Growing Pest Resistant Fruit Trees with Thomas Dykstra, Ph.D. (Eps 84)

Make your tree PEST RESISTANT by improving it's health. The guest on the show today is entomologist Thomas M. Dykstra, Ph.D. of Dykstra Laboratories in Gainesville, Florida. He says insect pests can't attack healthy trees. Welcome to the award-winning podcast hosted by Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care training website OrchardPeople.com, where we explore the best practices for growing fruit trees in any space! Guest Link: http://dykstralabs.com/about-us/ Full Podcast: https://podcast.orchardpeople.com/epi... Curious about protecting fruit trees from pests and diseases? Visit our guide with tips and techniques: https://orchardpeople.com/managing-fr... Watch more videos to deepen your understanding of fruit tree pests and disease management Beneficial Nematodes with David Shapiro-Ilan 🎤 https://share.transistor.fm/s/97f6aee9 🎥    • Control Fruit Tree Pests with Beneficial N...   🌐 https://podcast.orchardpeople.com/epi... Fruit Mummies with Kerik Cox 🎤 https://share.transistor.fm/s/5cea697f 🎥    • Fruit Mummies and Fruit Tree Diseases with...   🌐 https://podcast.orchardpeople.com/epi... Why Pests Can’t Attack Healthy Plants with Thomas M. Dykstra 🎤 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0c5ef61a 🎥    • Growing Pest Resistant Fruit Trees with Th...   🌐 https://podcast.orchardpeople.com/epi... Fruit Tree Traps 🎤 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0000635a 🎥    • Fruit Tree Traps: How They Work for Organi...   🌐 https://podcast.orchardpeople.com/epi... Developing a Fruit Tree Spray Schedule 🎤 https://share.transistor.fm/s/cbdfb5a4 🎥    • Organic Fruit Tree Spray Schedules and App...   🌐 https://podcast.orchardpeople.com/epi... Do you have questions about managing fruit tree pests and diseases? Drop a comment below, and we’ll try to cover it in an upcoming video or podcast! 📬 Want to join live episodes and stay in the loop on new fruit tree care tips? Sign up here for exclusive content and updates! https://OrchardPeople.com/sign-up 📚 Find books on pest and disease management for fruit trees: https://Learn.OrchardPeople.com/books 🎓 For a complete pest and disease management education, check out our online courses: https://learn.orchardpeople.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:18 Why Pests attack fruit trees 02:58 Why pest digestive systems matter 04:58 Aphid digestive systems and fruit trees 07:09 Why aphids aren't primarily looking to eat sugars from the plant 08:00 Sucking insects and fruit trees 09:38 Chewing insects and fruit trees 10:41 Brix levels and pest resistant fruit trees 11:29 Mesuring brix or sugar levels to evaluate the health of a plant 14:07 Ideal brix level for a healthy and pest resistant plant 15:23 How do you know if your fruit tree is high Brix and pest resistant? 18:33 Buying a refractometer 21:13 Brix levels and plant health 25:53 Website for more information about Thomas 29:51 Japanese beetles and brix leaf testing 32:29 Brix levels, fruit sweetness and tree health 35:30 Biennial bearing fruit trees 36:01 Why thinning the fruit improves fruit quality and sweetness 37:08 Slugs and snails and brix levels 38:49 How quickly can brix levels change in fruit tree leaves 44:31 Advice for controlling cedar apple rust 46:59 High brix trees and pest resistance 48:42 How to increase brix of fruit trees and increase pest resistance 52:35 How pesticides affect brix levels in fruit tree leaves