I use Immunox at the pink stage, petal fall, and first cover as recommended by the University of Tennessee. This regimen quite adequately controls CAR. Misterbaby.

Here is a link that might be useful: UT Spray Schedule

Since UT is my Alma Mater I guess I better obey. I assume these schedules work because the spores most often aren't around until the suggested apple stage.

Thanks, Misterbaby.

Chuck

The reason I found out that a spray at petal fall followed by another 10 to 14 days later with myclobutanyl/captan is affective at adequately controlling scab and CAR is because I tried it on many many sites/seasons, not because Cornell recommended it.

These are sprays I have to do anyway to control insects, so in attempting least spray production I wanted to see if I could get away without spray earlier in the season. If I hadn't tried it I would never have found out. Your universities don't really know about home orchard production as commercial production is another sport entirely.

I'm not saying that I know how to control CAR in TN but I am saying that UT doesn't know anymore about controlling it in a home orchard there than Cornell does here. If you want to go out and spray during bloom go ahead- but you won't learn nothin.

The pink stage is PRE-bloom when we use insecticide. Adding Immunox to the tank seems like an effortless and cheap insurance policy. Misterbaby.

MrB, yes, I usually add some myclobutanyl to my delayed dormant oil spray when it's part of my program. For some reason I misread your post and only saw bloom. I still am surprised you wait until you see pink, don't you use oil? I've never heard of oil applied past tight cluster, although this includes the point where a little pink is showing.

What all is in your first spray?

Harvestman, my first spray at delayed dormant is heavy oil and copper. When about half of my 40 varieties are at bud break and the other half at pink, everybody gets immunox plus the insecticide du jour. When all the trees are at some stage of bloom, here come the streptomycin. This skips a UT-recommended step but, like you, I minimize whenever I can. Misterbaby.

Hman,

I didn't mean to imply I thought your spray schedule wasn't adequate. I value your experience-based input on these issues, and I'd bet your schedule would work fine here. However, the weather in my area gets strange in the late winter and early spring, and since I screwed up last year and didn't control the CAR I'm over probably over compensating this year. I'm worried that we'll get some warm wet stretch and the galls will react earlier than the apples.

CAR is dreadful here. Sitting here in my sun room looking out I can see tens of cedar trees. I checked several on my property looking for galls and only found one, but they must be out there waiting to do their thing, and I was concerned that if the trees had leafed out and the spores were active the CAR would get to them before petal drop.

I'll only have 25 or so apple trees to treat so an extra spray will be a cheap price to pay for the peace of mind.

Chuck

Chuck, I always read testier than I'm feeling. I wasn't offended, just suggesting some experimentation so we can all learn least spray methods in the different regions of the country. I don't expect my schedule to work for everyone everywhere as I sometimes have to make adjustments site to site within a few miles of each other.

MrB, what are you gunning for so early with your insecticide du jour? Here I can generally get away with waiting until petal fall with only minor insect damage- mostly those little moths (worms) that eat blossoms.

Harvestman, I'm gunning for anyone who didn't get smothered plus new arrivals. Mostly plant bugs, aphids. I dislike buggage. Misterbaby.

Hi Chuck: the scientist in me can't help but to advise, observe, observe, observe. Keep yer eyes on those pesky galls and pay attention to what the weather does to them, in time you'll figure it out and how to anticipate what the galls do given the weather. I doubt I've mastered it but, I have a darned good idea and tons of subjects to observe.

On the bright side, don't forget that Immunox/Nova/etc. has a few days of "kickback" activity in case your predictive and subsequent reactive abilities aren't quite up to speed. Or to put it another way, "oh crap, the galls are going suddenly going crazy today, I can't spray till tomorrow and the trees have lots of new leaves on them"! Immunox to the rescue.

Michael

Mr. B., this advice isn't for you, (my guess is you are well acquainted with my perspective) but for anyone else who might draw inspiration from your anti-"buggage" outlook.

Most bugs are indifferent- some are good some are bad. Too much spray and the bad bugs resist, the good bugs go away and it's really hard to know the affect of the dead indifferent ones. I strongly believe it's best to go IPM and spray as little as possible to get satisfactory fruit.

Love your word buggage, by the way.

Harvestman, ten-four on going IPM. However, to Michael's point above, I really fall short on observing and tend to spray prophylactically when I should be out in the orchard with a magnifying glass and insect traps to see what is really going on, at least for my on-site trees. (I also do a bit of sharecropping at remote sites.) For instance, when following your thread on the Brown Marmorated Stinky, it dawned on me that I couldn't recognize one if it bit me on the behind. Amateurs!!! Misterbaby.