Growing Pest Resistant Fruit Trees with Thomas Dykstra, Ph.D.

[@calebfast8088]

I had some pear trees getting hit with rust this past year and provided them with JADAM liquid fertilizer. (Made at home, best results was with stinging nettle base.) Applied to the roots it cleared up about 60 percent within 2 to 5 days. Applied with a spray bottle to the leaves it cleared up within hours. (By cleared up I mean the fungus was dead and the unaffected portions of the leaves were fine.) I'll have to test out how JADAM affects the Brix this coming year! Lots of fun stuff to play with. :)

[@michaelmurray121]

Thank you ❤

[@Orchardpeople]

😊

[@unpopuIaropinion]

Ok Brix is a measure of plant health. I can see if a plant is healthy or sick, I dont need a tool for that. The real question is how do we increase the brix, how do we make the plant stronger ?

[@Orchardpeople]

Great question and sorry for the delay in my reply! This is how to improve brix! orchardpeople.com/homemade-fruit-tree-fertilizer/

[@michelbisson6645]

What about white blight,can it be evoid throught brix st it happel at the flower8ng s3ason

[@Orchardpeople]

Thanks for your question! Just to clarify, are you referring to something like powdery mildew? It’s a common fungal disease that can show up as a white coating on leaves, flowers, and fruit during humid conditions. If that’s the case, maintaining tree health and brix levels can help, but other practices like improving airflow, pruning, and applying organic fungicides may also be necessary. Let me know if this is what you’re asking about!

[@Smithhands2727]

My pear gets attacked by pear slugs(saw fly), they don’t seem to care about my other fruit trees. Japanese beetles attacked my raspberries. Flea Beatles attack my eggplant. Vine borers my zucchini, cucumber Beatles…. You get the point. Are they all at different brixs? Or do they know what they like? Can I just feed the plant sugar?

[@Orchardpeople]

Great questions! You can test the brick and see what they need! Nigel’s book will help you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/foLMo5qZqpufgLssi=JMqIj3nDa8as_3uo and www.nigel-palmer.com/

[@davidjones8312]

drj Westfield Wisconsin what can you do to make your apple tree fruit not to be deformed? Can you over do jobs fruit tree spikes? Thank you for your time and help.

[@Orchardpeople]

Sorry for the delay. I avoid those fertilizers! I would do a soil test snd only amend if necessary. Instead feed by mulching with compost in the spring! If the fruit is deformed it may be pests, diseases or nutritional. I’d need to see a picture

[@Bigdadzhousegainz]

If your compost is made via a couple bags of top soil that was thrown ontop of 6 months worth of grass clippings a year then added to yearly after that and table scraps daily then it only gets mixed when I throw some bones in there’s and raccoons do all the turning of compost pile and all is in a shaded area, woul this compost be ok to put on top of fruit trees in spring or is there a special compost needed?

[@blenderbenderguy]

I can buy into some of this, but explain if you can. I grow lush, beautiful, aromatic Basil and yet they get ravaged by Japanese Beetles at one point or another. And it seems like it's mostly on one or more plants while right next door is another perfect looking Basil that is untouched. Could this be a Brix difference even though the plants look exactly the same state of health?

[@Orchardpeople]

Great question! Dr. Dykstra explains that plants with higher brix levels can sometimes repel pests, but it’s true that other factors might come into play. Even if two plants look equally healthy, they could still have slight differences in brix levels that affect how attractive they are to pests like Japanese Beetles. Factors like soil quality, light, cultivars and water can impact brix-even in plants side-by-side. Hope that helps, and thanks for watching!

[@racebiketuner]

They're a problem on my mini farm, so I've spent some time observing their behavior. They are extremely sensitive to smell and immature compost really attracts them. In my experience, a plant recently top dressed with compost is more likely to be ravaged than one without.

[@Orchardpeople]

@@racebiketuner Best solution is to use mature, fully broken down compost that has aged! Then your tree will get the health benefits without attracting pests. 🙂

[@MiltonRoos]

If i plant a polliantor garden in between my four apple trees and peach trees will bring bad BUGS to my trees or all good BUGS

[@Orchardpeople]

Good bugs! Read this:

[@Orchardpeople]

www.jessicawalliser.com/books/good-bug-bad-bug/

[@Sarrett.Studios]

Let’s say you have a low brix, how do you increase it

[@Orchardpeople]

It's helpful to use regenerative sprays: orchardpeople.com/homemade-fruit-tree-fertilizer/

[@ChristopherPisz]

By increasing soil health. Get microbes in there by doing things like adding organic matter, perhaps in the form of compost. Try JADAM JMS an similar methods. Healthy soil takes time and effort, it is not something you can buy or fix with a credit card. Life needs to increase in the soil and as a gardener, you have to do everything you can to promote it.

[@Orchardpeople]

@@ChristopherPisz Absolutely! I love what you said: "It's not something you can fix with a credit card." Slow and steady.

[@racebiketuner]

Get a copy of Soil Science For Gardeners by Robert Pavlis.

[@Orchardpeople]

@@racebiketuner Yes! I love that book!

[@calebfast8088]

Great video, thanks! And it's Ore-GUN, not Ore-gone. :)

[@Bigdadzhousegainz]

Thank y’all for this, I’m 30 minutes into this but before I forget are y’all saying the lower the Brix score the less nutritional value is going to be in the food? (Based on my common sense and taste buds I can tell the difference between let’s say Krogers/publix and the farmers market or dudes selling out the back of their trucks) But then based off of other webinars I think it’s 3-7 brix is the max score any gmo fruit will be capable of. So is eating a low brix fruit idk how to word this but is it similar to eating celery where there’s no nutritional value but your body uses energy to process it?

[@Orchardpeople]

Great question! Yes, a lower Brix score often indicates less sugar and potentially lower nutritional value in the fruit. Higher Brix scores generally mean sweeter and more nutrient-dense fruits. While low Brix fruits aren’t quite like celery in terms of nutritional value, they might not provide as many benefits as higher Brix fruits. Aim for fresh, locally grown produce for the best quality!

[@Bigdadzhousegainz]

@@Orchardpeople thank you!

[@kingjames4886]

also ants will carry aphids up the tree and put them on the tips to farm them for honeydew.

[@Orchardpeople]

Indeed!

[@samuelmjlfjell]

I use tree gum or tangle foot

[@Orchardpeople]

@@samuelmjlfjell Excellent!

[@Benmartin2113]

You are so good looking. God has blessed you and the world❤

[@Orchardpeople]

Thanks

[@MikeAlpha-lr9wx]

Less in calcium, pottasium excess in nitrogen..... Always susceptible to dieses

[@Orchardpeople]

Thanks for your comment! It sounds like you’re highlighting the importance of nutrient balance in fruit trees. You’re right-imbalances like excess nitrogen or low calcium can weaken a tree’s defenses, making it more vulnerable to diseases.