Stockings

I planted some pears and peach trees last year, and this year I have a few small fruit on each tree. Can I cover the fruit with stockings to keep the birds from eating them. ? I'm not sure if the stocking will effect how much sunlight they get or if they will get to hot ? Is there anything else I need to know about caring for pears,peach,apple,plums ?

Use ziplock sandwich bags. Cut a small slit in the bottom.

flowerpower- I would think that would work. Rain tree nursery sells something that looks just like stockings.

http://www.raintreenursery.com/catalog/producttype.cfm?producttype=Supplies%2DPest%20Control

I may try that myself this year, along with LTilton's ziplock method we talked about last year. That is, if I get fruit. Looks like we had some low temps last night. Not sure how/if it effected the blossoms. Somewhere online, I read about using little paper bags on the fruit, but haven't found them from a supplier in the US.

It works with apples and pears, fruit with stems. Not peaches, though.

And with stone fruit, the curculio gets its when the fruits are too small to use any kind of bag.

Why does it not work on Peaches ?

I have had success with stockings on peaches. Put them on when very young. Other people have had problems with moths (oriental fruit moth) laying eggs through the stockings however. I sprayed spinosad and I think the combination of spinosad plus the stockings may have done it. The baggies can lead to rots on peaches even if you get them on early enough to beat the curculio. Peaches need air circulation.

This year I am doing no major stockings or baggies, just Surround for curculio and Surround plus spinosad for the moths.

Scott

The baggies don't work with peaches or other fruit that doesn't have a stem to zip the bag around.

I'm going to bag [some of] the pears this year, too. Last year, the moths got so frustrated at being locked out of the apples that they really did a number of the pears, which they used to leave mostly alone.

I have not sprrayed my fruit trees because I am worried about putting poison on something that we eat ? I wouldn't know even what kind to spray ? We have a Lowe's Home Depot and Walmart if I need to buy some.

flowerpower, if you just planted your trees last year, the fruit is likely to drop without ripening. Most people would advise you not to let it develop when the trees are this young.

This would give you a year to research the question of spraying and make decisions that are right for you.

Oh gouch, I can't bear the thought of pulling my babies off...lol I know it would be the right thing to do but I can't bring myself to do it . Will see what happens :o)

flowerpower, I know how you feel about your babies. I had to do it as my nursery man said it would be best for the trees. I did leave a just a few fruits on each tree just to get a taste this year.