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All are invited to discuss how our site can best serve orcharding discourse. Take the phorum software out for a spin, see how it works, suggest improvements, and share lessons learned so others can do the very same.
graft union orientation - 2 years ago
All sorts of theories abound about graft union orientation at planting. Bud unions can be positioned so as to have the prevailing wind "push" the varietal shoot towards the rootstock. Of course that's totally irrelevant when a nor'easter blows strong from the other side. I think this is less of a consideration for the stronger whip-and-tongue union. What would be more helpfulby Michael Phillips - Starting an Orchard
Re: overheated neem oil - 2 years ago
The herbal constituents in pure neem oil are degraded over time by being subject to being "thawed" again and again. By which I mean going from a cool state (below 60F) where the oil solidifies to warmer temps where the oil liquefies. Storage at higher temps wouldn't be helpful but one day in summer heat doesn't undo potency. Far more important is pouring into batch size contaiby Michael Phillips - Spray Nuance
Real Organic Project - 2 years ago
Some of you know efforts are underway to restore integrity to organic certification in the hands of the USDA with a supplemental label. The Real Organic Project is grower-led and harkens back to original intentions that the word "organic" represent healthy soil, healthy food, sound ecology, happy animals, and yes, viable farming. This LINK features Steve Ela, a fruit grower out in Colorby Michael Phillips - Just Talk
Re: Thought on diseased wild trees - 2 years ago
I'm going to ask you to clarify a couple points, Tom, in hopes this will give others enough information to respond. The notion of "escaping disease" by removal of a tree to ground level --and thus a reboot provided the root system sprouts anew -- demands we understand deep systemic reality versus biological and nutritional deficits within a given growing system. A tree with firby Michael Phillips - Just Talk
Re: Burgeoning Apple Maggot Issues - 2 years ago
Liz, I'll go with the Triple Threat package (three species) from Arbico as I don't really know the full range of depth of AMF pupae. This spring application might equally be valid for European Apple Sawfly, provided it's a few weeks prior to bloom. One question I've always had as regards parasitic nematodes is if effectiveness will be higher at the larval (entry) stage or equaby Michael Phillips - Bug by Bug
Re: Burgeoning Apple Maggot Issues - 2 years ago
Three points, Liz. No, actually, four . . . Karen and I are glad to include the upper Midwest in the AMF matrix! Which obviously is a real thing in your bioregion despite such kidding. Lodi with no AMF issues in 2018 tells me this is a case of delayed emergence. Thus why I look to the yellow sticky card test for zeroing in on actual timing at the start of the AMF season each year. In theory, sby Michael Phillips - Bug by Bug
Re: Burgeoning Apple Maggot Issues - 2 years ago
Apparently, we're the only growers in this discussion forum dealing with AMF, Karen. From New Hampshire to Washington, no less! So goes the pace of mutual learning by sharing approaches and varietal observations. You can use a couple yellow sticky cards impregnated with ammonium (which mimics bird poop) to know when the first immature flies show up on your scene. That's the appropriaby Michael Phillips - Bug by Bug
Burgeoning Apple Maggot Issues - 2 years ago
Intense pressure from apple maggot fly (AMF) once again this year was made all the worse by having a relatively light crop. Some management changes are in order as warmer temps make possible a prolonged infestation period. Susceptible Varieties? Minnesota genetics are at the heart of Honeycrisp susceptibility to apple maggot fly. (Which in truth may be the Malinda apple from Vermont used in tby Michael Phillips - Bug by Bug
Re: Apple color advantage re: insect damage? - 2 years ago
Minnesota genetics are at the heart of Honeycrisp susceptibility to apple maggot fly. (Which in truth may be the Malinda apple from Vermont used in the Minnesota breeding program.) That's my observation anyway, seeing's as what happens to Chestnut Crab, Frostbite, Sweet Sixteen, and the like. I had multiple AMF traps in Honeycrisp on G.30 and got slammed again this season. Sticky ball tby Michael Phillips - Apples
Re: what's wrong with this picture? - 2 years ago
I agree with your horticultural observations, Pat. It looks like the potential fruiting wall created by dwarf trees planted two to three feet apart may not be supported by a trellis. My guess is little was done with mycorrhizal inoculation as well, and fungal connection more than anything else is what it will take to establish any plant community on a bulldozed mine site. But what especially bugsby Michael Phillips - Just Talk
Re: Slope Sissy Hotline - 2 years ago
But Josh . . . it may all be in our mind! The more I think about tilt potential, the more I feel something is bound to happen. Wheel off the ground, going, going, gone. I have a hard time believing I did the things I did for years. Anyhow the idea of a "slope sissy hotline" was meant to interject a vein of humor into the legitimate danger faced by those who farm on slopes. Keep safe, y&by Michael Phillips - Just Talk
what's wrong with this picture? - 2 years ago
West Virginia National Guard Invests More than $5 Million to Grow Apple Trees on a Mine Site http://www.wvpublic.org/post/wva-national-guard-invests-more-5-million-grow-apple-trees-mine-siteby Michael Phillips - Just Talk
liquid fish sourcing - 2 years ago
Two points relevant to a discussion about liquid fish hydrolysate are cost effectiveness and the fish species involved. I recently gave this answer in addressing the question are all cold-processed fish sources the same: Cold-processing of whole fish is the key to a biological product. The filet may have been removed but the oils are still intact. Neptune's Harvest and Organic Gem are boby Michael Phillips - Spray Nuance
Slope Sissy Hotline - 2 years ago
I'm sure feeling the need to call in. Our orchards are on varied slopes yet I've found a way to traverse my way through the trees on a mid-size tractor. Only what used to feel a tad risqué now seems outright death-defying in places. Apparently the wheel track on the downhill side has been compacting over the years so as to increase the slope differential. I felt this all the more deliveby Michael Phillips - Just Talk
Re: Super Diverse Fungal Dominate Composting - 2 years ago
Glad you brought David Johnson's work to more grower's attention, Karn. More than a few organic orchardists regard compost merely as a means of replenishing nutrients when the full virtue lies in facilitating microbial diversity. I shared a partial-static composting approach in Mycorrhizal Planet, the excerpt of which can be found here. It's a two-step approach that takes time (9by Michael Phillips - Tree Fruit Nutrition
expanding our horizons - 2 years ago
I've been thinking how we in this forum might best post lengthy sharing of research and speculative ideas. This can provide leads to new solutions . . . but it also can bog down a more practical sharing about a particular orchard challenge based on direct experience and regional observation. Both types of discussions absolutely have a place here. Yet there appears to be a need for some elbowby Michael Phillips - Making It Better
Re: Inoculants (Skipping the Compost in Compost Tea) - 2 years ago
The original question here pertains to an "organism ferment" to get microbial byproducts that in turn knock back pest populations and/or prove antifungal or antibacterial. I admittedly have not been able to get my head around the concept of fermenting organisms yet alone being able to recognize a specific Caribbean strain of Saccharopolyspora spinosa that results in the active bacterialby Michael Phillips - Just Talk
Re: DIY EM : Unlimited Probiotic Effective Microorganisms - 2 years ago
Appreciate all the insightful thinking behind homegrown EM, Karn. Some growers will experiment here and some will not. Both are fine choices based on the busyness of our lives. That bit about humic acid is for long-term storage (8 to 9 months hence) to duplicate the shelf-life of commercial mother culture. I'm not doing that step as I currently brew (activate) anew every spring with fresh moby Michael Phillips - Arboreal Microbes
Sudden Apple Decline - 2 years ago
Here's a thoughtful exploration of Sudden Apple Decline (SAD) that appears to be afflicting young dwarf trees at the graft union, particularly M.9 rootstocks. The article by Kari Peter of Penn State is well worth a read: https://extension.psu.edu/apple-disease-rapid-apple-decline-rad-or-sudden-apple-decline-sad "This is most likely a complex of issues and not just one abiotic or bioby Michael Phillips - Orchard Systems
Re: Questions on Effective Microbes (From Growing to Storing) - 2 years ago
You'll find some of the answers you seek in a previous thread on activating EM in large batches, Harrison. Long term storage (beyond 60 days) where microbe populations remain relatively stable is enhanced by addition of humic acid, one percent by volume. Not sure you have to top off drums with more liquid, but if you do, I think stable microbe brew the better choice. I'm familiar witby Michael Phillips - Arboreal Microbes
Re: green immune function - 2 years ago
Appreciate you're digging deep in the science archives here to further our understanding of plant resistance mechanisms, Karn. My simple rendition of explaining these distinctions falls along these lines. I wrote this recently for a consult report for a medicinal herb farm . I'm aware of the ethylene pathway as being a kind of in-between response. Again, the take home point here remainsby Michael Phillips - Fungal Pathogens
summer dieback - 2 years ago
Others have started reporting "summer dieback" in various places, specifically in Maine, Vermont, and downstate New York. This kind of tree death can be attributed to the way last fall was so warm through all of October and then it got cold very quickly. Leaves froze on the trees by mid-November, and by early December it was even dropping below zero in more northern locations. Trunk tisby Michael Phillips - Hardiness Considerations
Liquid fish for fall spray - 2 years ago
Call this a Hail Mary pass. What fish I had on hand from a pallet order two springs ago got me through this morning's Comp3 applications. I'm done now with fish for this growing season . . . but do wish I had about 10‒15 gallons for the fall holistic spray. Ordering a pallet of 55-gallon drums going into winter makes no sense since I would want to protect the drums from freezing. I willby Michael Phillips - Orchard Classifieds
Re: Pear Leaf Blister Mites - 2 years ago
Pear blister mites went from burgeoning problem in my eight or so pear varieties to not a single trace this season. The warm fall last season followed by quick cold in November and then even deeper cold in early /December literally froze leaves on numerous trees. I expect some PBM were already in buds by that point but apparently the cold penetrated bud scales equally effectively. I was plain lucby Michael Phillips - Bug by Bug
Re: Thinnings and drops - what to do with them? - 2 years ago
What you don't want is for living larvae to reach soil to pupate. Sitting in buckets for a month or so probably does them in as I imagine the bulk of those fruitlets begin to compost in situ. Fill the buckets with water and larvae drown. Feed them to chickens or piglets. Place in a HOT compost pile (as opposed to dribbled across a not very active pile of organic matter). Dump them on a blackby Michael Phillips - Bug by Bug
Re: Sooty blotch/flyspeck - 2 years ago
Each pathogen has a strategy by which to gain access to plant tissue and thus cause infection. The "aesthetic fungi" that cause sooty blotch and flyspeck feed on the waxy plant cuticle. What we can do as growers to alter this dynamic is either apply an across-the-board toxin (like summertime copper) or help the plant create a more robust cuticle where surface niches are filled with frieby Michael Phillips - Fungal Pathogens
Re: Fermented Nettle Tea mix with holistic spray - 2 years ago
Nettle is a tonic herb whereby herbalists refer to its array of phytonutrients as good for health in general. A fermented plant extract allows us as growers to get the green goodness of nettle into solution to apply to the tree canopy. Food as medicine for plants, you might say. All this fits the holistic paradigm to support system health. And so yes, herbal teas can be tank mixed with fatty acidby Michael Phillips - Spray Nuance
Re: PC and Venerate - 2 years ago
Here's my spray note for today: Half rate of Entrust with full curculio rate of Venerate for PC/EAS clay app on apples on June 8. South block first, with remainder used higher up in North block. (Three-year old spinosad now used up.) This is not a great year to pull off comparison trials due to a limited crop. Plums, pie cherries, and pears got first Surround two weeks ago in normal kaolby Michael Phillips - Bug by Bug
Re: Front Loading Sucrose Metabolization and Fungal Exchange Through Dilute Feeding - 2 years ago
Intriguing. But it does remind me of feeding white sugar to honeybees to get through the winter because too much of the honey was removed for the human. Not to mention the Standard American Diet (SAD)! Still, let's give this a go. Surface applications of lime are best applied with a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. That's achieved in the granular form as those lime pelby Michael Phillips - Starting an Orchard
Re: Peach disease - 2 years ago
Good job using the Just Talk category to figure out an unknown, guys. Now in my editorial role . . . it would be excellent to start a new thread specifically on "Cytospora Canker" in the Fungal Pathogens section where people now explore experiences and hopefully real-time suggestions to tone down this specific bark challenge for stone fruit..by Michael Phillips - Just Talk