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Ask other growers about sprayers, mowers, scythes, pruning tools, tractors, row-mulchers, wood chippers, cider presses, fermenting vats, and more.
Re: Rootstock Advice - EMLA 7 vs 111 - 7 days ago
Hi Adam, I think you're spot in with your initial thoughts. MM111 and anything larger (B118, P18, Antonovka, etc) will be very hard to keep at 10-12' when planted at more traditional spacings. That said, myself and some others are playing with planting these larger rootstocks at tighter spacings in order to get some dwarfing through inter-tree competition. It looks to be working, but none of thby Mike Biltonen - Orchard Systems
Looking for (mostly) French Cider variety scionwood for this budding season - 28 days ago
I am trying to track down some specific budwood for budding season coming up. Although the qtys vary, I am seeking about 750 viable buds for each. I have some or all of a few of the varieties already covered, but would like to learn of additional sources. Averolles, Douce Moen, Guillevic, Petite Jaune, Rambault, Michelin, Domaines, Medaille D’Or, Muscadet de Dieppe, NW Greening. I appreciby Mike Biltonen - Orchard Classifieds
Re: tree bark considered - 28 days ago
Gloria, Where are you located geographically? I assume the orchard you're tending to is in the same region? Also, could you please update your profile to include a little more about yourself and orchard? Any advice could be and probably is very specific to location and pest pressures. Thanks, mikeby Mike Biltonen - Biodynamic Orcharding
Re: Oddly staggered bloom sequence - 2 months ago
Not sure what everyone's talking about, we're right on par here in nirvana.by Mike Biltonen - Pollination
Re: Fire Blight vs. Blossom Blast / Wilt ID - 3 months ago
Well, there is something to be done about AB. Maybe not about the damage today, but going forward tomorrow. 1. hang AB traps - empty plastic juice containers (Simply Juice seems the most popular), cut two sides out, fill with 1.5" vodka mixed with antifreeze, wait and watch. The ethanol (what AB is attracted to by stressed trees) attracts the AB adults and you monitor first flight, flighby Mike Biltonen - Bacterial Opportunists
Re: Fire Blight vs. Blossom Blast / Wilt ID - 3 months ago
I echo Michael's comments and offer the additional. Pseudomonas has become more prevalent in pome fruit in recent years here in the Hudson Valley. But I don't buy that it is a sign of ambrosia beetles necessarily since you can have infections without AB damage. If you have the damage that's one thing, but I have not seen the correlation in the field and know that AB ususally comes out after Ps haby Mike Biltonen - Bacterial Opportunists
Re: Fear of the unknown- Organic Confidence Needed - 3 months ago
So, I don't want to start out being the Cassandra in the conversation, but my 35 years of growing tree fruit tells me you have a huge uphill battle. It's hard to tell from your description whether or not the orchard is still being sprayed conventionally, has been started to be transitioned, or what. If it is still being sprayed conventionally, then I would recommend putting together a 5-y ear plaby Mike Biltonen - Just Talk
Re: Overlap of oils with sulfur - 3 months ago
This is very interesting and something I have wondered about. Given that neem is a seed oil and almost all precautions are for the use of petroleum or mineral oils, I guess I am not all that surprised with your ad hoc results. As well, 0.5% is pretty low rate of oil and sulfur isn't low, but certainly not full label rate. I would be interesting to see if 1% or 2% neem plus sulfur gave similar resby Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Re: Mysterious pathogenic apple killer ! - 3 months ago
Its pay-walled so I didn't read the whole article, but most likely they are referring to Sudden Apple Decline (SAD), also known as Rapid Apple Decline (RAD). SAD/RAD of course is not a single pathogen, but a complex of issues including a number of pathogens. I've heard this referred to as a disease or pathogen elsewhere, but the fact is that researchers don't understand everything that's involvedby Mike Biltonen - Just Talk
Re: Verbascum as tap rooted cover - 3 months ago
I would make a base assumption they are pretty close to each other, even though they are different species.by Mike Biltonen - Understory Management
Re: Verbascum as tap rooted cover - 4 months ago
Here is a link to a wonderful blog post by my lovely herbalist wife: What's Up Dock?by Mike Biltonen - Understory Management
Re: Neem Pure - Definitive Guide to Mixing - 4 months ago
So, after trying to more deeply understand mixing and using neem, and after a small-scale disaster, I have the following questions in a follow-up to my original post and Michael's neem dance suggestion: There aren’t any specific parameters available (that I am aware of) that talk about i) optimal temperatures - Usha recommends something in the 105F range, but no hotter and certainly not lukeby Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Re: Neem Pure - Definitive Guide to Mixing - 4 months ago
Claude, I trust your math. I've read your book. Besides those of us south of the border rejected the metric rationale a long time ago. we look our irrational ounces, Fahrenheits, and inches.by Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Re: Pyganic - 4 months ago
It certainly now does sound like OFM. There is also mating disruption as an alternative. But first I would put out some pheromone traps to catch the adults and see what's flying around out there. You can get from Great Lakes IPM. There is a product called OFM Insta-Zap - I wish. Really, Entrust should be good. Bt should also work if the leps are out an feeding. PyGanic is $$ and not a preferred mby Mike Biltonen - Just Talk
Re: Pyganic - 4 months ago
If it is in fact OFM, then that is what we refer to as an internal fruit feeder. However, your description of the lep doesn't make me believe that it is that critter. It sounds more like something else since OFM doesn't defoliate trees. It eats fruit mostly but can bore into the tree itself. A picture would be nice. That said, maybe more of a description: when did you see it first? what time of yby Mike Biltonen - Just Talk
Re: Overlap of oils with sulfur - 4 months ago
Applying sulfur and oils within 7 days of each other may lead to fruit russetting, but more importantly it can lead to foliar tissue damage. However, will it decimate your trees or your crop? The answer is: it depends on the timing. As we know, lime sulfur (calcium polysufide and oil) is an effective blossom thinner because it is caustic and burns the petals when used appropriately. It also reducby Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Neem Pure - Definitive Guide to Mixing - 4 months ago
I'm searching for the definitive guide to mixing pure neem oil. There has been a lot of discussion around things like water hardness, pH, temperature, emulsifier, etc. over the years, not all seems to be relevant to successfully mixing pure neem for application with an airblast sprayer. I'd love to hear from folks who have tried and failed and others who feel like they have it all figured out (anby Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Re: Pyganic - 4 months ago
I echo Brian's comments. Also, where are you located? It's best if we also know where you are located, since you could have (and likely do) have different pest complexes in your area than we do here (unless you live here, in which case, forget what I just said). There are also other materials out there in addition to Entrust and Dipel that are goods for leps, if it is a lep. There also some larvaby Mike Biltonen - Just Talk
Re: Wintere Injury In Regards To Temperature When Pruning - 5 months ago
I was in eastern Minnesota for 8 years and understand how cold it can get in your neck of the woods. That said, I never liked to be out pruning when the temps were below 15F. I also didn't like to prune the day before or after when it was going to be very cold (<0F), especially if there was significant radiant energy to warm up and expand the branch cambium. If it cools too quickly after you gby Mike Biltonen - Pruning
Re: herbal extractions for sprays - 5 months ago
My thought exactly. Though you may be able to extract more of the good stuff with a decoction, but then again you could also denature the good stuff, too. Plant teas - fermented or otherwise - seem the way to go with plant material.by Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Re: herbal extractions for sprays - 5 months ago
Hey Tom, Yeah, I wouldn't want to put high alcohol anything straight onto sensitive plant material (e.g., apple blossoms). However, if using a tincture you'd be diluting it so much that any alcohol would be negligible. That is, if you're using it homeopathically. But never use it straight onto a plant. Again, depending what plant material, in this case hops, you could make a decoction that doesby Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Re: Biodynamic Tree Paste - 5 months ago
Hey Tom, In my opinion, there is no disadvantage to putting biodynamic tree paste on younger trees. In fact, it helps to encourage the biological network and protect the tree through a variety of mechanisms. I wouldn't worry about the negligible Pn that occurs through the chlorophyll that's in the trunk .by Mike Biltonen - Biodynamic Orcharding
Re: Holistic Approach to Fireblight - 5 months ago
Hey Tom, Not 100% sure what you're looking to tincture or how you want to use it, but I am not sure why you'd want to evaporate the alcohol off. I'm certainly not the herbalist in my family, but I do learn by osmosis - you take whatever it is you want to tincture, chop or grind it up finely, put it in 190 proof alcohol, let it sit for a few days to a few week to months (this is where I am notby Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Re: frozen scionwood - 5 months ago
Probably not. My first year, I stored budwood on my covered outdoor cellar stairs when it got into the teens over the few weeks I stored the wood - not every day but often enough. Didn't seem to do any damage. However, the best way to tell is to cut an inch or so below the frosted tips (after thaw) and see if the wood looks a nice vibrant green or if its off-colored (water-soaked) or even brown.by Mike Biltonen - Grafting
Re: sprayer concentrations - 5 months ago
Hi John, I've run into this issue with a number of my clients. A few years ago I put together a chart of rates per gallon that has had mixed results depending on how it is used by the grower. I am happy to share this with you, but we would need to talk first so I understand the details of your operation. I will say that for tree fruit the "per acre" labeled rates are based on 300 gallonby Mike Biltonen - Bacterial Opportunists
Re: Learning from mistakes - 5 months ago
Sounds like Benign Neglect to me! The big issue with fruit quality (and not sure specifically what your problems are since you don't say, except for rots) is likely a biological issue - it could be related to nutrition somewhat, but the cascade of events is usually a susceptible host being infected (directly or through a wound or physiological disorder), latent infection (no symptoms), then symptby Mike Biltonen - Just Talk
Re: Neglected Plums - 5 months ago
What are the plum types/varieties? Diploids, Japanese, and prune-plums are all pruned (lol!) differently. I'll chime in when I get some more info. Also, is it possible to attach a picture of a more or less representative tree, as they stand now?by Mike Biltonen - Pruning
Re: silica tea - 5 months ago
Hi David, I suspect your Horsetail is in fact Mare's-tail - two very different plants. But, yes you did indeed, find the true horsetail in Equisetum arvense. When you ask, "where I could get some?" I assume you mean live plants or propagules. But just in case you're not, you can find dried horsetail from Josephine Porter Institute as the dried herb. However, I suspect you were askinby Mike Biltonen - Spray Nuance
Re: Pruning in the cold - 6 months ago
Of course, the more dormant the better - however, trees can be pruned up to tight cluster without (m)any negative repercussions.by Mike Biltonen - Pruning
Re: Pruning in the cold - 6 months ago
I just looked at the forecast for Quilcene, WA and at least by northeast standards, your area won't be cold enough to do any damage at all. I would feel comfortable just pruning normally ; or just proceeding how you want. Typically, I would not want to prune below 10F because of potential damage to cambial wood, leading to cracking and infections of various sorts. So unless wiser minds intervene,by Mike Biltonen - Pruning