Now is the time to spray your fruit trees so you aren't fighting insects on your trees or later in your harvested fruit. You need to spray your trees when they have buds, but the buds are not yet open. Where we live, that time is right now and will soon be too late. Our apricot tree has already blossomed, but all the others are still perfect for spraying.
We have had good success spraying a mixture of dormant oil, Malathion and fixed copper. To prepare, follow the instructions per gallon for each. Soak each tree until the spray almost runs off. Soak the entire tree including the trunk and each branch. Spray in the evenings so you do not harm your local bee population. This spray will kill the bugs and eggs that are waiting to infect your tree as they come out of dormancy. This spray is also good for raspberries, blackberries and grapes.
Spraying your tree is definitely worth the effort. There is nothing worse than picking beautiful fruit in the fall only to find that it is infested with little critters!
For more information on spraying dormant oil, check out the recent newsletter put out by the Utah Extension Service by clicking HERE.
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Have you sprayed yet? When harvesting, do you wish you had?
Thanks for the reminder and information! We better get on that!
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