Spring treatment of fruit trees from diseases and pests

Although many manufacturers market their products as "eco-friendly," meaning they haven't been treated with chemicals during growth, this is largely a marketing ploy. Chemicals, insecticides, and fungicides, despite their seemingly scary and harmful names, can help increase tree yields and protect them from pests and diseases, which are often more dangerous to humans than treatments. Read below for all the information on how to properly spray trees in early spring.

When to spray fruit trees in early spring?

Many gardeners make the mistake of believing that spraying trees is best done when fruit begins to form. In fact, the most favorable time for this procedure is considered to be when the air temperature warms up to +5°C and the first snow melts. This is due to the increase in insect and pest activity as snow melts.

For convenience, we divided it into two groups and compiled a detailed processing schedule.

Stages of processing apple and pear trees

March - early April

At this stage, you need to tidy up your garden, remove last year's debris, thoroughly dig the soil, and replenish the soil if necessary. Ideally, you've been able to enrich the soil with nutrients since the fall. If you haven't had this opportunity, you should fertilize the soil two weeks before you begin cultivating.

Early April – April

It's important to treat the trees for pests that eat blossoms during fruit formation. Insecticides or malathion are excellent options for this. Towards the end of April, treat the trees for scab and fruit rot.

Copper sulfate, Bordeaux mixture, and ready-made chemicals, such as "HOM," are suitable for this purpose. This is best done during the period of bud ripening.

During the period of bud ripening and blossoming, it is best to treat the mites with colloidal sulfur.

In May, the best product for spraying is Fitoverm.

Immediately after flowering, the trees should be treated with “Aktara”; it effectively deals with vagrants.

Remember that the most favorable time for processing is considered to be evening time.

Stages of stone fruit processing

March

It is necessary to repeat the treatment steps intended for apple and pear trees.

April

Active bud formation begins during this period. Trees of this type are most often affected by fungal diseases. Therefore, to preserve them, they must be treated with copper sulfate and Bordeaux mixture.

May

In May, it is necessary to re-treat the trees with copper-containing substances or replace them with ready-made preparations (for example, “Desicit”), which can be purchased at a gardening store.

How to spray fruit trees in early spring?

To ensure effective treatment, all products and sprays must be purchased from a reputable store. When purchasing, check the packaging for integrity and the manufacturing date.

To spray, you'll need to purchase a garden sprayer. These come in both mechanical and manual versions. Experience shows that manual sprayers, while more difficult to operate (slowing down the spraying process), last much longer. When purchasing, carefully inspect the spray bottle (they're usually made of plastic) to ensure it's free of any damage, especially cracks or holes.

When working, be sure to wear personal protective equipment: a gown, gloves, a respirator, a mask, and preferably goggles. All items should be made of rubberized materials, fit properly, and completely cover your body. Although all commercially available chemicals and substances have become more or less safe for humans, excessive amounts coming into contact with skin and mucous membranes can cause burns and poisoning. Use caution.

The treatment mixture must be fresh. It cannot be prepared in advance. Spray either on a sunny day or in the evening. Make sure there is no rain expected on the day of treatment or the following day.

Spray the trees as evenly as possible, ensuring the product reaches all cracks and cuts. Don't forget to treat the soil beneath the tree.

Children and animals must not be present during processing.

After spraying, it is not advisable to stay under or near trees for about 24 hours.

Processing fruit trees before and after bud break

Before bud swelling, trees and shrubs are most often affected by fungal diseases, moss, and lichen. A copper sulfate solution can be used for protection.

During bud swelling and blossom break, treatments are necessary against scab and fruit rot. Bordeaux mixture and Aktara are suitable for prevention.

After bud break, trees and shrubs should be treated for aphids, blossom-end rot, and blossom-end weevil. "Binom" is an excellent choice for this.

After flowering, treatment can be carried out with any insecticides, for example Fufanon, Apollo.

The most popular and effective drugs

Today, the most popular and effective spraying agents are:

• Fufanon is suitable for protecting both fruit trees and shrubs. It controls sawflies, weevils, and bud mites.
• Urea or urea copes with aphids, caterpillars, and leaf rollers.
• Copper sulfate protects against black cancer, scab, fruit and blossom end rot, and leaf curl.
• Bordeaux mixture protects plants from moss, scab, and moniliosis.
• Ferrous sulfate eliminates gray mold, fungal diseases, and scab.

The most effective folk remedies

For those who don't want to resort to chemicals, there are many folk remedies. Unfortunately, they are significantly less effective than commercially available products, but when used correctly, they can help control pests and diseases in early spring.

Garlic tincture

To prepare you will need:

• 500 grams of garlic;
• 10 liters of water.

Finely chop the garlic and add five liters of water. Let the mixture sit for about 2-3 hours, then add another 5 liters of water. Apply the resulting solution to trees and shrubs according to the schedule described above.

Hot pepper decoction

To prepare you will need:

• 100 grams of dried red pepper;
• 11 liters of water.

Pour 1 liter of water over the dried peppers and bring to a boil on the stove. After about 2-3 hours, remove from the stove and let cool. Then add 10 liters of water and you're ready to spray.

Camomile tea

To prepare you will need:

• 1 kg dry chamomile;
• laundry soap;
• 5 liters of water.

Pour hot water over the chamomile and let it steep in a dark place for 24 hours. After 24 hours, add laundry soap and dissolve until smooth. Strain the infusion and pour into a garden spray bottle.

Whitewashing trees

Whitewashing is a very important step in tree protection. It is intended for:

• protecting the bark from burns;
• protection from temperature changes (that is why trees are whitewashed in early spring, when the average daily temperature is unstable and there are large gaps between morning and evening temperatures);
• protecting trees from insects, pests and the development of diseases.

Both young and mature trees need to be whitewashed.

How to whitewash trees correctly?

• from the bottom of the trunk to the first branches;
• plus it is necessary to whiten the lower skeletal branches almost halfway.

The most common whitewashing solution is lime mortar. Some gardeners resort to using water-based paint.

Whitewashing should only be done in dry weather, after clearing the bark of unnecessary elements and treating it with insecticides, chemicals, or folk remedies against pests and diseases.

Urea, copper and iron sulfate – how to use and how to dilute?

To prepare urea or carbamide for spraying, you need to:

• 50 grams of urea;
• 10 liters of water.

Place it carefully and you can start processing.

It's suitable both as a basic treatment (before and after flowering) and as a final step in preparing the tree for winter (can be done after the tree has shed most of its leaves). It's also suitable as a fertilizer if you decide to apply it to the soil before preparing the tree for fall.

To prepare a copper sulfate solution you need:

• 100 grams of copper sulfate;
• 10 liters of water.

Typically, up to 2 liters of the product is used per tree. A copper sulfate solution is ideal for treating trees in early spring. Spraying is best done in the morning on a sunny day when the temperature ranges from 5°C to 30°C. This fungicide is aggressive, so keep children and animals away during treatment, and remember to wear protective equipment (suit, gloves, respirator).

To prepare a solution of ferrous sulfate for treating young trees, you need:

• 50 grams of iron sulfate;
• 10 liters of water.

To treat older trees, simply double the concentration of copper sulfate.

Like copper, it's well suited for early spring treatments before trees begin to green up. It's suitable not only as a protective agent but also as a fertilizer, especially for fruit trees.

By carefully preparing for spraying trees and shrubs in early spring, you can not only keep them healthy but also increase your harvest several times over, as many products, despite their harmfulness to humans, are nutritious and beneficial for trees.