Children - Food The Giving Grove Biological Approach to Growing Fruits and Nuts.And our Children - have lost touch with nature and where food comes from
Mission Statement: To improve local food security and strengthen communities by bringing together the resources to develop edible tree gardens
Organizations We Serve Supporting Organizations 15% 22 Neighborhoods 21% 31 Schools 11% 16 Community Gardens 6% 9 Individual Home Owners 18% 26 Communities of Faith 5% 7 Food Pantry/Kitchen 3% 5 Senior Housing 3% 4 Health or Medical Facilities 10% 15 Municipalities & Parks 3% 5 Transitional Living 4% 6 Youth Services 146 These are not farmers or growers
What We Plant 900 800 782 700 600 531 500 458 462 441 400 300 200 100 0 182 319 145 12 56 20 188 25 78 13 22 49 10 41 11 7 26
Giving Grove Plant Recommendations Disease resistance Lower Maintenance Late Blooming time Rootstock Flavor quality Long Storage Life Fruiting Date See Cultivar Selection and Details in Handout
Recommended Varieties: Apple All have immunity or very good resistance to Apple Scab, and good resistance to Powdery Mildew, CAR, and Fire-Blight William s Pride Pristine Liberty Enterprise Sundance
Lower Maintenance Options Jujubes No insect pests or disease problems Drought and heat tolerant Small fruits, but a mature tree can yield 100 lbs Long lived trees, the oldest specimen in China is over 1000 years old Figs Few insect pests or disease problems Drought and heat tolerant
Coddling Moth Oriental Fruit Moth Brown Rot Fire-Blight Aphids Peach-leaf Curl
Year 1 & 2 Fruit Tree Pests Action Aphid 1. Squish 2. Insecticidal Soap 3. Neem Miscellaneous Loopers 1. Squish 2. Bt (Thuricide) Spider Mites 1. Dormant Oil (on a warm day >32 o, in late winter) 2. Neem
Preventative Practices Sanitation Remove fallen fruits Remove diseased wood Remove broken or fallen wood Remove diseased leaves Clean Tools Mowing Mow to prevent habitat for insect pests Use mulching mower to return grass clippings to orchard Use bag attachment to remove diseased leaves
Know the Life Cycle/Biology of the Pest When does the pest cause damage? Which plants are hosts? How can we disrupt the life cycle of the pest so that crop damage will be minimized? How and where does the pest overwinter?
Monitoring & Sampling Be aware of pest life cycles General idea whether populations are increasing or spreading Pheromone/Sticky Traps Degree Day Monitoring Net sweeping/counting Pheromone trap Sticky trap
Barrier Controls Bagging: Bag when fruit is small: marble size Plastic Ziplocs for Apple and Pears Snip corners for venting Cut a V notch for the stem Use breathable material for Peaches and other soft fruit Footsies: made from nylon material http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/ fruit-sox/ When soaked in Kaolin Clay provide excellent protection against coddling moth, apple maggot and OFM
Giving Grove Project - Guide
The Holistic Spray Neem Oil which is a natural insecticide when sprayed at the appropriate time Liquid fish (non-pasteurized) acts as a fertilizer not only when sprayed on the ground, but as a foliar feed, and is rich in oils Effective Microbes provide beneficial lacto fermented bacteria that help the plant s immune system +
The Holistic Spray Recipe 1% Neem Solution (application 1 and Fall application) 1 Gallon: 1.25 oz Neem 1 tsp Soap* 1.25 oz BioAG 2.5 oz Liquid Fish 1 Gallon:.6 oz Neem 1/2 tsp Soap* 1.25 oz BioAG 2.5 oz Liquid Fish 2 Gallon: 2.5 oz Neem 2 tsp Soap* 5 oz BioAG 5 oz Liquid Pink Fish.5% Neem Solution (Foliar applications #2, #3 & #4) 2 Gallon: 1.25 oz Neem 1 tsp Soap* 2.5 oz BioAG 5 oz Liquid Fish 4 Gallon: 5 oz Neem 5 tsp Soap* 10 oz BioAG 10 oz Liquid Fish 4 Gallon: 2.5 oz Neem 2 tsp Soap* 5 oz BioAG 10 oz Liquid Fish * Liquid Dish Soap like Dr. Bronner s Pure Castile Soap or Dawn
Liquid Fish Neem Oil BioAg Effective Microbes Dish Soap Dedicated Sprayer Warm Water
Refined Kaolin Clay Product name: Surround Forms a particle film on the surface of plant Particles bother crawling insects and make plant slippery and confuses flying insects. Protects against sun damage Apply after petal fall Apply 3 applications back to back in beginning Reapply weekly or after heavy rains ½ lb/ gal water Add clay to water
Bacillus thuringiensis Bt Product name: Dipel, Thuricide Bacteria Affects caterpillars Doesn t harm beneficials or pollinators Die within a day of ingestion Lasts about 3-5 days Apply during larva feeding times
Specifics on Spraying: Oils (Monterey Hort Oil) Smothers insect eggs/larva, and some fungal diseases. Can be used year round Use during dormant season for a wide variety of overwintering insects. Spray after pruning, but do not use copper based fungicides within 10 days of using oils Pay special attention to bark crevices and fruit buds
Specifics on Spraying: Spinosad (Monterey Garden Insect Spray) Kills a Wide Array of Insects Coddling Moth(CM), Oriental Fruit Moth(OFM), Plum Curculio (PC): Pears, Apples, Peaches, Cherries Spray between petal fall and fruit set (Shuck Split), if spraying at fruit set thin fruits first Apply a second spray 10-14 days later for CM Apply twice in summer for OFM on Peaches, Apples, Pears. Observe Harvest Restrictions!
Other Natural Agents Herbs and other plants Repellants: Garlic, hot pepper Essential Oils: repel, overwhelm and kill insects Rosemary, clove, wintergreen, etc. Nutrients for plant and microbes! Fish Emulsion Compost teas Molasses Seaweed Herbal teas Lactic acid bacteria Yeasts
Specifics on Spraying: Sulfur Plant Fungicide In Dry form, can be used as a dust or mixed with water. Can be used during growing season. Do not use during hot conditions. Powdery Mildew and Cedar Apple Rust on Apples Powdery Mildew and Brown Rot on Cherries Brown Rot on Peaches Pear Scab Can be used for chiggers!
Preventative Practices Nectary Plantings Large flowers and long flowering period will attract pollinators and beneficial insects Trap crops: attract pests away from your crop; attract stink bugs with Sorghum, Millet, Sunflowers and Buckwheat
Thank You! Matt Bunch Horticulturist The Giving Grove matt@kccg.org