Spraying Time Again

Well, spring has sprung.  Or at least spring has started to think about springing.  In the starting blocks.

 

For us, this means it is time to start spraying.  We have been plagued with Fire Blight in our apples.  And in our one pear.  At first I didn't know what to do about it.  I went to the county extension agent and learned what it was, but they had no help as to combating it.  All they said I could do was to cut off the infected branches.  I did that.  And pity the poor trees.  We had to cut off whole branches and then burn the cuttings.

 

The next year it came back.  I was all over the internet and no help.  Then I spoke to the person in charge of the plants at Southern States.  She told me about Fertilome. 

 

Fire Blight is a bacterial infection that withers the leaves and branches in the infected trees.  Fertilome is basically an antibiotic that can fight off the infection.  The only time it helps is to spray the tree just when it starts to bloom and all through the blooming season.  You stop spraying when you see the fruit.  You have to spray every 3 to 5 days.

 

Because you are spraying way up into the tops of the trees, if there is any wind, you get the stuff in your face.  The package has dire warnings about washing up with water for 10 to 15 minutes if any comes in contact with your skin or eyes.  I got a bit on my face and washed it off with a wet paper towel.  I guess I should do it again.  And maybe run it over my hair.  I didn't get a lot so I hope that is sufficient.  I'm hoping the warnings are an excess of caution due to our litigious society.

This is our second year of spraying and I hope it does the job.  The trees are getting to the age when we should have a decent crop.  If I hadn't cut off most of the branches on some of them.  And if we don't get another blighted year.  I have been fighting it for about three years and I am getting tired of seeing the poor trees looking so bedraggled.

One of the arborists I called to help me suggested removing the trees.  I'm not ready to give up.  I want some fruit off my trees!!!

Beating Fire Blight

 
I sprayed the last dose of Fertilome to control fire blight in our apples this morning.  The blossoms are almost gone and spraying must be done before that time.  It doesn't work after that and I don't suppose you want to spray the apples with antibiotic.

 

Our lone pear tree had some serious pruning to cut off all the affected branches.  I hope it comes back.  I didn't do a lot of trimming of the cross branches in the apple trees this winter.  Ordinarily you trim those when the trees are dormant, but I had trimmed so many fire blight damaged branches and I didn't want to stress the trees any more than I had to.

 

The two Granny Smith apples are coming along well and I think we may actually have some apples to eat this year.  Yay!  My peaches don't seem to have a problem with peach leaf curl, even though I was a bit late is spraying them.  I have to remember to spray for bugs as I lost my crop last year to a swarm of wasps.  Yes, they eat peaches.  And, yes, I don't want to try to pick peaches covered in wasps. 

I don't know how the people who raise organic produce do it.  I tried that route and lost several years of fruit and almost lost the trees.  N o more for me.  Better living through chemistry, I say.

 

In the meantime our garden is starting to come back from Winter.  It needs a bit more growing time and we need to finish adding mulch. 

 

Some of the flowering plants are gorgeous. I want to buy more and keep the flowers going year round.

 

The garden entrance to the B&B is improving every week. 

 

There is a circle of pink Dogwoods and they are in bloom.  They will be prettiest for just a few weeks. 

 

We have plans for a few more flowering plants, but just haven't had the time or energy.  It's on the list.  That ever growing, no matter how many things you accomplished, list.

You have one of those, right?