This is what works in southeastern NY and from what I've heard generally in the northeast. I would recommend you use Triazide made by Ortho (Once and Done) if you want to duplicate my results. The advantage of Imidan is that it has some kick back and will kill eggs after they've been inserted. Triazide may be a bit more rain fast.

Sprayed my first application for insects today, apples are at pink and cherry is almost flowering...started to hit the cherry tree and about 6 moths flew off the tree. I have a major problem with OFM but I never thought the cherry tree was that bad. This tree is so tall it's hard to get the top of it. Come to think about it the cherry tree is always flowering ahead of the other fruit trees. Nice to see the insect your spraying for is there...I've only seen the damage fruit...
MD

I never in 25 years in southeastern NY have needed a pre- petal fall spray with insecticide. This is at scores of sites.

OFM is never a problem this early and for me it has yet to become a major fruit pest, although the commercial NY growers are concerned with increased activity of this pest.

I strongly advise against spraying when you don't really know what you are spraying for. Tent caterpiller is usually the only major issue this early, and you can remove their nests by hand.

Harvestman,

So, I should spray that first insecticide (Once and Done) now at petal fall? And what you were saying in your program was that petal fall is normally May 8-May 18. Correct?

Personally, I would not be spraying insecticides while there are flowers on the tree. You're going to be killing the bees which you need for pollination.
-Glenn

Two questions:

1.What brand contains the Myclobutanil ?
2. If the first two sprays are 1.at petal fall and the other at 10-14 days later, when is the third applied ?

thank you..

I think people need to know what other sprays they can use maybe before petal fall. I sprayed some bt on my apples because I had some very tiny white caterpillars on my fruit buds. My neighbor used some hort oil. Is this a good thing to use instead of using once and done so as not to hurt bees?

Hi Acie-
Being a subscriber of the Harvestman 2-spray method... Immunox (not Immunox Plus which has an insecticide not rated for fruit) is the name of the spray that includes myclobutantil.

Sometimes 3 sprays are needed because apple trees of a different variety and different locations will not all go through petal fall at the same time. Thus, you may get away with 2 sprays on an individual tree, but 3 sprays may be needed to adequately cover your whole orchard.

Hi John-
We're kinda talking about 2 different things in the same thread. Insecticide and Fungicides. Fungicides shouldn't cause any problems for the Bees. I suppose you could spray them earlier, but there wouldn't be much point. As for insecticides, I wouldn't spray any of those until after petal fall. I would think hort oil would be fine as long as it says so on the label. (some oils are not recommended as the tree progresses through the stages, so read your label). If it's caterpillars you're after, based on what you've told me, I'd recommend looking at a spray of "BT" which specifically targets them, and is benign to everything else (I believe).
-Glenn

Sorry I should not of mix insecticides spraying with this topic and should of started a differet thread. Maybe I sould clear up somthing....I also don't spray insecticides until petal fall OR unless I see a need. When I was spraying my fungicides the moths were flying off the cherry tree so for me thats a need. Last year I did not get one apple between the apple scab and OFM. And yes I sprayed at the right times but here the rains just never stopped...This year will be different...
md

Acie,

Rally is a form of Myclobutanil. I just bought some. I like Hman's ideas.

Marc

Hman,
I'm doing more reading my Myclobutanil (Rally), thanks to your ideas on 3 spray program. I got it primarily for Cherry Leaf Spot, but if I could use it as a general spray for everything, great. However, I can't find it listed for pears in either the Midwest or Cornell spray guides. Am I missing something? Is it listed somewhere for all tree fruits?

Thanks,
Marc

I don't know what the Immunox label says- sometimes home formulas are more adaptable label wise. Rally isn't labeled for pears because it is not affective for pear scab or any other pear pests. The label is the law but so is the 55 MPH speed limit. If spraying is your business you'd better follow the law precisely. That's all I have to say on that.

If your pears have scab (even susceptible varieties don't get it at some sites- even after a couple of decades) you are entering 5 spray territory, IME. I am now steering my nursery to scab resistant pears.

Yes there are some leps that will eat your blossoms but for the most part a tree well laden with flowers has enough to spare- usually. Commercial growers often have to control leaf rollers that destroy blossoms, however. There is generally much less insect pressure in a home orchard than on a huge monoculture planting of fruit trees.