New Year - Prepping for Growing

[mnjrutherford]

Now that we are getting closer to the growing season, there are certain chemicals that we need to obtain. I want to purchase from an ag supplier because I hear it's much cheaper than from a lawn care type company. Suggestions?

Here's the "need" list:

Insecticide: Plum Curculio - copper spray, will this be safe? Is there something better? This stuff is pretty pricey!

Fungicide: Fireblight - copper spray, same stuff as used for the Plum Curculio.

Herbicide: We need something that will clear large swaths of vegetation in our orchard. We tried the vinegar last year, but is wasn't effective on the large scale. Also, the orchard has to be very (VERY) alkaline, 7.5.

Fertilizer: I'm thinking blood and bone meal? Can I get #50 bags? How much can I expect to pay?

Don't forget to get soils tested!

[mjc]

Plum Curculio...two of the best controls around, thorough clean up of all dropped fruit and regular 'cultivation' (this can mean mowing) during the spring/summer. Or geese/chickens/other fowl let run through the orchard (pigs come in very handy to take care of drops).

The beetles hibernate under grass, leaves, and other trash on the ground in or near the orchard, or in neighboring woodlands, and commence to emerge just before the fruit trees bloom in the spring. They feed somewhat on the buds, unfolding leaves and blossoms, but mostly on the young fruit as soon as it is set

So, you can see the importance of keeping things 'clean'. Short cut grass doesn't provide them much in the way of cover, so that is very effective.

The other method of fighting this insect is that of "jarring." It takes advantage of the fact that when a limb on which the Curculio is at work is suddenly jarred, the insect drops to the ground. A large sheet is placed beneath the tree, and the latter is jarred by striking the trunk and larger branches with a padded mallet, The Curculios fall upon the sheet, and are then collected and destroyed. Instead of a sheet, most commercial growers use a sort of inverted umbrella mounted on wheels, which is run beneath the tree. It has sloping sides down which the insects roll into a receptacle in the center, where they are caught.

Beneficial nematodes (Steinernema spp.) are effective at controlling it during the larval stage.

Herbicide...what kind of weeds are you looking to control?

Fertilizer...your best pricing, if you can find it, is going to be by the ton. Probably some where around $0.20/lb / $400/ton at the ton pricing as opposed to about twice that (or higher) for a 50 lb bag.

[mnjrutherford]

We do keep the grass mowed and a "clear" area around the trees. The peach and apple trees are not in the orchard, they are in lawn area. I'm thinking part of the issue might be the unmowed field about 100' away? It belongs to a neighbor. He did have it bush hogged a few weeks ago. We didn't have birdies helping us out last year either. So, hopefully that will make a noticeable difference.

Herbicide, this I need in the actual factual orchard and we have pretty much every weed imaginable from encroaching lawn grass to ::shudders:: horse thistles.

Fertilizer... ahem... $0.20/lb IF I buy a TON!?!?! LOL, guess that's a deal I'll just have to pass on. I'm hoping that we can do with no more than 100 lbs each blood and bone meal.

[littleminnie]

Irish Eyes has a great fish fertilizer with a wonderful price. It is like an ice cream bucket amount of powdered fish emulsion. Lasts a few years.

[mjc]

Turning to one of my old reference sources...

Call in the aid of grazing animals, particularly sheep. Turning them into mutton and wool is a very profitable way of fighting weeds.

Goats also work well for this.

But a mix of critters would be best, all around...a few goats, some sheep and pigs run through the orchard at different times would quickly control both the weeds and some of the insect pests. Allowing poultry to graze the orchard, also, will improve the insect control. That's the plan I'm working towards...as I rehabilitate the orchard here.

There were a couple of WVU Extension bulletins put out on using goats to control multiflora rose (specifically)...

www.wvu.edu/~exten/infores/pubs/pest/trim5412.pdf

www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/multifloralos/index.htm (joint Ohio State and WVU)

Goats and sheep work well for this kind of work, because they prefer leafy plants to graze on, over grasses. Yes, fencing is very important and so is keeping the trees trimmed to prevent the goats from munching on them...pygmy goats can't reach as high as a 'full sized' breed. Any type of goat will work, but Angora goats are preferred in some places (the OSU/WVU bulletin talks about that). I'm leaning towards a couple of milkers (I prefer Alpine breeds) and probably a couple of Angoras (think...mohair). I'm leaning towards Romanovs or one of the northern short-tailed breeds for sheep. (I like lamb and really like the potential production characteristics of the Romanovs...)

The only real problem with using grazing as the primary weed/brush control is that it isn't instantaneous. It will take at least one, but more usually 3 years to clear up a problem area. But, at least from my perspective, the advantages (no chemicals, natural selection to more desirable plants, no resistant varieties being developed, etc) to it outweigh the 'wait' factor.

[wildseed57]

I'm basically have to buy the same stuff for my fruit trees I have to get copper spray and some stuff that I use for fire blight, mildew and rust. I need smaller amounts of Blood and bone meal so that is no problem right now. Goats and chickens are good but pigs root around to much and can ruin things in a hurry. I do get all the composted manure I want, as I have a friend that is a dairy farmer that now has a organic rating I get it pretty much free, but I pay him $20.00 to bring it to me its worth a lot more to me as it's very rich and I use it every where, if there is a dairy farm or even a horse farm/ stable they will have more manure than they can handle and will often give it away by the truck load if you will load it yourself or some times they will load it into your truck or trailer for you just to get rid of it. I also will often get a truck load of rotted cattle feed as he some times get a load that has gotten wet and has some bad feed in it that is perfect for the garden but not for his dairy cows, he gets paid back for the bad cattle feed. One time they brought a full load of the wrong mix that wasn't organic rated and they had to come back and pick up the load which they did, but there was a lot of waste that was left and I got it for nothing, it was a mix of cracked corn, alfalfa, soy bean, cotton seed meal, and molasses that was some of the best stuff I ever got to use in the garden. So as you can see there is often a lot of great deals that you can run into if you look around.

[nuts]

Goats also work well for this.

AAARGH,goats in the orchard!

STOP!!!, DON'T DO IT, IT IS A BAD IDEA!

Yes,goats clean up very well,including the trees.
They like the bark,maybe more than grass.
Sheep are ok.

[seedywen]

You beat me to a reply, nuts!
Bad idea to have goats in an orchard. My goats have killed all the trees on 2 and half acres. I knew they would. However it was a little surprising how short a time, they took. Raising dairy goats, sets the guide of what to grow where on this little farm.

[mnjrutherford]

Well, we have no goats... a neighbor does! But he keeps them penned and they seem pretty happy where they are.

Around here, planting is supposed to start in February for brassicas, green peas, etc. I got seed, but things started going 20 miles a minute and planting hasn't really gone to well thanks to all the other stuff.

About a week ago we planted 4 rows of green peas, Early Alaska, Laxton's Progress, and Wando. Not the ideal mix in my mind, but this year it's about getting a crop. We had all kinds of awesome peas from all over the world. Most of them were trampled to death by our dear little guineas. This year they are a house away. Miracle of miracles, they have also been mulched! WOW!

I've also planted out the flower seed obtained from Fragrant Path. Wild Indigo, Giant Hyssop, Bee Balm, a couple different dianthus, and a few other things I can't recall at the moment. I haven't had a lot of luck with flowers so I planted most of the seed outside and a few inside. The ones inside have just started to sprout as of yesterday.

There were a few more rows in the field where the peas were and Mike really wanted to make "pretty" rows for me but the poor man just hasn't had the time so I took the seeder in hand and I planted, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kale, lettuce (Black Seed Simpson & Iceberg), and mustard. Notice the theme there? It's alphabetical!

I also put the "spare" kid to work pulling the big root weeds out of the potato patch. He was "spare" because the other kid was helping his dad clean up the tools that survived the fire and tear down the motors that didn't survive so they can be recycled.

I have some things growing inside as well. Jewelweed has started to sprout but had a bit of a set back yesterday. They were next door to some broccoli seedlings and got pushed out accidentally. I've replanted them though so hopefully they'll be all right. Passiflora are doing brilliantly! I HOPE to get a trellis/fence sort of structure up and have them grow on it. I think it would be very pretty. The lemon tree that lost it's leaves is coming back beautifully.

Outside on the steps I am anxiously watching for signs of life from the chestnuts. Do you think chanting might help? There are signs of life from the single mulberry that I was able to get to grow out of all the seeds I was sent. Also, the peaches and apricots that I got started from all the seed that Val sent me 2 years ago are beginning to explode. There is one peach tree in particular that produced 3 limbs just above the soil level. I cut the 2 "lesser" limbs off and stuck them into the soil back in January. It appears that they have rooted because they are starting to leaf out as well as the "main" branch.

So... looking good here in NC. I'm hoping and praying that the season rolls just as good on up to "y'all nawthunuhs"! ;o)