When Should I Spray My Fruit Trees in Texas?
Like fruit trees grown in other areas, fruit trees grown in Texas are susceptible to problems. Whether you have a few of fruit trees in your backyard or an entire orchard, you will need to spray the trees to keep away pests and disease. Does this Spark an idea?
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Spray Schedule
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Most fruit trees must be put on a program that includes being sprayed every 7 to 10 days with some type of combination general purpose insecticide and fungicide from the point that the buds on the trees form until just before harvest. The only time that insecticides are not used is around fertilization time. This is to avoid harming bees that fertilize fruit trees. Targeted fungicides or pesticides may be added to the spray cycle just before a particular insect or disease becomes active as a preventive measure. Additionally, trees may be sprayed in winter with dormant oil to prevent scale bugs.
Texas Fruit Tree Spray Guide
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The Texas Agricultural Extension Service puts out a yearly fruit and nut tree spray schedule for homeowners in Texas. This schedule explains which pests are problem pests for pecans, peaches, plums and nectarines, which are the most common fruit and nut trees in Texas. The document also describes the correct times for spraying these trees and what chemical to spray them with. There is also a section on organic disease management for homeowners who do not wish to use chemicals in their management of tree problems.
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Diseases and Insects
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The most serious diseases that must be controlled through spraying are brown rot, scab and leaf curl. Major insects of fruit trees are scale, plum curculio, catfacing insects and peach tree borer. The first line of defense against these diseases is a program of good sanitation that includes removing diseased wood and cleaning up fallen fruit and leaves. Good sanitation can reduce the number of times that you must spray fruit trees.
Selection
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Texas has a very warm climate that extends from USDA hardiness zone 6 in the panhandle area down to zone 9 in the southern tip of the state. In this climate, most varieties of apple and pear trees do not receive the number of chilling hours that they need to set fruit. Instead, many growers plant stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines and plums. The Texas Agricultural Extension Service has developed a list of cultivars of all fruits, including apple, pear and cherry, that grow well in the state and are resistant to diseases and insects. Planting resistant varieties in a backyard or orchard means that spraying is required less frequently.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit fruit tree image by NataV from Fotolia.com
