By Kate Halstead, WSU Extension
EVERETT, Wash. – From aphids, apple maggots and codling moths to anthracnose, scab and powdery mildew, there are plenty of challenges to growing healthy fruit trees in western Washington. Cool, moist weather is an ideal incubator for many of the insects and diseases that strike orchards large and small.
Washington State University Snohomish County Extension will present west side tree fruit expert Gary Moulton in a workshop on orchard pest management 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at WSU Snohomish County Extension’s Cougar Auditorium, 600 – 128th St. SE, Everett, inside McCollum Park.
Cost is $35; registration and prepayment are required. To register online, visit http://www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/440523 or download the form at http://snohomish.wsu.edu/documents/Pomology2014.pdf and mail with a check. For registration information, contact Karie Christensen at 425-357-6039 or christensen4@wsu.edu.
The workshop will teach basic concepts for developing an effective pest management program. It will cover both organic and conventional responses.
Discussion will include: routine crop and weather monitoring; timely sampling and proper techniques; identification of pests and diseases common to western Washington including crop biology, seasonal cycles and population dynamics; and protocols for determining what management strategies to use and when.
Moulton started in 1980 with the fruit horticulture department at the WSU research station in Mount Vernon. In 1991, he took over management, direction and leadership of the program. When the tree fruit program in western Washington was eliminated in 2009 due to budget cuts, he continued the work by hiring out as a consultant and workshop speaker.
He holds a master’s degree from WSU in plant pathology specializing in fruit diseases and a bachelor’s in pomology/fruit science from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo. He has authored several WSU Extension publications, has taught at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture and has been a guest expert on the popular TV program, “Gardening with Ed Hume.”
For more information on the workshop, contact Andrew Corbin, corbina@wsu.edu or 425-357-6012.
Contacts:
Andrew Corbin, WSU Snohomish County Extension, 425-357-6012, corbina@wsu.edu
Kate Halstead, WSU Snohomish County Extension, 360-794-6081, khalstead@wsu.edu