March and April Fruit Tree Todo List

Irrigate deeply every 7 days if you have mulched
your fruit trees

Thin fruit when fruit reaches thumbnail size:
peaches, nectarines, apricots, apples, pears, Asian pears, plums and plum
relatives. Needing no thinning are figs, pomegranates, persimmons all nut
trees. Class coming!

Begin spraying nectarine fruit with spinosad
immediately AFTER flowers drop for control of Western flower thrips (ugly and
sappy nectarines)

Thrips damage to nectarine fruit.

Foliar iron fertilizers can be applied (sprays) if you
missed your soil application of iron. This may take multiple applications while
the temperatures are cool.

This is a good time to put in limb spreaders on
apples, pears and Asian pears to 45 degree angle. The branches will bend easily
now on limbs one or two years old.

Limb spreaders are placed into trees to force limbs into a 45 degree angle from horizontal. Pears and plums are notorious for having growth that is very upright. To be productive this growth should be pushed to about 45 degrees.

Ground squirrels become active in late March and
early April. Bait traps with no poison. Switch to poison bait when squirrels
are eating the bait.

Look for tomato hornworms to be active in April.
They attack grapes as well as tomatoes. Make sure you have Bt or Spinosad on
hand.

Grape fleabeetles may appear in mid-April and eat
holes in the leaves of grape leaves. Do not panic. They do little damage.

Set pheremone traps. One and set more when you
see the first flight.

Watch for early damage to peaches and nectarine
new shoots (flagging) by peach twig borer. Treat with Bt or spinosad.

Weed control is very important right now since
they are harboring insects like aphids, thrips, and others. A hoe and walk the
old and newer orchard areas will be a big help.