Berry’s Picks

Comanche County Pecan and Orchard Irrigation Program

This year we will be hosting the Comanche County Pecan and Orchard Irrigation Program on Friday March 4th. We have worked with agriculture producers and extension agriculture and irrigation specialist to put together an excellent agenda with top specialist presenting. This program will be held at the DeLeon City Auditorium, 125 S. Texas St., DeLeon, TX. Registration for the program will begin at 8:30 AM and the program will run until approximately 2:00 PM.

This will be an in-depth orchard irrigation program. We have Texas A&M Irrigation Specialists, Guy Fipps and Charles Swanson, and State Pecan Specialist, Monte Nesbitt, presenting. Topics covered will include Irrigation Water Quality and Quantity Concerns covering ground water quality and surface water quality. We will also be covering Drip Irrigation Options focusing on products, and methods. The next topic is Design Considerations for Orchard Irrigation Systems with emphasis on drip maintenance, chemigation, and filtration. Finally, Chemigation with Drip looking at rates, timing, effectiveness, and feasibility.

If you irrigate or ever plan to irrigate an orchard you will want to get this program on your calendar. There is no charge the meal and fees will be covered by our excellent sponsors. 1 CEU general credit will be offered. For more information or RSVP for the program, please call the office at 325-356-2539.

Fruit Tree Maintenance

If you have fruit trees your work is never done, last article we talked about fruit tree pruning. This article will discuss dormant oil spraying. With the severe drought conditions, we have been experiencing, be sure you are keeping the soil moist around your tree’s roots. The recent rain and snow event will alleviate some of the need for additional early-season watering, but predictions are for limited rainfall through the spring. If it does get dry again be sure to provide occasional deep waterings to your fruit trees. This is also the time of year; you need to be thinking about an application of dormant oil. Dormant oil spray is the first spray of the New Year for orchard and fruit tree owners. Dormant oil applications can be avoided if scale has never been an issue with your trees.

Dormant oil application is best done on clear days when the temperature is between 45 and 70 degrees, and there are no freezing temperatures in the forecast for at least the next 24 hours. This would usually be through late-February for our area. Spraying before buds begin to swell is best; do not spray trees that are in full bloom. If you only have a few trees and are able to get your timing correct you can spray dormant oil just after pruning, but before budbreak. The dormant oil will help to cover and protect the pruning cuts while also killing pest.

What exactly is dormant oil? Well, it is not motor oil. Dormant oils are actually petroleum oils that have been highly refined and formulated for orchard use. Many also now have an emulsifier added to help them mixed with water. However, you do need to periodically shake your sprayer to keep the oil and water in a mixture. When sprayed on fruit trees the dormant oil will spread uniformly over bark of the tree filling all the crooks and crevices. This will coat dormant insects on the trees and smother them.

Dormant oil can also be used on your yard shrubs and trees where scale insect damage has been an issue. Just be careful to not get the spray on annual flowers like Pansies as it will kill these plants. If you would like more on fruit tree spraying, we have an excellent homeowner publication that includes information on timing, products and pest available at the office.