Dealing with Those Pesky Pests on Fruit Trees

Do you have an apple tree or other fruit tree in your yard? For those of us who are interested in growing apples and other orchard fruit, we missed some very interesting meetings in the last three months. So make note of this: each year in April, May, and early June the Rhode Island Apple IPM (Integrated Pest Management) has a series of "Twilight Meetings" held in selected orchards. Members tour the orchards and learn about how to manage fruit crops with a minimum or no pesticides. Anyone can join the RI Fruit Growers Association (send email for details on joining). It is a fabulous learning experience for anyone interested in growing apples and other fruit. URI sponsors the RI Apple IPM, which tracks the damage pests cause on fruit tree crops. Reports are issued every two weeks. See, for instance, today's (June 13) Recorded Pest Message in Print, which reports on current problems with plums and peaches, as well as apples and what to do about the pests and diseases. If you were looking at your peach tree this morning and wondered if you would have any decent fruit this year, this is a great source of information. Thanks to Allan Hill of Hill Orchard for bringing this website to the attention of the Providential Gardener. Our local fruit growers are trying to grow more and more fruit without use of pesticides. The RI Apple IPM is helping them move in that direction.