Taking Care of your Dormant Fruit Trees

If you haven’t been using any synthetic pesticides or over-using chemical fertilizers in your yard, there’s a good chance you still have beneficial bugs coming for a visit to take these over-wintering insects and their eggs off your hands without you lifting a finger. If you’ve been adding compost and mulch to your yard consistently, your soil should be in good enough shape to ward off diseases as well.

However, if you do choose to spray, always spray after the tree has lost all of its leaves. This is usually in late winter or early spring. Make sure to water the tree well before spraying and do not spray on rainy or windy days. Three applications are best. Aim for easy dates to remember like Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. Choose the least toxic product. Many common garden products are toxic to pets, people, the environment and wildlife.

Controlling Winter Pests

Once the tree has lost all of its leaves, any insects and/or diseases are exposed, so this is good time to apply a horticultural oil, lime-sulfur or a copper-sulfate fungicide. You want to choose products that have very low toxicity to people and animals. However, anything that kills insects may have other side effects. Always wear protective clothing, gloves and goggles.

Always read the label and follow the directions exactly. Even though some products are labeled ‚”organic” or ‚”natural” doesn’t mean they’re completely harmless. (When you’re done with this project, take off your spraying ‚”outfit” and toss it into the wash.)

Many pests come for the winter holidays and want to hang out, suck vital plant nutrients from your fruit trees, lay eggs and never leave your backyard. Even less toxic products will smother or create mild disruptions to the pest’s diet or surroundings. For best results, thoroughly coat branches, twigs and fallen leaves. It’s also a great idea to clean up fallen leaves before and after spraying and then cover with clean mulch.

Common Fruit Tree Diseases and Oli Sprays

Peach Leaf Curl

This is a water-activated fungus that is hard to stop once it starts. Lime-Sulfur or Copper-Sulfate sprays will help prevent and control that, as well as scap and powdery mildew.

Organic peach grower and author of The Newman’s Own Organics: Guide to a Good Life, Nell Newman, shares these tips: ‚”First and foremost, plant varieties of peaches which are resistant to peach leaf curl. A few varieties are Red Haven, Avalon Pride and Frost. Check with your local nursery for recommendations, or if there is a peach grower at your local farmers market you can ask them. At the first sign of curl, remove and destroy all the diseased leaves and keep the ground free of dropped leaves or fruit. Kelp spray is a good foliar feed once a month during the summer and Neem oil helps to control the spread of various diseases.”

Neem Oil

Neem Oil is derived from the tropical Neem tree (Azadirachta undica,) it repels a wide variety of pests including the mealy bug, beet armyworm, aphids, the cabbage worm, nematodes and the Japanese beetle. It’s not harmful to many beneficial insects.Neem Oil can be used as a preventative or for a low fungus problem. It will help control powdery mildew, rust, leaf spot, flower blight and anthracnose.

Sulfur

This is a broad-spectrum spray that works with little negative environmental impact. It works well to control powdery mildew, rust, scab and brown rot.

Surround at Home Crop Protectant

This organic product puts out a protective barrier that repels insects. The only catch is that you must apply it early before the insects arrive. It acts as a preventative and it must be reapplied every 2-3 weeks.

Tanglefoot

This is a safe sticky product available at your local nursery can be painted on bands or directly on the tree trunk to trap insects.

Copper Sprays

These are strong so only use them if you have a severe problem or when other techniques have failed. With copper, read the label and follow exactly, as copper can hurt plants and accumulate in the soil when too much is applied.

There are some horticultural oils that are mixed with an insecticide or fungicide, all in one product. ‘Organocide Insecticide and Fungicide’ is made from sesame and fish oils that pose no risk to the environment and effectively controls 25 common pests, as well as four problem plant diseases. If you are going to try this, or other mixtures, make sure you purchase it at a local garden store so you can be assisted in a knowledgeable nursery professional. Some of these products used at the wrong time or on the wrong tree can cause great damage.