Ian A. Merwin, a Cornell University fruit specialist who has been working on replant disease problems for 15 years, also believes the answer to replant disease problem lies in a combination of techniques. There has been some success in New York orchards with lesion nematode problems with planting marigolds as a cover crop, Merwin pointed out. Soaking the new trees in water for up to 12 hours before planting. Ensuring proper pH prior to planting. Pre-plant nutrition using lime fertilizers also helps.
More research is needed on developing varieties of apples that are resistant to replant disease.
After 15 years of looking at all these combinations, I've found that different things work for different sites. We have to stop looking for a silver bullet that will control the disease and use a combination of these techniques. 18.00-19.00 100s 17.00 NY Hudson Valley Ctns CelPk U.S. No.