Delayed Dormant Sprays

Friday Jan 02, 2026

Dormant sprays are important for management of a wide range of pests including European red mite, woolly apple aphid, rosy and green apple aphids, and San Jose Scale. Most of these are easily controlled using a variety of materials, but if you are using oils, remember that good coverage is essential because they work by covering the egg stage and preventing respiration.

Why Coverage and Calibration Matter

Friday Jan 02, 2026

Taking the time to ensure that your sprayer is properly calibrated will insure best control of pests and diseases and save time and money. Proper calibration of an airblast sprayer requires that tractor speed, water volume, and nozzle manifold arrangement be coordinated to achieve the best coverage under site-specific operating conditions. Driving too fast is the most common error made in airblast sprayer calibration.

Ways to Reduce Drift

Friday Jan 02, 2026

Spray drift is one of the most important issues facing pesticide applicators. Movement to off-site locations can be caused by wind, poor calibration/adjustment, and operator error.

Fireblight Prediction and Management

Friday Jan 02, 2026

Many consider blight an apparently random curse, and part of the game a pome fruit grower must play. As outbreaks do not occur yearly, damage always seems to be somebody else's problem, until it suddenly appears in your orchard.

Delayed Dormant Sprays for Leafrollers

Friday Jan 02, 2026

Pandemis leafroller (PLR) and oblique-banded leafroller (OBLR) have different phenologies which are well documented on DAS. Delayed dormant sprays can work well for PLR, but are generally too early in the season for efficacy against larvae of OBLR.