I think it all boils down to how much manipulation of nature you are willing to do. All agriculture is about manipulating nature, but there is an enormous disparity between a small-scale forest garden of native fruiting plants in New Guinea and a huge intensively managed conventional apple orchard in Washington. And I'm sure everyone will agree on which will require more inputs, and which is more sustainable in the long run.

In terms of pesticide use in large scale conventional agriculture compared to a home garden or orchard, I'm quite sure the former is more. But home gardeners tend to make more mistakes due to inexperience with the chemicals which can be dangerous.

I personally don't use any chemicals, and I'm not really missing out on anything that would survive in my climate only with these chemicals. When it comes down to it, dealing with all that stuff is just another set of hassles I don't want to contend with. It is not worth the relatively minor improvement it might give me in my fruit growing. Most importantly though, I don't want to worry about my kids, pets, and wildlife (especially pollinating insects) being negatively affected.

Bottom line: do careful and extensive research on each chemical you want to use, and weigh the pros and cons. Some might be relatively harmless (roundup, perhaps), and others would have to used with extreme caution. Being informed is definitely better than thinking all chemicals are just evil. If good peaches or grapes are worth more to you than all of the potential costs (monetary, health, and environmental) of the chemical, then you can use it.

Gardengal is right, it is a never ending subject, and potentially hazardous.

While not a fan of spraying anything chemical, I did find that my goats aged manure compost & tea works surprisingly well for the seasonally occurring native pests in my area. It took me 5+ years to notice & confirm the undeniable comparison. I am sold. The goats ate all the trees and bushes for years (they are gone now 2013) and I still have aged composted manure & bedding.

Simultaneously, I must admit I may not have lived this long & been this handsome if they hadn't applied the many strange vaccines and cures given me as a child, circa 1958.

I am a firm believer in "You are what you eat", so... eat well!

I briefly tried an organic approach to my stone, pome, and citrus fruit trees and quickly realized I didn't want to work that hard on what was for me, a hobby orchard. I've gone to an insecticide once a year that I will be adding a second dose of from now on after losing 2 trees to borers. My fertilizer (growpower flower 'n bloom) isn't organic either. I understand anyone's preference for an organic approach but I'm pretty happy with the steps I've taken to keep my trees healthy and my fruit looking good.

Ya, I tried organic, but the fancier stuff is unavailable in the country ( at least I couldn’t find it ), and the pests overran everything else. They are simply too strong here. Peaches and grapes absolutely no other way here.

i use absolutely no pesticides or fungicides or any other chemicals

some organic fertilizer, but, even that i am very reserved with.

I read somewhere fairy's fertilize by moonlight once a month.

This is a MYTH. (just in case you need to be told)

Natures plants grow rather well.

i do everything natural.

if your soil is right, then, the plants are getting all the nutrients they need to battle pests... you also need supporting plants to bring in good-guy bugs.

read up on "permaculture" the whole thing is explained... there are hundreds of videos on youtube.

I just read 2 papers on the danger of fungicides killing good fungi in the soil.

If you promote good bacteria and fungi, there is no need for chemicals.

I grow dozens of different species. they all have thier niche, and all HELP the other plants around them,

a little shade on the roots, a little area for insects to hide, a transfer and trade of minerals and water between plants. mulch from leaves,

its a food-forest, and it works.

i never have a bug problem.

(try jujube by the way)

Greenman,

What fruit trees do you grow and where do you live?

I sense greenman is in a rather dryer area where fungal problem isn't a issue, what is you annual rainfall?

All gardening is local. I'm sorry, greenman, but the quote "if your soil is right, then,
the plants are getting all the nutrients they need to battle pests... “ just
isn't true in many (probably most) climates. How does having good soil allow
fruitlets to combat a weevil like Plum Curculio from piercing fruitlets in the
tree canopy and laying eggs inside the fruit? It's great if someone can be
healthy without taking any medicine. So far I've been fortunate in this area.
But if someone else is dealt a hand and needs medicine (chemicals) to stay
healthy, more power to them. I'm glad there are options in this modern area for
us to overcome many of the deficiencies we have. Similarly, it's awesome
when people can grow fruit without any chemicals (medicine). But in other
areas, we are dealt a hand that makes it necessary to treat a particular fungus
or pest at a certain time. What really bums me out is that plants that needed
no treatment for centuries in my area (ex: mulberries and blackberries) are now
all of the sudden devastated by SWD from the other side of the globe. At least
Plum Curculio only needs sprayed when the fruitlets are tiny, but SWD hits them
just when they are ripening. Major bummer. Unfortunately, a pest from one part
of the world infecting other parts of the world is a phenomenon that will
likely get worse in the future. I feel natural remedies for maladies are better than
synthetic remedies if the natural remedies actually work, but so many times
someone takes what works for them in one set of circumstances and insists that
it must work for everybody in every set of circumstances. I believe this is an
error.