Growing premium fresh sweet cherries since 1918

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SPRAYING


Before each new crop of cherries emerges each spring, we begin spraying to ensure healthy trees and quality fruit.   Spraying is very time specific, with only a small window of opportunity to spray for each potential pest or problem. In addition, most spraying must be done when the wind is not blowing, the temperature is below 80°, and there is no threat of rain in the immediate future.  We use our standard orchard tractors with large capacity sprayers or four-wheelers with smaller tanks.  Occasionally, when we don't have enough time to do it ourselves, we hire a licensed applicator to spray overhead from a helicopter.

 

Dormant Spray

In the end of March, when nature begins to wake, we spray a dormant oil on our cherry trees.   This is sprayed on prior to bloom to prevent eggs that have survived the winter cold from hatching.  The spray is organic and smothers the eggs to keep them from growing into damaging pests.

 

Leaf Feed

In April and May we spray a leaf feed on our trees.  This spray is essentially like giving vitamins to the trees. This is very important time to keep our trees happy and healthy, as they are being heavily taxed in order to withstand the rigors of growing and ripening the cherries. 

 

Mildew Spray

From the time the cherries look like little green peas on stems to the day they are harvested, they need to be protected against powdery mildew. Powdery mildew makes ugly cherries!  And once it shows up in the cherries, it is too late to stop it.  Prevention of mildew, before there are any signs of it, is key in saving a cherry crop. 

 

Fruit Fly Spray

The Western Fruit Fly will cause worms in cherries.  If this fruit fly is found in a cherry, the entire crop is ruined.  The industry and government have a zero-tolerance policy.  In order to keep the pests from infecting our fruit, we use temperature and moisture models to determine when to begin spraying. Usually beginning around the third week of May, we start applying an organic pesticide bait on our cherries.  This spray uses molasses and small amounts of pesticide to attract and kill the fruit fly.  The spraying is done with a four-wheeler and must occur every seven days until harvest is complete in early July.

 

 
       
 

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