apple scab / bags / thinking out loud

13 years ago

I won't argue with someone who says I should research this more before I post, but I thought it would be fun to post my latest "nutty" idea and see if I can be better directed in my research. This is the latest idea to excite me to want to get an answer for:

I would like to see foot sox or ziploc bags that also keep apple scab from the fruit in wet climates such as where I live....I know some believe the ziploc bags work naturally on that already, but that hasn't been my observation....I wonder if something could help out....specifically could I soak the foot sox in a fungicide or put a little fungicide in the bag (ziploc or #2 bleached paper bag) that would greatly inhibit the apple scab in late Spring when one applies these protective devices.

I know the spores have already made their entries to the tree by the time in late May or early June when I would be putting the footies or bags on......but I also know that while some fungicides are preventatives there are others that have a limited window of opportunity in which they work against the fungus that is already present.

Specifically, I would like to put a substance on these footies or baggies that I would not be afraid to handle directly with my hands, but which would still inhibit the scab on the developing apple inside the bag.

Sulfur? Yucca plants? Whatever.....I am open to what might work and to experiment on that this next summer.

Sure....sure....the best thing would be to have planted a Liberty, Akane, or Tydeman's Red......but sometimes we have to work with what is already there.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

tcstoehr
13 years ago
Donnie, I'm in your same bioregion and have tried both ziplocs and footies. My experience is that the ziplocs allow for scab and the footies fail to repel coddling moth. I think the ziplocs seal in moisture and create a humid environment around the apple which is helpful to scab and other fungi.
The folks at our "Home Orchard Society" were the first to spearhead the footie. I spoke to Ted Swensen, who I think first thought of the footies, and he says the new footies *do* repel coddling moth. What's new about them is that they are soaked in a Surround (Kaolin Clay) solution which has the benefit of repelling the coddling moth. I would think you could put other things in that soaking solution, like sulfur for example, to solve other problems. I'm just speculating mind you, but it does seem reasonable. Here's what I was talking about.

Improved Footies
donnieappleseed
Original Author
13 years ago
Yep....actually it was Ted's looking at his girlfriend's trying on foot sox that got a whole lot of this started....now the Seattle Tree Fruit Society funds its programs by the sale of foot sox and we look to Ted for new ideas.

Other parts of the country use other ideas.....I see Minnesota and Virginia people that swear by the Ziploc bags, for example.....and who knows? Maybe they are right.

I just read last night in the Good Fruit Grower that many of the growers in China are using bags as well to keep the bugs out.....at less than $1 an hour pay, they can afford to hire that done!

Some of us in Seattle tried the kaolin and got less than 100% codling moth protection....and we are not sure if that was our problem or not.

The Home Orchard Society in Portland used to use #2 bleached paper bags purchased from Merchant Paper
http://www.merchantspaper.com/

And I am wondering if I should try going back to the bleached paper sacks a little more....why? Because some of the products I might want to use.....neem oil, say break down under uv light and I am wondering if I could get away with longer protection by putting something inside of the bleached paper sack that could discourage scab....

but like I say, am just thinking out loud here.
Related Discussions
Bagging Apples: wait for fruit drop or bag now?
Q
Comments (7)
Paul and/or Irene: I am totally on board with tcstoehr on this one. Get up there and thin those apples immediately, to one fruit per cluster. When you do, you may notice there is already some apparently minor insect damage in the form of small scars, holes, or just dark colored lines. These imperfections that may seem minor now will later become major. So start by thinning all those apples off that have even the slightest imperfections. After that, go for the fattest, fastest-developing fruit. Once the chosen fruit is alone in the cluster, bag it. Waiting for fruit drop is a recipe for disaster if you have any kind of insect activity around. By leaving more than one fast-developing fruit in the cluster you are ensuring that neither or none of them will grow up to its full potential. Once all but one has been removed, the one you leave will begin to grow even faster. Unhappiness is thinning off all but one fat apple, then finding out the one you have selected has also been selected by the plum curculio or codling moth on the side you could not see. I am thinning right now, and my apples are much smaller than one inch. However, I am able to idenfity those with the best potential, and usually find the insect damage in time to remove it. Clusters of apples are more attractive to insects than singleton fruits. Insects are efficiency experts. I usually work with a small scissors when I can clearly see what I am doing, but if I have to reach into the tree I also try to roll or break off the apples gently with my fingers. You have to be careful because fruiting clusters are still quite tender at this time of year, and can be easily broken off. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
...See More
Apple Scab ? on leaf pic
Q
Comments (4)
Greetings again: upon closer examination with a 14x loupe I can barely make out what appears to be reddish brown critters living along mostly the midrib vein exclusively on top of the leaf. Some of the critters are also on lesser veins. I suspect mites because they certainly wouldn't be unheard of, and because their color and extremely small size rules out many other insects. I don't have my spray records in front of me but I think that tree was sprayed once with malathion within the last 3 weeks which could leave me with a mite problem. The newest leaves on the tree appear unaffected also indicating the problem began earlier in the season. Michael
...See More
Apple scab
Q
Comments (13)
Spray as close to harvest as the label on the fungicide allows you. Yes, spray the summer sprays starting in July and spray through August, maybe even into September depending on the weather. I try to spray every 21 days or so. One inch of rain, cut the time in half, two inches of rain, respray. I usually do my last PC spray by the middle of July and then summer sprays from then on, as many as needed based on the weather. Commercial instructions will probably tell you to spray every 10-14 days, we don't need every fruit perfect for home use. I store my best keeping apples for winter use and the ones least perfect or not good keepers I use first. Keep in mind many sources on the internet are advising commerical production of fruit. I managed to have home grown apples year round. My winesap, granny smiths, stayman, and Arkansas Black from last year lasted until my McIntosh came in this year. I just started eating the Macs a few days ago. My goldrush hasn't started producing yet but I look forward to adding that one to my winter collection. As a side note, I was at our local farmer's market over the weekend just looking around when I saw the appleman. He had Granny Smiths that he "just picked", here in zone 7 (Virginia)I usually pick mine very late October or early November. I try to pick them just before a killing frost, which seems to get later every year. From experience I expect it would take a rather heavy frost to damage the Granny Smith apple. I have missed ones on the tree and found them in late November and they were good.
...See More
Apple scab at new house! Too late to treat?
Q
Comments (11)
Update: I've heard from others who have had scab for the first time here, this year. Normally the summer is very dry here, but we had a couple days of very warm rain this year, which from what little I've read about scab, seems like the perfect breeding ground, right? It seems like maybe my trees got infected late in the season, because except for the one pear tree, they're producing like crazy. Some of them are so heavy with apples that their branches are almost touching the ground. I just haven't had much experience with scab, and seeing the poor little pear tree who's lost most of its leaves had me worried. Good to know about sulphur, and thanks for the advice on NOT composting the leaves this late in the season. I needed that. The tree that looks the healthiest out of all of them, and maybe it's just coincidence, is the one with nasturtiums trailing under it, which is what my mother has always done with her trees to keep pests off. And it's in the same row as the tree that looks the worst. This could just be because the nasturtiums have kept soil-depleting weeds and grass from growing under the good tree. But it also seems to have kept the leaf rollers away from it. So I think I'll experiment with companion planting anyways next year, if not for the scab, just for the general health of the tree. Plus, nasturtiums or chives under an apple tree = very pretty combo.
...See More

apple scab / bags / thinking out loud

Comments (2)

tcstoehr

donnieappleseed
Original Author

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

apple scab / bags / thinking out loud

Comments (2)

tcstoehr

donnieappleseedOriginal Author

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

donnieappleseed
Original Author