Andrew Sawyer
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Growers with young trees may come across this situation in small blocks or trees near woods. We came across some twig girdlers in Washington County last month that appears more like a tall deer bit off every single branch. The broken branches were laying on the ground at the base of the tree. This damage…
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Both mite and aphid populations have essentially been stable the past month or month and a half. Throughout this time, I only find a few adult black pecan aphids and no mites. Most of these orchards were sprayed with insecticide targeting aphids also. Finally, last week we saw one spot of mites on Stuart and…
Posted in: Insect Management -
Weed control is especially important during the tree’s first few years of growth. Orchards planted behind hay fields or in areas where bermudagrass is prominent may struggle with control. Bermudagrass is a very difficult perennial grass to control, and it’s aggressive growth can be in direct competition with young tree feeder roots getting established. Because…
Posted in: Weed Management -
Crop is looking good and nuts are sizing fast now. Fruit sizes large on hot days and warm nights. Following June rains, we have been dry in the middle part of the Southeast and could use some rain. Many growers have noted scab not being as severe, and this of course is mostly due to…
Posted in: Insect Management -
We have been seeing and hearing about damage from May beetles around the state. I saw some damage in the Southeast District this week as well. Since the adult beetles feed at night, it’s difficult to be sure what is going on. You see the typical chewing damage on the leaves and terminals (Figs. 1…
Posted in: Insect Management -
With the month being dry, growers have reduced fungicide sprays. This has also cut back on some insecticide sprays where we sometimes throw in an insecticide with the fungicide. It has been very obvious which orchards were treated with a broad spectrum insecticide – generally chlorpyrofos or pyrethroid. The only yellow aphid populations I’m seeing…
Posted in: Insect Management -
Statewide we are seeing in general that the female flower crop has been surprisingly good on most varieties, with the exception of the large, old Stuart trees. Stuart wasn’t expected to make much of a comeback this year as a result of a generally heavy year in 2018 plus the effects of the hurricane, and…