POP TIPS: July Orchard Care
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Phil Forsyth
Jul 5, 2022, 8:40:31 AM7/5/22
to Philadelphia Orchard Group
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
Remove Orchard Spreaders
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.
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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.
Pest and Disease Monitoring & Identification
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:
These guides are intended to help properly identify the insect pests and diseases that affect the following common fruit trees:
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:
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
Pronouns: he/him
Phil Forsyth
Jul 3, 2023, 8:28:55 AM7/3/23
to Philadelphia Orchard Group
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
Remove Orchard Spreaders
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.
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!
Phil Forsyth
Jul 8, 2024, 10:10:29 AM7/8/24
to Philadelphia Orchard Group
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
Remove Orchard Spreaders
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.
Pest and Disease Monitoring & Identification
Spring is when many pest and disease challenges show their first signs! POP has developed some new resources to help guide management of some of the most common pest and disease challenges affecting fruit trees in Philadelphia.
Here are the new videos POP created in partnership with Big Picture Alliance:
And here are the new Action Plans for Diseases:
And new Action Plans for Insect Pests:
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:
These guides are intended to help properly identify the insect pests and diseases that affect the following common fruit trees:
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:
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, but they cause much more damage to stone fruits. Remove affected stone fruits (or pome fruits with many scars), dispose of dropped fruit, and watch out for a second generation of this common pest in late July! .
Summer Harvests!
Phil Forsyth
Jul 1, 2025, 2:50:46 PMJul 1
to Philadelphia Orchard Group
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 typically 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 more established orchard plants would also be glad of some additional water. In response to last year's drought and more erratic weather patterns, POP is working on a new orchard irrigation resource, which we will share out soon!
Summer Weeding
Remove Orchard Spreaders
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 fruits - 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 12" below signs of damage to prevent further spread of this disease.
Additional summer pruning in July and early August can also be done to remove watersprouts, the upright vertical growth on tops of branches. The advantage of pruning this growth in summer is that it is less likely to grow back as vigorously, since the spring season of rapid growth is already past. Be careful to sanitize your tools to avoid spreading disease!
Pest and Disease Monitoring & Identification
Many pest and disease challenges continue into the summer months! POP has developed some new resources to help guide management of some of the most common challenges affecting fruit trees in Philadelphia.
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:
These guides are intended to help properly identify the insect pests and diseases that affect the following common fruit trees:
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:
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, but they cause much more damage to stone fruits. Remove affected stone fruits (or pome fruits with many scars), 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! We may even get some early Breba crop figs this year. 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
Pronouns: he/him
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