By John Wood, Certis USA Regional Manager

The second shake of pistachios is here, walnut shaking is three-fourths complete and pecans are hardening. As things wind down, it is an opportune time to begin assessing how effective this year’s pest control efforts were and to start planning your dormant procedures.

Think about winter sanitation.

Almond and pistachio growers should remove and destroy mummy nuts to reduce overwintering populations of the navel orange worm (NOW). While early sprays can be valuable tools to manage NOW larvae, proper removal and destruction of mummy nuts in fall and winter paired with sound harvest practices also support effective control. Keep in mind that dry conditions support better NOW survival over the winter, so prepare accordingly if weather forecasts predict low rainfall.

Manage pests.

The dormant season is the best time to manage scale pests, mites and parasites. Dormant sprays are a cost-effective first step to protect trees from pests and diseases next season.

A dormant spray using Kocide^® 2000 or Kocide^® 3000-O should be made before fall rains and again in the late dormant period. Kocide is a copper hydroxide fungicide/bactericide. As the hydroxide ions break down, fungistatic levels of elemental copper are released over a long period, preventing spore germination and fungal growth. Especially if almond scab is evident, a Kocide with oil spray will help delay overwintering scab lesions from producing spores next spring. In addition, the dormant oil will smother overwintering eggs of some mites and scale.

Kocide 2000 and Kocide 3000-O also have optimum dispersion in water, as well as superior rain fastness and are easy to use.

Keep an eye on weeds.

Even if you’ve completed weed surveys, look for weeds that remain on the orchard floor through late fall. Record the ones your contact and pre-emergent programs missed and include them in treatment plans for fall or for next year.

In the next issue, we’ll talk about using post-harvest watering and proper nutrition. Until then.