In article ,
"David E. Ross" wrote:

On 7/21/2008 2:33 AM, FarmI wrote:
"David E. Ross" wrote in message
On 7/19/2008 3:25 AM, FarmI wrote:
I've just sprayed my peach trees with Burgundy mix (a variant on
Bordeaux) and was wondering how long copper sprays have to be on the
plant to be
effective? We got a light shower within 24 hours of application and I
can
still see a light blue tinge around the bud edges.


I've always sprayed again if there is rain within 48 hours. However,
there is a difference between RAIN and light showers.

:-)) Rain is something I dream about after about 7 years of drought. It
was indeed a light shower.

We're in our second year of drought. One state reservoir is at 75% of
capacity; the others are at 67% or lower. None are above their average
actual capacity.

It's been 52 days since our last measurable rain, and we normally won't
see rain again until late October or sometime in November. We had a
total of 12.35 inches (31.4 cm) since last September. Last year, by
this time, we had 4.57 inches (11.6 cm).


Actually, I always spray at least twice. First, I spray right after
pruning (January). Then, I spray again just as the flower buds swell
and show some red (not yet open, March).

Are you in the southern hemisphere? It's quite late to be spraying
peaches in the northern hemisphere. Aha! You're in Australia. There,
I would spray in July (now) and again in September.

Thanks for that advice although by the way the buds are swelling, I'm not
too sure they'll make it to Sept before bursting.

I've seen no sign of leaf curl this year.

Do you fertilise heavily on the premise that it forces peaches though the
leaf curl? I've read that repeatedly but dont' know if to believe it or
not. I find a lot of stuff in books isn't necessarily so in practice eg
see
the thread on animal manure.

I broadcast some commercial, off-brand lawn fertilizer around the tree
in the early spring. It's not only for the tree but also the primroses
and grape hyacinths growing under it and the asparagus growing behind
it. Overfeeding promotes leaf growth in place of fruit.

My peaches are ripe right
now; they're quite good. Although I thinned them severely, I still have
more than I can give away.

Dang! Do you have to get my taste buds slobbering? It's midwinter and cold
cold cold. The least you could have done was attach a ripe peach to your
post................

I picked the last of the crop last night. The bees and wasps got quite
a few. The problem is that the season is quite short; they all ripen at
the same time.

Once they are picked, they are quite perishable. If not eaten quickly,
they rot. That's because they are tree-ripened (not like the junk sold
in the markets).

My wife did make a delicious peach crisp (more like a cobbler). And I
gave away more than a dozen. I trade my peaches for my neighbors'
tomatoes and figs.

If I can figure out how, I'll upload one of my last peaches via FTP to
my Web server. You can then download it from there.

Look at this.

http://www.droughtscore.com/

Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA