I. Prebloom TREATMENTS
The goal pursued is to protect apples and pears from most important diseases: Scabby, powdery mildew as well as to prevent falling of blossoms because of infection and early brown rot. These are the most dangerous diseases causing lesions and mass fruit loss. This period is also essential for the fact that by these means of protection we aim at killing the pests having survived the winter frosts, some of the more important of which are:
The apple moth, whose caterpillars leave the shields prior the flowering stage and gnaw the leaf buds; the green apple leaf louse, which also lays eggs before flowering stage; The white fruit butterfly, whose caterpillars move to the bulging buds before the flowering stage; The fruit barkeater, whose caterpillars attack the shoots and are fed on them before the flowering stage; the small winter Operophtera brumata, which impairs the shoots before the flowering stage; the apple golden Rhinchites bacchus, whose beetles plot lesions before the flowering stage at the end of March and the beginning of April. Predicatively the period covers two sprayings at the time of the:
- Swelling of buds from 25 to 31 March with 1 % Bordeaux solution;
- In fen phase ” green peaks ” to “red buds” from 13 to 17 April: With 1% copper bicarbonate solution plus 1% horseradish infusion and 2% garlic extract.
II. BLOOMING TIME TREATMENT
This type of treatment continues the protection not only against the powdery mildew and curling but also against the damaging of blossoms by enemies as: the apple blossom-eater /before laying eggs/, Epiticometis hirta beetle, the ordinary May beetle, etc.
It is performed in fen phase from “buttoning” to “Final flowers” /around 80%/. Predictively covers the period around 26-30 April: 1% horseradish tincture and 2% garlic extract.
III. POST-BLOOMING TIME TREATMENTS
Blooming time treatments, which essentially are the first growing treatments of fruit species have exclusively keeping character. The main objective to be achieved is not to allow the mass development of pests, diseases, infections, laying of eggs, hatching and multiple reproduction of different enemies ON POMACEOUS FRUIT species! This period is the longest and ends in the middle of August.
It is a mandatory condition if a treatment is omitted in a previous phase, for it to be carried out during the next phase or month!
The importance stems from the fact that during the growing period besides the protection of apples and pears from scabby, powdery mildew, early brown rot, generations of the above listed enemies follow generations of new such!
In May on apples there appears: red fruit Tropilaelaps, the apple fruit worm, mining moths, leaf-rollers, the gypsy moth, etc.
Some time in June there appears the white American butterfly, which attacks all fruit species. It is extremely dangerous and is causes great harm! In addition, during June apples are being attacked by the second generation of the apple fruit worm. During the second half of June there also appears the stinky wood-eater, the red fruit tropilaelaps, the green apple leaf louse, and others.
The temperatures significantly rise!
If during July there comes a lasting dry period of time, in case the carried out protective events are successful the treatment for powdery mildew and scabby shall be terminated. There continue the applications against the third generation of the apple fruit worm and the emergence of new pests: bed bugs and fruit bark-eater, which cause large lesions and provide an opportunity for the fruit to be attacked by ants, wasps and cause local spots of rot on fruit.
In August the most dangerous remain: the fruit worm, fruit bark-eater, the birds and the wasps. The first post bloom treatment is be carried out from 15-18th of May in fen phase “shaping of fruit”: 1% horseradish tincture; 2% garlic extract; 1% bicarbonate solution of apple vinegar plus repellent solution from black elderberries.
The second treatment is done: from 1-4 of June in phenophase “hazelnut”: 1% horseradish tincture and 2 % of garlic extract.
The third treatment is from 27-30 of June in phenophase “walnut”: 1% horseradish tincture, 2% garlic extract plus repellent solution from sumac.
The fourth Treatment: is around 15-18J of July with 2 % garlic extract and bicarbonate solution of apple vinegar.
IV. THERE FOLLOW TWO TREATMENTS AGAINST THE LATE BROWN ROT BEFORE PICKING OF FRUIT AND IN THE CONDITIONS OF STORAGE OF APPLES AND PEARS
The objective is to preserve the fruit of later brown rot before fruit picking and their safe storage.
The first treatment is after 14-20 of August with 2% garlic extract and 1% copper bicarbonate solution.
The second treatment is around the middle of September with the same preparations and doses of 2% garlic extract and 1% copper bicarbonate solution.
Toward the end of September is the beginning of the picking period of apples and pears, which continues until the end of October.