This Week in the Garden: Your Questions Answered, Week of April 27

Question:

When should I spray my apple trees for pests?

Answer:

For any fruit crop, it’s important to utilize an integrated pest management plan to help minimize damage from pests (like disease or insects) and maximize fruit production. In order to do this, it’s also important to know which diseases or insects you are trying to prevent or manage. Identification is a critical first step, then determining how bad the problem is, then figuring out which methods work for you and for your fruit crops. By understanding which pests you are trying to manage, you will be better equipped to apply products at the right time of year, based on the life cycle of the pest.

Our apple trees are in full bloom right now so we want to wait until petal fall to do any spraying. Diseases like scab and fire blight and possibly some early season insects like aphids and scale are the pests that are being addressed early in the season.

Learn more:

Check out these free online programs about apple insect pests: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/free-online-programs/#apples

https://fruit.webhosting.cals.wisc.edu/…/Apple-Pest…

https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/…/spray…

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/…/home-fruit-insecticides

Have a question of your own?

Reach out—we may feature it in an upcoming post!

You can reach Julie, your local horticulture educator at 262-741-4958 or julie.hill@wisc.edu or use our online form: go.wisc.edu/PlantQ