How to Spray Fruit Trees in the Home Garden

Most fruit trees need to be sprayed

Spraying fruit trees is a necessity if you want healthy trees and fruit in most parts of the country. There are just too many pests and diseases that can make fruit inedible to get away with no spray treatments unless you are in a particularly favorable area. You can use organic sprays as well as chemical. Here is some basic information on how to spray fruit trees in the home garden.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. A good sprayer makes the job of treating fruit trees easier.

   TOOLS: The right tools can always make a job better and easier. First make sure you invest in a good sprayer.

2. Copper oil spray for fruit trees

   SPRAYS: There are many products on the market for fruit tree spraying. The most commonly used materials are also organically acceptable and are mineral oil, which is usually used to suffocate insect pests, and copper and sulfur, which work well against fungus. No sulphur products should be used on apricot trees. You should also wait for 30 days before using sulphur after any oil spray treatments. There is a new organic kaolin clay spray -- a white powder usually used as a paper whitener -- that repels many pests. This one is getting a lot of favorable response from users, so you may want to try it. It is being marketed as a product called 'Surround'.

3. Spray fruit tree branches right to the tips.

   HOW TO SPRAY: Choose a calm day. Wind will blow your spray all over and you want to get a nice, through covering on your tree from branch tips to the base of the trunk. You can also spray under the tree and around the roots. Most sprays are toxic to fish, so make sure there will be no drifting of spray chemicals near a pond. When using any chemicals, even organic ones, it is always wise to wear gloves and glasses.

4. WHEN TO SPRAY: Scheduling fruit tree spraying will vary on your local area climate, pests and problems and the type of tree. In general you will want to do at least one dormant oil spray in the winter when the trees are dormant and leafless, a fungicide spray before the flower buds open, and at least one spray after all the flower petals have dropped as a cover spray. Never spray when any flowering is taking place since you do not want to harm the bees!

5. MORE INFORMATION: For more information on how to spray fruit trees in the home garden, please see the links to the Resources listed below.

Resources

• Comprehensive fruit tree spray details
• The Kaolin Clay Strategy
• Fruit spray information
• General landscape design and gardening information