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Q. We planted new blackberry and raspberry plants this spring. We would
like to know what has to be done to prepare them before cold weather moves
in.
A. There should not be much to do for these plants, assuming you planted
hardy cultivars. You do want the plants to be well watered before going
into winter, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for most areas of Indiana
this fall. Both blackberry and raspberry have biennial canes, meaning
that they live for two growing seasons. They produce foliage the first
year, flowers and fruit the second year, and then those canes die. So,
any canes that bore fruit this year should be removed all the way to the
ground. The one-year-old canes should be allowed to remain overwinter
so they can produce their crop next year. For more information about care
of raspberries, see Purdue bulletin HO-44, "Growing Raspberries"
online at http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-44.pdf.
Blackberries are very similar in culture to raspberries.
Q. I enjoyed your article on peaches (September Electric Consumer). We
had three trees of them and all rotted. Please tell me the name of a spray
and the time to spray them.
A. You were in good company this year as many gardeners experienced a
particularly bad season of disease problems on their fruits (and other
plants), thanks to weather that favored many fungal pathogens. For brown
rot of peaches, you have to begin spraying before bloom when the buds
are just beginning to show pink, during bloom, at petal-fall, shuck-split
and about every 10-14 days thereafter. For most of these applications,
you can use Captan, Immunox or a multipurpose fruit spray (MPFS) labeled
for home orchard use. While flowers are open, do not use MPFS as they
contain an insecticide, which is harmful to bees that are working the
blossoms. For more information on controlling this and other disease and
insect pests in the home orchard, see Purdue Extension Publication ID-146,
available online at http://www.entm.purdue.edu/Entomology/ext/targets/ID/ID146pdf/ID-146.pdf,
which includes a chart that illustrates the various stages, such as petal-fall
and shuck split. As always, read and follow all label directions before
using a pesticide.
Q. I have a yellow peach tree that had a bumper crop. The tree was loaded
the past three years. Just before the peaches are ripe, the deer and raccoons
eat every peach on the tree in two or three nights. What can I do to keep
the deer from eating all the peaches?
A. You and me both! My peach tree was also loaded this year. It, too,
was picked completely clean while I was away for just the weekend, not
even one rotten fruit left behind! Well, the good news is that they saved
me from having to clean up all those fruits that had been infected with
brown rot, because I choose to not spray my tree. And you already know
the bad news!
There are scads of testimonials for all sorts of repellents, but none
that I know of are effective and safe to use at harvest time. Some gardeners
have had good luck with scare tactics, such as motion-sensitive lights
and/or sprinkler systems. Fencing is probably the most reliable method
of excluding animal pests, though raccoons are known to climb just about
anything. A 6-foot fence that angles away from your orchard will deter
most deer but not likely the raccoons.
If you really want to get serious about preventing animals from ravaging
your harvest, consider electric fencing. Purdue Department of Forestry
and Natural Resources publication FNR-136 Electric Fencing for Preventing
Browse Damage by White-tailed Deer" is available online at http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-136.html.
For more information on identifying and controlling wildlife conflicts,
check out the USDA Wildlife Information Hotline at http://www.entm.purdue.edu/wildlife/wild.htm.
Q. Last year my hostas were beautiful. This year, they bloomed, then the
light-leaved ones started turning brown. Now, they are almost gone. Whatever
it is has not so far bothered the dark-leaved ones. I'm sending you some
pictures. I sure hope you can help me.
A. If I had a crystal ball, I would say that all signs point to one of
several plant diseases that are favored by the relatively wet weather
we experienced throughout much of Indiana this summer. There are leaf
spots, petiole rots, root rots and more. The fact that all of and only
the light-leaved ones were affected does make me wonder if this might
not be an environmental problem. The photos you sent looked to be quite
sunny. Some of the pale-leaved cultivars can be easily burned in strong
light.
If the problems continue, consider submitting a sample plant to the Purdue
Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory on the West Lafayette campus. You'll
find more information about this service online at http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu.
In the meantime, here are links to some excellent articles on diseases
of hosta.
http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/DGP/DGP136.pdf
http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/weeklypics/Weekly_Picture6-17-02-1.html
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/SUL14.pdf
Q. We have acquired property with an apple tree. The apples have a little
cast of red, but not completely red. What are the steps in caring for
this tree from this fall 'till next fall?
A. Sounds like this might be one of the late-maturing cultivars, such
as Winesap, Fuji or Northern Spy. Some cultivars do not turn completely
red; some have a yellow to greenish-yellow undercolor with a red blush
on top. You might want to sample a fruit each week to see if it's close
to ready.
Not much more to do this fall other than enjoy the harvest and clean up
fallen fruit and leaves to remove overwintering sites for disease and
insect pests. Most major pruning, if needed, should be done in late winter
to early spring. Light pruning can be done after flowers fade so that
you can see the effects of winter injury, if any. You'll find several
pruning articles online at the Purdue Consumer Horticulture Web site at
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/.
Pest prevention strategies are discussed in Purdue Extension Publication
ID-146, available online at http://www.entm.purdue.edu/Entomology/ext/targets/ID/ID146pdf/ID-146.pdf.
10-5-06
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