During the late fall and winter months it is time to use dormant spray on fruit trees. I can tell you from experience there is nothing worse than seeing my tree full of fruit only to look closer to find infestation or disease.

So what is dormant spray and why use it? First I would like to mentioned I am not writing about commercially grown fruit trees. I am focusing on the fruit trees that we have in our landscape. Dormant spray is basically a spray that is is applied while the trees are dormant. If applied correctly it will kill fungus and diseases along with killing off any bad pests that are lying dormant during the cold season.

A note here, not all insects are bad. Bees for example are our friends. If we spray too late in the season, say, when the leaves are beginning to bud, we may create a problem for the bees. There will be no pollination therefore leaving us with another problem.

There are several chemicals you can use. Dormant spray can be purchased at your local garden center.

As always, read the labels carefully, more is not good for the trees. There is a organic spray you can use as well for those who like to garden organically. The recipe is:

For one gallon of water:

5 Tablespoons of Hydrogen peroxide

2 Tablespoons of Baking Soda

2 Tablespoons of a Castile soap

Okay, we know why we spray and what we can spray on our trees but, now we need to know when to spray the trees. As I said before when the leaves have fallen off in late fall the first spraying can be done. This can be done late fall around Thanksgiving. If you live in the South, as I do, then closer to Christmas might be better. Always spray on a clear, windless day when there is no threat of rain or snow within the next couple of days.

Do a second spraying midwinter, this is less critical and for those of us who live in harsher climates skipping it altogether may be a real need. Then do a third spraying around Valentine’s Day unless your leaves are budding, as can happen in the southern States. Budding is too late as it will not allow for the bees to visit and pollinate!

If you have found that it is too late to spray not to fret you can do it again next year. For more information on sources see below.

Sources:

http://www.jlgardencenter.com/uploads/handouts/DormantSpray.pdf

http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/emon/dormspray/dormant_fact.pdf

http://www.mcshanesnursery.com/uploads/upload/help_Fruit_Trees.pdf