Hi Fruit Growers,
We are off to a rough start!!
All apple trees in RI should be sprayed with a fungicide PRIOR to the next rain event (Thursday?, Friday????). And if you sprayed after the deluge of last week, but it’s been 5 or more days since you sprayed, spray again. Use a protectant fungicide such as Manzate or Polyram. Many orchards in RI are resistant to Rubigan and other SI fungicides (Nova, Rally, Procure). Some orchards are also resistant to Syllit (dodine). It is safest to use a protectant such as Manazate.

If you want to use a fungicide that gives some kickback action against apple scab, try Vangard or Scala. These two fungicides control only apple scab so they are good for early in the season – before bloom. They provide 48-72 hours of post-infection period activity (count from the start of the rain period). During warm temperatures the time is only 48 hours, during cooler temperatures these fungicides can kickback further to 72 hours.

This is a great week for applying oil to control European red mite eggs or San Jose scale. Use a 2% oil solution until tight cluster bud stage and then reduce the concentration to a 1% oil solution.

I’ve been looking for winter moth larvae. I found my first winter moth caterpillar March 25. Since then we’ve had a bit of rain and then some really warm temperatures. I think that many winter moth caterpillars have already hatched. The good news is I have NOT found winter moth in blueberry plantings in Coventry, Glocester, East Greenwich, and Middletown. I think I found one winter moth caterpillar in an apple bud in Middletown, but this could have been a green pug moth caterpillar. I think it’s a winter moth caterpillar because I didn’t see an entrance hole – green pugs chew their way into a bud and winter moth caterpillars weasel their way in.

I hope to get to other areas this week and look for winter moth caterpillars.

Our April twilight meeting will be April 22 at Erik Eacker’s . The address is 830 South Road, East Greenwich. He has young apple and cherry trees.