2012-05-16T18:57:13-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/feed.php HOSForumsPostshttp://feedburner.google.com 2012-05-16T18:57:13-07:00 2012-05-16T18:57:13-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5261&p=12624#p12624 ]]> 2012-05-16T18:47:54-07:00 2012-05-16T18:47:54-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5263&p=12623#p12623
There are several modes of action for kaolin. One of them is that it triggers an excessive grooming response from the pest and distracts it. Theoretically, it would seem that as long as there is kaolin on the surface of the fruit or the tree, then it should have some effect because I don't think kaolin would have a break-down "half-life" (like Spinosad) or a breakdown due to ultraviolet light. Kaolin, is after all, only an inert clay particle.

Having said that, I know in Western Oregon you would have to spray kaolin on a regular basis if you wanted crop protection.

Eastern Oregon? I would imagine you do not need to spray so often....but the truth is I don't know the answer and would like to know how often you need to spray. Would you be willing to find out and report back to us? Here's how I would go about finding out. I would call the Umatilla affiliate for the Oregon State Extension service and ask who is the Extension agent who works with sustainable agriculture and with organic growers of that area and see if you can talk to them. There is a phone number on this link:

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/umatilla/

There is an excellent chance that they would refer you to a master gardener......Sometimes master gardeners are good at hunting down the answer and sometimes you simply wish they would connect you with a professional extension agent......

If you can't locate anyone with the Oregon State extension service you might try emailing Todd Murray who works in Hood River, Washington nearby and see if he would be willing to field the question. I met him in Seattle and while he isn't working in this field right now, he might still field the question or at least know someone who would.

Todd Murray tmurray@wsu.edu 509.427.3931

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]]> 2012-05-15T21:06:51-07:00 2012-05-15T21:06:51-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5259&p=12622#p12622 ]]> 2012-05-15T09:37:59-07:00 2012-05-15T09:37:59-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5259&p=12621#p12621
No worries about bench grafting this late in the season, last year we didn't finish until the end of May. I have also been told that the best time to graft is when you have a scion and a stock, so give it a try and if it fails you can always bud the stock in the summer or re-graft it next winter.

Galen
Portland, OR

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]]> 2012-05-15T07:17:58-07:00 2012-05-15T07:17:58-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5263&p=12620#p12620
So I have a couple of questions....

How often do you reapply Kaolin? I have read after a rain... or irrigation in Eastern Oregon. As long as the apples are covered they are protected, correct?

How long can you spray ? All summer? do I stop at some point?

Any other tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance


dan or
Umatilla, oregon

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]]> 2012-05-14T22:56:53-07:00 2012-05-14T22:56:53-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5243&p=12619#p12619 Brian

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]]> 2012-05-14T22:49:04-07:00 2012-05-14T22:49:04-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5262&p=12618#p12618
I have flies but even though my two trees are right next to each other the production is less than half of if I was to help. I take a soldering flux paste brush "acid brush" and collect the loose pollen from the most fresh flowers. I transfer to about three other flowers to the other tree to which flowers have not loosened the pollen yet but that the pollen area has changed from green to yellow which is the color stage I believe to be most accurate for female reaction to the pollen you put in it. Frankly it is rather easy if you are accurate or have the experience and have such an acid brush as the bristles are just the right stiffness to collect most of the pollen out of one ripe flower.

I have been doing this for about 6 years now and about a dozen trips back and forth yield me pawpaws forming like clusters of banana in those areas of the tree that I did and that the flies didn't do.

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]]> 2012-05-14T11:47:54-07:00 2012-05-14T11:47:54-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5259&p=12617#p12617 ]]> 2012-05-14T10:34:08-07:00 2012-05-14T10:34:08-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5262&p=12616#p12616
Must be time to acquire a magnifying glass.

This morning now in direct sun and warmed up- no evidence of any of last nights population.

A few of the furthest out flowers on the branch have dropped their petals and the remaining parts seem to have some light greenish-bluish pollen. Is this old non-viable pollen or is this the working stuff.
After last years reading, I think I know that the flowers start out as pollen excepting and later become pollen generating. I am wondering if at this particular point the pollen in these flowers is past use; or if by some happenstance these are the most readily available collection sites.

John? any one got thoughts / observations to share?
Thanks

James

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]]> 2012-05-14T05:52:57-07:00 2012-05-14T05:52:57-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5261&p=12615#p12615
Last year we got a very small harvest. Actually, it didn't really give us enough to consider it a harvest at all.

This year, we had plenty of blooms, and those all turned into small buds. The buds made us hopeful, but now that they're growing, it looks like the same thing is happening. Only a few buds on each bunch actually grow. The others just drop off.

I'm posting a couple of pictures below to show you what I mean. The first one shows a bunch that hasn't started growing yet. The next one shows that a few of the grapes are growing and the rest of the buds just withered or disappeared.





Hopefully someone recognizes this and can tell me what to do about it. I really appreciate anyone's thoughts. Thanks.

BTW--in case you haven't been able to tell from my post, I am not a gardener. I have the world's brownest thumb. But this vine was started by my dad and we always made grape jelly every year with the harvest. I really want to save this plant.

Thanks.

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]]> 2012-05-14T00:06:46-07:00 2012-05-14T00:06:46-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5260&p=12614#p12614 http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problem ... fungus.htm

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]]> 2012-05-13T09:51:35-07:00 2012-05-13T09:51:35-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5234&p=12613#p12613 ]]> 2012-05-11T22:11:43-07:00 2012-05-11T22:11:43-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5234&p=12612#p12612 John S
PDX OR

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]]> 2012-05-11T10:41:21-07:00 2012-05-11T10:41:21-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5238&p=12611#p12611 ]]> 2012-05-11T09:06:48-07:00 2012-05-11T09:06:48-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5234&p=12610#p12610 Thanks for the warning. I already have a few Brooks grafts on the Satsuma from last year and this year. They seem to be doing very well -- lots of growth. Can you tell me a little more about what the compatability issues are? Do you mean long-term as in tree health and lifespan?

We have very heavy, wet clay soil, so I treasure any rootstock that does not die in a few years. Yes, I elevate the trees as much as possible - 10 inches or so. I have noticed that the purple leaf landscaping plums do very well in this soil and was wonder if they would make a good rootstock.

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]]> 2012-05-11T08:58:11-07:00 2012-05-11T08:58:11-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5251&p=12609#p12609 ]]> 2012-05-10T23:42:31-07:00 2012-05-10T23:42:31-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5260&p=12608#p12608 ]]> 2012-05-10T22:44:25-07:00 2012-05-10T22:44:25-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5259&p=12607#p12607 ]]> 2012-05-10T21:53:13-07:00 2012-05-10T21:53:13-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5234&p=12606#p12606 John S
PDX OR

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]]> 2012-05-10T21:51:01-07:00 2012-05-10T21:51:01-07:00 http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5257&p=12605#p12605 Nice to know that even the wealthy get stung by insects.
John S
PDX OR

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