To combat erwinia I would liberally mulch the trees quartely with a woody herb mulch and a 2 cups of biochar at the base of each tree. I would wash susceptible areas with a spit or amylase based wash brewers yeast (ascomycetes and bacillus break it down) also works which breaks down the polysacchirides (carbs) protecting what essentually is a necrotising bacteriam. This is why old time grafters spat on their work as it colonises wounds in grafts Its important to wash nearby trees similarly as its transported by pollinators. But without the polysacchirides it cant get a grip. Take off any cankers without damaging cambium as this is where the pathogen overwinter. Grow a diversity of trees including multiple species of fruit not just one variety.

My grandfather used to control gnats in the house in a similar fashion. Put a banana peel in your stainless sink and let the gnats gather there. Bring in a small propane torch and make a quick pass over the peels. You might be able to use a bananal peel to lure the gnats away from your plant before you hit them with the heat gun. Somehow, I'm in love with the heat gun trick. It just seems very manly!

>>Topsoil depth guesstimate is about 6" nearest foundation and drops gradually over next 10 feet-this area will be for bedding plants. Topsoil depth guesstimate for lawn starting 10' out from foundation: 4" That's extremely deep and would invalidate the Logan test. Four inches covers most of the feeder root depth for grasses. So although the tests here are good for the rest of the lawn, the top soil area is an unknown. Wait and see if it ends up that deep, it does seem like an awful lot of top soil. The results of the test: Total Exchange Capacity 8.15: Consistent with the soil test. While optimal is 10 to 15, this is not a problem in the slightest. Soil ph 7.5: It's good we recommended no lime as it would be exactly the wrong response in this soil. Your pH is already thrown somewhat high, although this is no barrier to a gorgeous lawn. But let's not throw it out of whack any further than it already is. % Organic Matter 4.13: In the Good range, but with the lower EC and high pH, I'd recommend adding OM slowly over the next few years. That will tend to raise the EC somewhat and make the pH matter less. ANIONS Sulfur: p.p.m 14: Perfect. Phosphorus lbs/acre 133: A little low. I recommended starter fertilizer below. CATIONS Calcium 2528 (desired 2216) Magnesium 242 (desired 234) Potassium 272 (desired 254) Sodium 72 (pounds per acre) >>I don't report on these directly, I use them as a basis for adjusting soils. Base Saturation % Calcium 77.55 (60 to 70%): In perfect range, although on the high side of it. Excess Ca isn't a problem. Magnesium 12.37 (10-20%): In perfect range. Potassium 4.28 (2 to 5%): In perfect range (which is rare for K). Sodium 1.91 (.5-3%): High. This, in combination with your otherwise perfect cations above, is sending the pH too high. At this time, I'm not going to change it. Let's see if it leaches out. Other Bases 3.90 (variable): Everything else. This is pretty normal. Exchangable Hydrogen 0.00 (10 to 15%)**: Zero because of your high pH. Trace Elements Boron p.p.m. 0.23: Low. Boron's critical for photosynthesis and meristem development and differentiation. Recommendations below. Iron p.p.m. 167.0: Technically OK, but this won't produce good color in the lawn. Use Milorganite as desired to raise this and raise the OM at the same time. Manganese p.p.m. 16.0 Copper p.p.m. 3.97 Zinc p.p.m. 3.4 Aluminum p.p.m 678.0 These four are fine (Al isn't used, it's actually toxic, but not available until pH drops into the low-5 range). Zn is technically out of whack when compared to the others, but I'm not inclined to fiddle with it. Recommendations: May 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. June 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. June 15: Apply 3 tablespoons per thousand square feet of 20 Mule Team borax (use Milorganite as a carrier to even the distribution and get this tiny amount down). September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. September 15: Apply 3 tablespoons per thousand square feet of 20 Mule Team borax.

To find this, or any other place you might wish to look at again, you bookmark it. How you do that depends on your search vehicle. It is possible to do what you want, Ma Nature does it all the time. Perhaps Paul Tukey's books on organic lawn care may be of some help. kimmq is kimmsr