City Fruit | Grow: Pest Prevention

Scab

There are a number of different non-toxic sprays that you can use. Tree hygene is super important.

There are a few different organic controls you can use for both pear & apple scab, including sulfur, lime-sulfur, or Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate plus lime). These should all be applied early in the growing season. Apply sulfur or lime-sulfur as soon as the buds show green.

You should continue to spray every week until the weather turns dry. For more info, download our free Pear Scab Quick Reference Guide.

Leaf Rust & Leaf Spot

Some fruit trees get leaf rust or leaf spot as well. The Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate plus lime) also takes care of those two issues.

Apple Maggot Fly

Big problem in Seattle. Hard to find an apple that doesn't have an apple maggot problem.

The larvae tunnel through the fruit, leaving small brownish, threadlike trails. As the maggots grow, the tunnels become more conspicuous; eventually the apple becomes soft and rotten.

There are all kinds of sprays, natural predators, traps, and sanitation techniques. Download our free Apple Maggot Guick Referenc Guide for all the details.

Applying Foot Socks

You should also watch this short video of Don Ricks, noted pest prevention expert, explaining the proper techniques for applying foot socks to young apples & pears to help prevent apple maggots and coddling moth.

Codling Moth

The larvae enter the fruit and move directly to the core, where they feed (unlike apple fly maggots, which feed on flesh throughout the apple). As they eat, the larvae push their excrement out of the fruit through the entry hole, where it appears as frass.

Check out our Codling Moth Quick Reference Guide for all the information on the organic methods to prevent & manage Coddling Moth.

Additional Resources

The following are a list of useful resources for additional information.

Grow Fruit

Overview
General Care
Pests & Diseases
Planting Fruit Trees
Pollination
Pruning
Fruit Varieties
Thinning
Classes
Quick Reference Guides

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