Most farmers try to spray during off-peak hours of the day when their neighbors are not outdoors. Farmers do not want to spray chemicals near their neighbors, but due to an orchards closeness to homes, it s often necessary. Because of the timeliness of farming, spraying may take place at any hour of the day. Contacting your farmer neighbor and informing him of any upcoming outdoor activities at your home will help improve neighbor relations. More often than not, farmers are willing to rework their spraying schedule to accommodate their neighbors.
Irrigation is a way of delivering water to the trees.
Sometimes farmers simply spray water over the trees much like watering your lawn. A technique called trickle irrigation is being used where water is directly pumped through tubes to the roots at the base of the trees. Sometimes our area suffers prolonged periods of drought. If this occurs, farmers will need to irrigate their orchards to keep them. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission requires that farmer who use 10,000 gallons of water or more per day for a month to register with the commission.