Pecan/Nut Tree Spraying
Pecan, filbert and walnut growers have found the A1 Mist Sprayer to be more efficient and much less expensive than any other sprayer method. Nut losses from insects and diseases on nut trees can be severe enough to result in total crop failure and almost always result in profit losses.
Scab is the primary pecan disease that affects leaves, stems and nuts. Other problematic diseases include downy spot, leaf spot, vein spot, brown spot and liver spot.
Pecan trees have a number of insect/pests that feed on shoots and foliage, as well as the nut. Pecan leaf casebearer, leaf phylloxera, yellow and black aphids, leafminers, spittlebugs and various lepidopteran larvae feed on foliage and shoots. Nut-feeding pests include pecan nut casebearer, pecan weevil, hickory shuckworm and stink bugs.
Growers may need to consider protection-spraying “barriers” around valuable forage production areas, such as highly productive pecan and nut trees.. Protection-spraying may require continual surveys during the summer. As vegetation matures or dries, insects will migrate to the best feeding location with succulent vegetation. Spraying at 2-3 week intervals may be necessary to protect your valuable forage resources.
An A1 Mist Sprayer is a cost efficient application method to keep all insects/pests at bay. Residual sprays can be applied as barrier treatments to tall grasses, weeds, trees, shrubs, fences and other places where insects may harbor. The air vortex created by a mist sprayer is capable of depositing droplets on the top and bottom side of the targeted area. This allows for insecticides and foliar fertilizers to be more efficient, as the area covered by the mist is larger than with that of a boom or aerial sprayer.
Foliar fertilization, a water soluble fertilizer that is sprayed on the foliage, may help small woody plants, especially plants that are not getting enough iron. Foliar feeding of trees is becoming more popular and is often used to correct any micronutrient deficiencies. Iron chlorosis is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies, due to typically high soil pH values. Iron can be added anytime during the growing season, as it does not stimulate excessive growth but corrects a chlorotic (leaf yellowing symptom) condition.
A Michigan state college study has shown plants absorb nutrients not only through the roots, but also through the foliage, fruit, twigs, trunk and even the flowers. Plants can absorb nutrients 8-10 times more efficiently through their leaf surfaces than through their roots.
When applying nutrients to the leaf, the nutrients move through the stomata downward through the plan, at the rate of about a foot an hour. When applying nutrients to the leaves in soluble forms, as much as 95% of what is applied may be used by the plant. If a similar amount is applied to the soil, about 10% of it is available. Foliar feeding is effective even on dormant plants and trees.