots. Now is a great time to lime as well and I would apply the lime before the compost. For older trees (5+ years) use about a pound of lime spread evenly about the drip line. For younger trees, a cup to two cups spread evenly about. It is really hard to apply too much lime, especially here in the PNW, so don't worry about putting on too much.
The benefits of using mushroom compost are a) it is sterile and weed seed free, b) made from cow manure instead of horse manure (horse manure is notorious for having large amounts of weed seed because horses can't digest weed seeds unlike their ungulate brethren),and c) it has added bits of lime, sand, and other micronutrients that I like.
Other than that, my winter projects are to make persimmon vinegar from our bountiful crop of Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons as well as making dried persimmons and persimmon leather. Drying Hachiya persimmons when they are still hard will remove the astringency that they are notorious for.
Okay, enjoy the sunshine will it lasts.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Insect Management in the Four Year Old Apples
Hello folks, been some time since a posting, can only blame it on the usual: working outside, laziness, and doing other things than being on a computer. One new hobby of mine is art, art in the plastic sense, not in tending fruit. Yes, I've been dipping into my long unused creative well and trying all kinds of things with watercolors, acrylics, and my favorite, oil pastels. I've been particularly inspired by Odilion Redon, Schwitters, Klee, and Lee Krasner. More of the expressionist, abstracty kind of vibe.
Now to the matter at hand. Codling moth in apples and pears is a major pest problem that you are guaranteed to have. Check out this Wikipedia site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codling_moth for more great details. Codling moth is the worm at the center of the apple, which is the larva that has burrowed into the apple after being laid as an egg on the surface of the apple. In large orchards (1+ acres) the use of pheromone lures is rapidly advancing. The Pheromone lures essentially make it really hard for the moths to mate, therefore no eggs can be laid on apples which will burrow into the center. This use of pheromone lures is called mating disruption. For us small time back yard orchardists, the only guaranteed method of protection is a physical barrier, either sprayed on as in the use of kaolin clay (brand name Surround), or by use of nylon baggies that cover the apple and create a protective barrier. The baggies are fairly easy to use, won't interfere with the ripening of the apple (it will actually prevent sunburn on the fruit), and can be reused unlike paper bags. The best time to use the baggies is after thinning your apples (when the fruit is the size of a grape). There are lots of YouTube videos that will show this. I am having technical difficulties uploading my pictures to this blog, so you will have to venture out on your own..... sorry!
All the best in the spring.
Now to the matter at hand. Codling moth in apples and pears is a major pest problem that you are guaranteed to have. Check out this Wikipedia site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codling_moth for more great details. Codling moth is the worm at the center of the apple, which is the larva that has burrowed into the apple after being laid as an egg on the surface of the apple. In large orchards (1+ acres) the use of pheromone lures is rapidly advancing. The Pheromone lures essentially make it really hard for the moths to mate, therefore no eggs can be laid on apples which will burrow into the center. This use of pheromone lures is called mating disruption. For us small time back yard orchardists, the only guaranteed method of protection is a physical barrier, either sprayed on as in the use of kaolin clay (brand name Surround), or by use of nylon baggies that cover the apple and create a protective barrier. The baggies are fairly easy to use, won't interfere with the ripening of the apple (it will actually prevent sunburn on the fruit), and can be reused unlike paper bags. The best time to use the baggies is after thinning your apples (when the fruit is the size of a grape). There are lots of YouTube videos that will show this. I am having technical difficulties uploading my pictures to this blog, so you will have to venture out on your own..... sorry!
All the best in the spring.
Oregeon Spring Weather
Okay, two years since my last posting... no excuses, I've been playing outside too much. Oregon spring 2015 is here and it is cool and wet. After record breaking temps in March, April is starting off where we left off in February. Alas, most of my trees have bloomed but the Hudson's Golden Gem and Cox's Orange Pippin are in or starting to flower. It will be a tough year for them I believe.
I am planning on posting some coddling moth management pictures next, just figuring out some technical issues with BlogSpot. Stay tuned.
I am planning on posting some coddling moth management pictures next, just figuring out some technical issues with BlogSpot. Stay tuned.
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