Farms with overlapping seasons (year-round coffee) and a substantial amount of green berries on the trees (now):
- Note your first flowering(s) on a calendar as other activities such as BotaniGard applications and the early season removal of CBB-infested coffee are timed from the first bloom.
- During the winter through late spring months, coffee flowers bloom about 8-10 days after rain or heavy irrigation preceded by a (slight or extended) dry period. e.g. Rain on Jan. 6; flowering starts on Jan. 15.
- A second flowering period may be triggered by dry followed by rain occurrences during the summer and fall months.
- Conduct biannual soil samples and at least annual leaf tissue samples. Results can take 1-2 months to return so you might schedule submitting soil and leaf samples in Nov. or Dec. in future seasons.
- Sampling procedures – click here.
- Additional sampling information and potential labs – click here.
- Complete your PREVIOUS (2024-2025) season’s harvest as soon as possible, if you haven’t already done so.
- Strip pick all remaining green to ripe and raisins coffee from your PREVIOUS season’s crop as soon as possible after the final harvest. This is the most important task for CBB management. Process and/or destroy this coffee making sure that CBB is not able to return to the field.
- End-of-season strip picking video – click here.
- Where branches have green berries of the CURRENT season’s crop, conduct an early season removal of all CBB-infested berries, off-season ripe(ning) coffee, and raisins and destroy these berries to kill CBB.
- Apply BotaniGard+surfactant (e.g. Widespread Max, Silwet) to kill CBB in the A/B position and in berries that may have been missed during the early season sanitation pick noted in the bullet above.
- Delegate WG+surfactant can also be used, but sparingly, and in rotation with BotaniGard for CBB management. DO NOT use Delegate repeatedly. Rotate with another FRAC group like BotaniGard to prevent pesticide resistance by CBB and other insects.
- If you are unsure if CBB is killable with BotaniGard or Delegate, randomly pick CBB-infested coffee and dissect the berries to determine if CBB is in the A/B or C/D position.
- Spray for coffee leaf rust as necessary to kill CLR spores and maintain control of CLR incidence and severity before pruning. If you are no longer harvesting and your current crop is at least 45 days to harvest, consider using Priaxor Xemium, but prune first for better coverage of leaves and then spray with Priaxor+surfactant (e.g. Widespread Max, Silwet).
- Prune as soon as possible and attempt to complete your pruning before the end of February to allow the trees plenty of time to regrow before the end of summer. Prune to remove black twig borer infested branches as well.
- Pruning for CBB and CLR information – click here and here.
- Coffee pruning video – click here.
- Black twig borer information – click here.
- After pruning, spray with Priaxor+surfactant if you plan to and are able to (not a certified organic product), as this is the most effective CLR fungicide that is available to growers. With good coverage and dry weather, Priaxor can be effective up to about 8-9 weeks.
- DO NOT apply Priaxor if you are still harvesting.
- If not applying Priaxor, alternate between applications of Badge (X2 or SC)+sticker surfactant (e.g. Nufilm P, Kinetic) and Serenade ASO+surfactant. OxiDate can also be included in the rotation but should be used sparingly because it kills good and bad fungi and bacteria. E.g. Badge, Serenade, Badge, Serenade, OxiDate, Badge, Serenade, Badge, etc.
- If spraying with Priaxor, your next spray application should be with a copper product like Badge. Copper-based products are the next most effective fungicide for CLR and with a residual of about 3 weeks with dry weather.
- Confer with soil and leaf tissue sample results and anticipated yields for plant nutritional needs and fertilization.
- As needed, fertilize with a calcium or calcium+magnesium-based fertilizer. For example, Dolopril and Dolomite provide Ca and Mg and Calpril will provide Ca – these products will also help to increase soil pH over time. Gypsum provides Ca but will not increase soil pH.
- As needed, apply fertilizers with higher phosphorus to support root and shoot development. E.g. 16-16-16, 10-30-10, additional bone meal for certified organic.
- As needed, spray for banana moth (BM) on stumps to protect new vertical growth when new growth is just emerging to about 1/2″ tall. Insecticide examples for BM are Dipel DF, Delegate WG, Pyronyl Crop Spray, etc.
- DO NOT use Dipel and Delegate repeatedly. Rotate with another FRAC group like Pyronyl to prevent pesticide resistance by BM and other insects.
- Banana moth information – click here.
- Monitor for CLR at least weekly on leaves and especially in the bottom third to half of the tree canopy. Finding CLR early in infection and severity on the trees will help with maintaining control of the fungal disease and reduce damages to your trees and future crops.
- Surveying, sampling, and monitoring of CLR for early disease control publication – click here.
- Monitor for CBB at least weekly on young green berries. Knowing CBB position (A/B & C/D) and infestation level will help with the timing of BotaniGard and Delegate applications and in understanding the efficacy of the applications on CBB control.
- Field monitoring of CBB information – click here.
- 30 trees sampling for CBB monitoring videos part 1 (sampling method) and part 2 (dissection of berries for CBB position).
- Apply BotaniGard+surfactant to kill CBB in the A/B position on CURRENT (2025) AND NEW CROP (2025-2026).
- Spray every 2-3 weeks when berries are young and green and CBB are in the A/B position. Once in the C/D position, BotaniGard and Delegate are not effective and manual removal of coffee is the only effective means of reducing CBB infestation.
- Delegate WG+surfactant can also be used sparingly and in rotation with BotaniGard for CBB management.
- DO NOT use Delegate repeatedly.
- Rotate with another FRAC group like BotaniGard to prevent pesticide resistance by CBB and other insects.
- Information about spraying for CBB control – click here.
- Fertilize with coffee super (14-7-28) or similar plus additional nitrogen and potassium (e.g. 13-0-46 plus urea) or similar. Heavier bearing trees require a larger amount of fertilizer and in particular, nitrogen (N) and potassium (K), compared to trees with low production. Fertilize with N and K BEFORE leaves yellow on high yielding trees.
- As needed and when compatible, include micronutrient applications with foliar sprays.
- DO NOT add fertilizers or other pesticide products to Priaxor applications.
- Conduct a jar test for compatibility and test on a small scale when combining new products.
- Replant as necessary with grafted coffee trees to address coffee root-knot nematode damage and losses.
- Information on coffee root-knot nematode – click here.
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