While growing up on a farm in Northern Illinois, I was surrounded by corn and cattle. Acres of flat fields stretched as far as the eye could see, while a herd of black angus grew fat on a feedlot next to the barn. Century old shade trees that were planted by my great grandparents filled the front yard of my family’s farmhouse, and my swing hung from an old apple tree in the backyard, next to corn stalks that touched the sky.
Most Midwest farms have a home orchard, and our fruit selection was vast. My grandfather experimented with grafting on the apple and pear trees, with each tree providing several different varieties of fruit. We also had a plum tree and two cherry trees. There were lots of berries as well, but that’s a topic for another article. Our yields were always enough to keep the family fed through the next seasons’ harvest. From canned fruits, pie fillings and jams stored in jars on the basement shelves, to bushel baskets of apples waiting for an eager hand to grab a snack, there was always enough to share.
It’s no secret that a good fruit harvest starts with healthy, pest free trees. Whether you have one fruit tree in your yard, or several, there are some things that you should do now to ensure that your trees are protected from pests and diseases.
If you haven’t pruned your fruit trees yet, do it while they’re still dormant. In our area, that’s November through March. Be sure to complete this task before your tree flowers. A great resource on fruit tree pruning basics, including information about the tools you’ll need, is available through the Oregon State University Extension Service at extension.oregonstate.edu/crop-production/fruit-trees/tree-pruning-basics.
In the Mid-Columbia region, the fruit industry is our top economic producer. Hood River and Wasco counties annually grow more than 225,000 tons of apples, pears and cherries, and more than 4,000 local jobs are provided in the various aspects of fruit production and distribution. It’s vitally important to maintain backyard fruit trees to protect our No. 1 industry. If you have fruit trees in your yard, it’s your responsibility to keep them free of pests and diseases that could spread, and negatively affect commercial crops. The State of Oregon Department of Agriculture has ordinances regarding control of pests and diseases on home fruit trees. More information can be found through these links, secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewSingleRule.action?ruleVrsnRsn=158145, and secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewSingleRule.action?ruleVrsnRsn=158157.
Well maintained backyard fruit trees can be an asset to your property and home food production plan. If you choose to grow organic fruit, please be aware that organic fruit trees need pest and disease control measures too. Fortunately, there are organic products on the market designed for home use. Knowing how to combine cultural and biological techniques with a dormant oil spray to manage diseases and insect damage is essential. You should also know what pests to look for, when they start to appear, and how to remove and destroy them. All this is explained in the OSU publication, Managing Diseases and Insects in Home Orchards, catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec631/html. Take the time to learn what preventative actions need to be done, and the appropriate timing.
If you haven’t already started your annual pest and disease control program, March is historically a good time to begin. Megan Wickersham, OSU Hood River County Extension Master Gardener Program coordinator, says, “The best control measures start with sanitation, prevention and monitoring — well before spring when pest and disease symptoms appear. In the fall, the focus is on cleaning up all debris, leaves and unused fruit. Dormant and delayed dormant stages, through bud break, are the time to apply horticultural oils to control aphids, mites, and scale. For specific recommendations on products and timing for each fruit tree, growers can call or stop by the OSU Hood River County Extension office to pick up a copy of the OSU Fruit Tree Pest Management Guide for the Hood River area. Pesticide labels must be explicitly followed to be safely and effectively applied.”
Other preventative measures that you should be doing this spring include a sulfur spray for scab to provide you with blemish free fruit, while spraying for peach leaf curl on your peach tree is imperative. For specific instructions on maintenance of your fruit trees, download the Oregon State University 2023 Pest Management Guide for Tree Fruits: Hood River, The Dalles, White Salmon, Rouge Valley, Umatilla County at catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em8203.
If you’re thinking of planting a new fruit tree in your yard, my suggestion is to select disease-resistant varieties that are different from what our local commercial orchards provide. After all, there’s a lot of great fruit that’s already grown here, and going to your local fruit stand at harvest time is lots of fun! Leave the pear, apple and cherry varieties to our local orchardists and select something else like plum, persimmon or nectarine. Just make sure to maintain your trees with appropriate cultural and biological techniques for pest and disease management. Your end result of a healthy harvest will be worth it!
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