Reddit reviews Fertilome Fire Blight Spray - 10363

> We're holding off on the dormant oil until things warm up, but normally our schedule calls for pears to be sprayed by this time.

That makes me realize that my task of pruning stonefruit as buds swell conflicts with the task of applying dormant oil 1 - 2 wks after pruning, but prior to fruit bud swell. How should I resolve this?

> What are you using to combat fire blight?

Just Fertilome Fire Blight Spray (aka. streptomycin) its a lot more expensive than copper but has been shown to be more effective in the studies I've read - I only have two trees right now so a 2 oz jar is all I need. FYI I have read several papers that suggest a product called Blossom Protect is just as effective but seems to be more targeted towards orchards and is hard to buy in small quantities. (Just saw your edit, haha. Going to keep this here anyway.)

> As for your borers [...]

I don't really have a problem with them just trying to establish a preventative plan as I understand peach trees have a very short life-span.

> Why are you waiting to prune your apricots?

IIRC the reasoning to wait is since they bloom so early their blossoms can get wrecked by a spring frost so you want to see how many blossoms survive, and then adjust your pruning severity accordingly. Honestly though since I have just one tree I might just be crazy enough that if I see a cold day/night I'll throw some clear poly over it to make an impromptu greenhouse and put a space heater in there to keep temps at slightly above freezing.

> Care to elaborate on your uncertainty about spraying calcium?

I just haven't read into it that much. Is it necessary?

> Are you a member of the Backyard Fruit Growers, by chance?

I am not, looks really interesting but I'm closer to Philly than Lancaster, haha. $15 for 2 years membership... very tempting