zxcvbob wrote:
wrote:
hi we live in norhtern california about 1 hour south of san francisco
(zone 9b i think).
we would like to plant asian pears, apricots, parismons and avacado
trees, all dwarf types.
is it possible to care for asian pears, apricots, and grapes without
using chemicals?
if so, are there any websites you can point me to for more information?
our nursery seems to think that we may have proble with asian pears and
apricots if we don't treat them with pesticides.
It's no longer possible to grow perfect, insect-free apples without
using pesticides.
Never was.
But you can probably get close if your orchard
hygiene is impeccable and if you use traps for coddling moths and apple
maggots.
Depending on the degree of infestation, traps are expensive and in my
experience
do not do a complete job.
A few bug stings or apple maggot tracks really don't hurt
anything in fresh apples that you plan to eat right away, but they ruin
the apples for storage.
I'm not sure what kind of apple maggots you have, but when I pick an apple
with
a maggot in it, it is obvious from the destruction inside that this apple
is a 'tosser'.
Asian pears are pretty close to apples, but I don't recall my crazy
great-aunt having problems with insect damage to her Asian pears, and
she didn't spray anything.
You'll probably need to spray the grapes with something like Bordeaux
mixture for fungus. I think Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate and slaked
lime) is allowed for organically grown fruits.
Best regards,
Bob