Preparing Home Fruit Plantings for Spring John Strang Department of Horticulture

Ordering Fruit Plants (It’s getting a little late) Recommend disease resistant varieties for home growers Apples Fire blight, Scab Cedar apple rust Powdery mildew Pears Fire blight Peaches Bacterial canker Hardier cv. Grapes Black rot Downy & Powdery mildew Anthracnose Botrytis Phomopsis Blackberries & Black raspberries Orange rust Blueberries Phytophthora Strawberries Red stele Leaf diseases

Assess Tree Damage Vole Rabbit

Collection of Scion Wood Collect when wood is completely dormant, Feb. -Mar. Previous seasons growth Disease free wood Bundle up wood and label Wrap in moist towel, sawdust etc. and place in a plastic bag Store in refrigerator

Bridge Graft

Inarching

Cleft Graft

Prune All Fruit Plants

Types of Cuts

Pruning Fruit Trees Remove dead wood Put in branch spreaders (apples & pears) Remove narrow angled or weak scaffold limbs Remove a few larger limbs if needed back to another outwardly growing limb Thin out branches and shoots leaving plenty of flower buds 20% max. Know the growth characteristics and where the flower buds are.

Pruning Videos Fruit Tree Pruning http://video.ca.uky.edu/videos/video/491/ Pruning Apple Trees to a Central Leader http://video.ca.uky.edu/videos/video/492/ Grapevine Pruning Demonstration Blackberry Pruning Demonstration Blueberry Pruning Demonstration http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL09F15FE61241AC38&feature=plcp

Extension Pruning Publications Training and Culture of Dwarf Apples Using the Vertical Axis System (HortFact-3501) http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/appletraining.pdf Kentucky Backyard Apple Integrated Pest Management (IPM-9) http://www.uky.edu/Ag/IPM/manuals/ipm9hmap.pdf

Grower Questions Mushrooms – trees life is limited Yellow-bellied Sapsucker injury on apple Burr knot or adventitious roots on apple

Fire Blight on Apples & Pears Prune out as much as possible Prune out slightly before canker Not transferred on pruners while dormant

Remove Black Knot on Plums

Avoid Leaving Branch Stubs

Removal of Larger Limbs

Remove Narrow Branch Angles Strong Weak

Branch Spreading Opens tree up for sunlight and spray penetration Not enough Opens tree up for sunlight and spray penetration Reduces shoot and limb vigor Encourages flowering Excessive

Apple Tree Training Central Leader System Second Growing Season Photos courtesy: Ohio State University

Central Leader Apple Tree

Multiple Leader or Modified Central Leader Apple Plum Cherry Pear

Vase Peach & Some Plums Peach tree after 2 years growth Photo courtesy: Ohio State University Peach tree after 2 years growth before & after pruning

Peach Pruning

Grape – High Cordon Rough prune to 3 – bud spurs Prune to 4-5 buds/ft cordon on each side of high wire cordon Must have at least 1 lb of prunings to do this! Before After

Dormant Oil Spray Tree Fruit When temperatures are 45°F or higher for 2 days Complete thorough coverage San Jose Scale

Dormant Oil Spray Rosy apple aphid Two spot and European red mites Thorough complete coverage

Fixed Copper Spray Apples & Pears for Fire Blight Combine in dormant oil spray up to ¼ “ green stage Kills fire blight bacteria on surface of trees * *

Fruit Insect & Disease Predictive Models http://weather.uky.edu/plant_disease.html

Fire Blight Model

Fire Blight Model - 4/10/12

Fire Blight Model 4/15/12 Spray Streptomycin Protected for 4 days

Winter Injury All fruit crops still have the potential for a full crop Peaches have some injury Min. temp. Feb. 1 UKREC 12.3 °F 77% survival Contender Lexington 6.6 °F 65% survival Coral Star

Fruit Crop Fertilization Fertilize with N based on plant growth May not be needed on very fertile sites Once the pre plant fertilizer is applied usually only annual applications of N are needed.

Tree Fruit Fertilization Desired New Terminal Growth (mature trees)* Rate (Applied in Feb.) Apples 12-15” ¼ lb ammonium nitrate/yr of age Peaches & Plums 14-20” 1/6 lb ammonium nitrate/yr of age Tart Cherries 8” Pears Less than 12” 1/8 lb ammonium nitrate/yr of age *1-3 year-old trees may double this amount of growth May substitute SS Superkicker 33% N fertilizer for ammonium nitrate (Ammonium sulfate + Urea) (½ lb granular fertilizer is equal to approximately 1 cup)

Small Fruit Fertilization Desired Growth Rate Strawberries Dark green, avoid leggy growth 5 lb 10-10-10/100’ row, L. Jun. after renovation Blackberries & Raspberries Dark green .75-1.5 lb ammonium nitrate/ 100 ft. row, Feb. Grapes Dark brown, 3/8” diam. current seasons canes 0.2 lb 33-0-0/vine, Apr 1 0.2 lb 33-0-0/vine, Fruit set

Check for Borers Peach & Plum Peachtree borers Apple Dogwood borers

Tree Planting Soil test and adjust P, K, Mg & pH Soil not too wet Large hole Soak roots overnight Do not put fertilizer in the hole! Put top soil back in bottom of hole

Tree Planting Cut off broken roots Set tree with graft union 2-4 inches above soil line Spread roots out well Place top soil in around roots…Do not bring in good soil to fill hole Firm soil around tree May make an above ground basin – don’t leave over winter Water in well to settle soil around roots immediately after planting

Planting Prune fruit crops in the spring, not fall Rodent guard Gravel to reduce wallowing Weed control Planted on raised ridge with rodent guards Figure courtesy: T. Roper & G. Frank, Univ. WI

Weed Control Increases tree growth & fruit size Mulching Glyphosate Keep off of tree Peaches particularly sensitive Use generics Weed eater

Fruit Thinning Apple & Pear Thin early Larger fruit higher sugar content Slightly lower yield ~ every 6-7” Sevin at insecticide rate from bloom to 30 days after bloom

Bagging Apples Manage early season diseases and insects Thin fruit to one/cluster Apply bags at .5-.75” fruit diam. Japanese bags 3-lb paper bags, 6” in length, with 1.5” slit cut at opening Bags must cover fruit and be tied shut over branch

Bagging Apples Improves fruit finish Pesticide sprays not needed after bagging Controls Codling moth Plum curculio San Jose scale Rosy apple aphid Sooty blotch & flyspeck Apple scab Cork spot http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef218.asp http://video.ca.uky.edu/search/?q=bagging+apples&x=8&y=4

Grapes Rough prune when dormant Finish prune at 4” new growth Delays growth Frost protection Anthracnose Dormant period on susceptible varieties Sulforix Flea beetle Bud break if found Sevin Black rot 4” new growth Mancozeb, Captan or Fixed copper 10” new growth Mancozeb, Captan or Fixed copper + myclolbutanil Bagging when grapes are pea size

Blackberries & Raspberries Prune out dead canes Remove Rednecked cane borer Look for Raspberry crown borer at cane bases - Blackberries Spray with liquid-lime sulfur or Sulforix at ½ inch new growth Rednecked cane borer Raspberry crown borer

Blueberries Mulch with sawdust or wood chips Leafroller & Plum curculio Petal fall Malathion or Permethrin

Strawberries Remove straw mulch when new growth becomes a little yellow Cover with straw or cloth when freeze predicted Botrytis fruit rot Bloom Captan weekly

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug 17 counties Boyd, Lewis, Greenup, Carter, Rowan, Lawrence Pike, Floyd, Magoffin, Johnson Letcher, Bell, Whitley Jefferson, Henry, Oldham Fayette Feeds on a very wide range of fruit vegetable & ornamental crops Takes 2-3 years to become a production problem Overwinters in houses Difficult to control Malathion Photo courtesy: Bugwood UGA

Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Drosophila suzukii Found all across IL this summer Captured in KY traps in late summer Bowling Green Owensboro Female can puncture fruit and lay eggs Serious problem in soft fruit particularly later in season Photo courtesy Patty Lucas Photo courtesy G. Arakelian Los Angelis county Ag. Commissioner Photo courtesy Martin Hauser, UC IPM

Spotted winged Drosophila Attack as fruits turn color Raspberry Blackberry Blueberry Cherry Strawberry Grape Peach Plum Tomato (GH, Heirloom) Control with Entrust on some crops

Meetings Specifics - Fruit Facts Newsletter Fruit Tree Grafting Fruit Tree Pruning Blueberry Production Fruit Grower Orchard Tour Apr. 11, Shelbyville Small Fruit Production & IPM Short Course Apr. 24, Ashland Agent Training & Pesticide CEU credit KY Nut Growers Assoc. Meeting Apr. 27, Elizabethtown