Growing your own fruit? Here are a few tips for your backyard orchard from Richard Polansky of Hafs Road Orchard:
Pests in the Orchard Timing is critical when applying pesticides. Read the labels carefully. Apply dormant oil in eary spring before it has leafed out. Apply the dormant oil to the entire tree to smother overwintering insects. Do not spray an insecticide when trees are in blossom as this will kill the pollinating bees. Remove leaf litter in the fall to help control apple scab.
Pruning Tips The best time to prune is when the tree is dormant. Thinning cuts are removing a branch all the way back to the trunk of the tree. You may need to do this to open the canopy of the tree to allow in enough sunlight. Avoid heading back or cutting off the tips of branches to reduce the size of a tree. This will result in more pruning problems the following year.
