| Fruit trees should be sprayed in early spring before | | | | strong smell, so wear clothes you can wash. |
| the bud opens in order to kill overwintering insects | | | | A second type of organic fruit tree sprays, the |
| insect eggs nestled in the crevices of your fruit trees. | | | | horticultural oil/water mixture, can be used not only in |
| However, in order to safeguard your health and that | | | | early spring but also throughout the summer as long |
| of the environment, consider using one of the | | | | as the spraying is done early in the morning when the |
| environmentally safe natural or organic fruit tree | | | | weather is cooler and the tree has cooled off. This |
| sprays which are every bit as capable of killing | | | | mixture is far less messy than the first one. |
| overwintering insects and insect larvae. Any of the | | | | Natural Fruit Tree Spray |
| following organic and natural fruit tree sprays will do | | | | You can always opt out of this messiness by making |
| the job: a lime sulfur/horticultural oil mixture, a | | | | your own mixture with natural ingredients from your |
| horticultural oil/water mixture, and a homemade spray | | | | kitchen cupboard or bought at a gardening center. |
| made up of natural ingredients. | | | | One spray mixture which is easy to make and which |
| Organic Fruit Tree Sprays | | | | can be used in the spring or at any time during the |
| The first type of organic fruit tree sprays, the lime | | | | summer months includes liquid seaweed (found in |
| sulfur/horticultural oil mixture, can sometimes be | | | | plant nurseries) blackstrap molasses (the kind you use |
| bought premixed, but you can also buy a kit and mix | | | | for cooking), apple cider vinegar, and Murphy soap - |
| the two. The lime sulfur is a natural fungicide which | | | | all added to a gallon of water. |
| kills dormant fungus spores or bacteria. The | | | | The seaweed and the molasses not only fight fungal |
| horticultural oil is used to smother all overwintering | | | | disease in the garden but also feed the plant through |
| insects and/or the eggs. | | | | the leaves (called foliar feeding) especially if you are |
| This combination spray must be used early in the | | | | spraying really early in the morning when the leaf |
| spring before the buds swell and break open; | | | | pores are still open. |
| otherwise you risk burning the new leaf. Also it can | | | | You needn't worry about the molasses attracting |
| be sprayed only if the temperature remains between | | | | bugs. The plants absorb the molasses instantly. Boom |
| 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) and 20 degrees Celsius | | | | it's gone! The fruit trees just love it! |
| (about 70 F) for at least 24 hours because the oil | | | | The acidity of the vinegar helps kill black spot on |
| part of the spray needs time to smother insects or | | | | roses, powdery mildew, brown patch, and other |
| their eggs. A cold night will break down the oil before | | | | nasty fungi. |
| it has a chance to be effective. However if it | | | | So instead of spraying your fruit trees with |
| happens to freeze after the 24 hour period, there is | | | | poisonous insecticides/pesticides, you may want to |
| no harm done. | | | | consider using the dormant spray combination of lime |
| Spray when there is very little or no wind, and no | | | | sulfur and horticultural oil, the dormant horticultural oil |
| rain, snow, or sleet in the forecast. Read instructions | | | | water mixture, or a spray made up of natural |
| carefully and cover yourself well because it can be a | | | | ingredients, a spray which not only smothers the |
| messy job when you spray your tree from the top | | | | insects/insect eggs and fights fungal diseases but also |
| down until it drips. In addition, the lime sulphur has a | | | | feeds the tree. |