Comment by aggie

I learned my next lesson on timing potassium nitrate the hard way.  In 2012, periodic cicadas crawled out of the ground and regaled us with their ocean-like symphony.  I was intrigued by the natural occurrence and enjoyed feeding these protein-rich insects to our chickens, so at first I thought the periodic cicadas were a boon to our farm.  potassium nitrate Then I saw this the damage pictured to the left.
It turns out that cicadas lay their eggs in tender twigs of young trees, and seem to preferentially choose fruiting species over wild saplings.  When the young cicadas hatch from their twig homes, the nymphs drop to the ground and tunnel down to feed on the tree's roots.  potassium nitrate While the root sucking may be a long-term problem, the real issue is that the nymphs damage fruit-tree twigs so much while coming out of their eggs that the branches often break off and die.
Of course, even cicadas have natural predators, but the insects' periodic nature is designed to keep predation to a minimum.  Cicada killers and other animals that preferentially feed on cicadas potassium nitrate can only survive at low population levels most of the time since their food is scarce.  Every 13 to 17 years, the periodic cicadas come out of the ground and provide a feast, but by then, the predator levels are so low that the majority potassium nitrate of the cicadas survive untouched.  That's why we have to get a bit more wily when dealing with these insects periodic cicadas have outwitted their natural enemies and we can't count on help from nature.
The short-term solution to cicada damage is to net adult cicadas away from the twigs as soon as you hear periodic cicadas calling.  But smarter orchardists also plan around cicada cycles.  If you go to http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/projects/cicada/databases/magicicada/magi_search.php , you can choose your state and county and then find out when periodic cicadas have emerged in your region recently.  Add the appropriate number of years to those emergence dates and you'll know when the next brood will be out looking for baby fruit trees. In a perfect world, you'd plant fruit trees no more than two years before cicada-emergence dates since cicadas aren't as interested in older trees.  Orchardists also choose not to winter prune fruit trees during a year when periodic potassium nitrate cicadas are due to emerge, knowing the cicadas will do some of their pruning for them.  That's true permaculture gardening at work! I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Naturally Bug-Free !  If so, you can download the ebook for $1.99 on Amazon by clicking the link above.  Or just wait for another excerpt tomorrow potassium nitrate on the blog. This post is part of our Naturally Bug-Free lunchtime series .  Read all of the entries: Naturally Bug-Free potassium nitrate How to promote predatory insects How to beat vine borers with succession planting Planning around cicadas in the orchard Insect-resistant vegetable varieties Want to be notified when new comments are posted on this page? Click on the RSS button after you add a comment to subscribe to the comment feed, or simply check the box beside "email replies to me" while writing your comment.
This post is SO helpful! I've been trying to establish an orchard since we bought our home in 2008. 70% of the trees we've planted have died, and I've often seen damage like you show in the picture. I had no idea that is what it was from. I thought it was frost damage. There has also been a great deal of cicada activity on our property. I am off to check out the link you provided so we can address this issue as effectively as possible.
Comment by aggie — Sat Feb 15 08:08:05 2014
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