POP TIPS: July Orchard Care

[Phil Forsyth]

Dear Philly Orchardists,

After a busy spring of orchard care, harvest season is in full swing in July!  

Please check out our POP Monthly Orchard Task List for recommended maintenance activities to complete this month (the July/Aug list is also attached below). 

Here is some more detail on some of the key tasks for July: 

Orchard Watering

New plantings (from this spring or last fall) should be watered thoroughly once per week throughout the summer months.  In most years in our wet climate, established orchard plantings don't require much in the way of supplemental watering.  However, in hot dry periods extending more than 2 or 3 weeks, some older orchard plants would also be glad of some additional water! 

Summer Weeding

With the hot weather many weeds are growing rapidly and some will begin to go to seed.  Weeding at least once a month is advisable for orchards and food forests throughout the summer months!  POP's weed identification guide is available for sale on our website and we always have free copies to distribute to community orchard partners. Check out POP’s guide to Ramial Wood Chips and Weeding in Place.  

Remove Orchard Spreaders

Any limb spreaders or other means used to train branches to wider angles in the winter and early spring can be safely removed in July.  By this time, branches should stay in their new position.  Leaving spreading devices too long can result in them getting stuck and possibly damaging the tree upon later removal.

Emergency Pruning

During the summer months, most pruning should be limited to emergency pruning only.  

Keep an eye out for any diseased, damaged, or dead wood that should be pruned away no matter the season. Pay special attention to the base of trees - especially of the stone fruit varieties: apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines - and prune away root suckers, the quick upright growth that can be a cover for dreaded borers, which make a home beneath trunk wood.

Keep an eye out for fire blight damage on apples and pears.  Be sure to prune back to healthy wood at least 8 to 12" below signs of damage to prevent further spread of this disease. 

Remember: use sharp, rust-free hand tools and sanitize between every cut for disease prone trees during the growing season. For easy disinfecting, we recommend carrying a spray bottle with you of rubbing (isopropyl 70%) alcohol or a bleach solution (1 part bleach: 10 parts water) to wipe down tools.  

Pest and Disease Monitoring & Identification

Many orchard pests and diseases are active throughout the summer months and it is important to continue weekly monitoring of your plants to identify and manage challenges.  Some of the most common insect pests to contend with in July include: 

Aphids

Oriental Fruit Moth

Spotted Lanternfly

Apple Maggot

Plum Curculio

Codling Moth

Apple maggots are most active in July and August and can sometimes attack pears and stone fruits in addition to apples. Small dimples appear where they enter, but they can quickly destroy fruit from the inside. Read POP's blog post about Apple Maggot management! 

Observe your orchard regularly throughout the year for pest and disease problems, identify and respond appropriately.  We've been distributing physical copies to community partners, but you can also check out POP's Scouting Guides for pest and disease identification available for download on POP's website: 

https://www.phillyorchards.org/?s=scouting+guide&post_type=resource

These guides are intended to help properly identify the insect pests and diseases that affect the following common fruit trees: 

Apples

Peaches

Cherries

Plums (& Apricots)

Pears & Asian Pears

The guides include lots of photos and a description of how to identify the particular pest or disease and the damage caused by it.  Proper identification is essential to treating these problems, as each has its own unique options for management!  Once you have identified a pest or disease, you can then consult our website for management recommendations by using our search function: 

https://www.phillyorchards.org/search/

Remove Damaged and Dropped Fruit

Although the ideal time for thinning fruit has passed, it is still advisable to continue to monitor your developing crops for insect and disease damage and remove the affected fruit.  Similarly, it is advisable to gather any fallen fruit to avoid the further spread of pest and disease challenges.  All fruit should be disposed of by adding to a hot compost system, feeding to poultry, or bagging up to remove from the site.  

Distinctive crescent shaped scars from the Plum Curculio weevil can be found on pome and stone fruits.  Remove affected fruits, dispose of dropped fruit, and watch out for a second generation of this common pest in late July! . 

Summer Harvests!

Look out for ripening raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, apricots, peaches, plums, mulberries, currants, gooseberries, perennial herbs and greens, and more!  Record your harvests using our handy POP Harvest Tracking Sheet.  

Enjoy the summer harvests and stay cool in the heat! 

Phil Forsyth, Co-Executive Director

Philadelphia Orchard Project

www.phillyorchards.org

215-724-1247

Pronouns: he/him

"66 community orchards, 1562 fruit trees, and growing!"

[Phil Forsyth]

Dear Philly Orchardists,

After a busy spring of orchard care, harvest season is in full swing in July!  

Please check out our POP Monthly Orchard Task List for recommended maintenance activities to complete this month (the July/Aug list is also attached below). 

Here is some more detail on some of the key tasks for July: 

Orchard Watering

New plantings (from this spring or last fall) should be watered thoroughly once per week throughout the summer months.  In most years in our wet climate, established orchard plantings don't require much in the way of supplemental watering.  However, in hot dry periods extending more than 2 or 3 weeks, some older orchard plants would also be glad of some additional water! 

Summer Weeding

With the hot weather many weeds are growing rapidly and some will begin to go to seed.  Weeding at least once a month is advisable for orchards and food forests throughout the summer months!  POP's weed identification guide is available for sale on our website and we always have free copies to distribute to community orchard partners. Check out POP’s guide to Ramial Wood Chips and Weeding in Place.  

Remove Orchard Spreaders

Any limb spreaders or other means used to train branches to wider angles in the winter and early spring can be safely removed in July.  By this time, branches should stay in their new position.  Leaving spreading devices too long can result in them getting stuck and possibly damaging the tree upon later removal.

Emergency Pruning

During the summer months, most pruning should be limited to emergency pruning only.  

Keep an eye out for any diseased, damaged, or dead wood that should be pruned away no matter the season. Pay special attention to the base of trees - especially of the stone fruit varieties: apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines - and prune away root suckers, the quick upright growth that can be a cover for dreaded borers, which make a home beneath trunk wood.

Keep an eye out for fire blight damage on apples and pears- we've seen a lot of it this year!  Be sure to prune back to healthy wood at least 8 to 12" below signs of damage to prevent further spread of this disease. 

Remember: use sharp, rust-free hand tools and sanitize between every cut for disease prone trees during the growing season. For easy disinfecting, we recommend carrying a spray bottle with you of rubbing alcohol (isopropyl 70%) or a bleach solution (1 part bleach: 10 parts water) to wipe down tools.  

Pest and Disease Monitoring & Identification

Check out our new blog post about fermented herbal tea sprays, which can be applied through the summer months to continue to build plant health and resilience to pest and disease challenges!

"66 community orchards, 1578 fruit trees, and growing!"