Michigan tart cherry growers are being urged to apply one more insecticide sprayafter harvest is over. The reason is, cherry fruit flies are surviving in the small amount of fruit left on the trees after they’re shaken during harvest. This allows them to maintain their populations and be there for the crop coming the next year.
“We’re finding much of the cherry fruit fly activity is taking place after harvest,” said Dr. Larry Gut, Michigan State University Extension entomologist. He spoke to growers during the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Show near Traverse City in January.
One application of Provado (imidacloprid), within seven days after harvest, can clean up the orchard and reduce fruit fly pressure the next season. “Add it to your post-harvest spray for cherry leaf spot,” he suggested.
Tart cherry growers are finding they need to spray more after harvest than they once did. They need to keep healthy leaves on the trees longer to assure tree health and fruit quality in future years, so they now spray more times postharvest with fungicides to reduce the effects of cherry leaf spot. Now, insecticides join the tank mix.
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