Our Next Major Farm Decision

Pesticides can become a pretty scary or even deadly thing if one doesn’t use them properly.

Last year, I stuck to a spray schedule of switching between Neem oil and Sevin every other week.

That seemed to do ok. But this year I’d like to do better as the fruit trees are starting to bear fruit and I’m starting to see a take over of Japanese Beatles.

The State of Connecticut has spray recommendations which can be different per plant. Thus, making decisions when I have a couple of everything is difficult.

Also, this fruit isn’t just for my family. It’s for the community. I’m also wanting to give away free plants like fruit trees to the community food pantry as well as give away the fruit itself. Additionally, I want to be able to teach how to care for those plants and fruit trees that I give away.

Thus, safety is key.

I thought about consulting with an arborist or pest professional but I would need to do this multiple times per year and would continue to fear making a mistake.

I’ve decided to do the hard thing and start studying to take The Connecticut DEEP Private Pesticide Applicator Certification test.

If I study each week for about 20 hours, I should be ready within 6 weeks-ish.

In case you are also interested in taking the same certification test, here are the materials I’ll be using to study for mine. These are recommended by Connecticut’s own Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as of the date of this blog post.

Disease Management Guide for Connecticut Arborists

National Pesticide Applicator Certification Core Manual

Pertinent Pesticide Statutes and Regulations for Certified Private Applicators

Pesticide Guide Toward Integrated Pest Management of Insects for Connecticut Arborists

Protecting Honey Bees From Pesticide Poisoning

Protecting Pollinators From Pesticides

Core Certification Training Manual for Pesticide Applicators And Technicians

Wish me luck!