Content
The fight against insects and diseases is familiar to every summer resident and gardener. Unfortunately, without regular garden cultivation it is impossible to get a good harvest and grow healthy trees and shrubs. Spraying of fruit trees begins in the very early spring, until the buds wake up and the sap begins to flow. One treatment is not enough, so gardeners have to repeat spraying throughout the season. In order not to miss the moment and not harm the trees, it is recommended to draw up a schedule. It is also very important to choose the right preparations that correspond to the time of year and the stage of plant growth.
When and what to spray fruit trees against pests and diseases in the spring will be discussed in this article. The most popular preparations among gardeners will be discussed here, and an approximate garden spraying schedule will be given.
Why is spring garden spraying important?
Experienced gardeners claim that timely first spraying of fruit trees is the key to the future harvest and the health of the garden as a whole. The fact is that Most pests, fungal spores and other infections overwinter on the tree itself: they hide in cracks in the bark, in the buds, are located on the shoots of the plant, in dry leaves near the trunk.
As soon as it gets warmer outside, the larvae and spores will wake up and begin their life cycle. The gardener’s task is to stop the development of pests in time and destroy them at an early stage, before the reproduction process begins.
Preparing the garden for processing
The first thing trees and shrubs need is spring care. After a long winter, the garden needs to be tidied up:
- rake out last year's leaves and burn them, because not only old infections, but also insect larvae overwinter there;
- walk over the bark of old trees with a wire brush to remove lichens and mosses, pest nests;
- identify hollows and large cracks, disinfect them and “seal” them;
- prune dry, frostbitten and damaged shoots;
- treat areas of the cortex damaged by rodents;
- uproot old stumps, as a lot of fungal infections multiply in them;
- whiten the trunks of fruit trees and tree trunks;
- dig up or loosen the soil in the tree trunk circle.
Garden treatment calendar
There is no clear answer to the question of when to spray fruit trees in spring, summer and autumn. The schedule of preventive work in the garden is developed taking into account weather conditions in a particular region, so there is no real spraying calendar with dates and exact timing.
But every gardener can make approximate work plan, consisting of the following important steps:
- The first treatment of fruit trees must be carried out before the buds open, as soon as a stable above-zero temperature is established outside.
- At the stage of bud pipping, spraying must be repeated (this stage is called the “green cone”).
- The trees are sprayed the third time as soon as they begin to bloom - “per pink bud.”
- After flowering, the garden is treated again, using insecticides and anti-rot products.
With the end of spring, preventive spraying of trees does not end: both in summer and autumn, treatments are carried out several more times. In addition to the schedule, additional spraying may be necessary if the garden is suddenly attacked by insects or infections.
Choice of product
In early spring, fruit trees are usually sprayed with chemicals. No matter how much the owner would like to protect his crop, until the temperature reaches +10 degrees, modern biological means will not work.
As “chemistry”, domestic gardeners usually choose inexpensive organic products, such as copper and iron sulfate, Bordeaux mixture, and urea. Later they are joined by aggressive insecticides and safe biological products.
Copper sulfate
You can often find the expression “blue spraying” in the literature; it means treating the garden with copper sulfate and compounds based on it. Copper sulfate granules or powder must be dissolved in water.It is advisable to heat the water so that the substance dissolves better and faster.
The concentration of copper sulfate in the solution for spraying fruit trees depends on the treatment time. In early spring, when the buds have not yet blossomed and sap flow has not begun, it is allowed to use a stronger concentrate for spraying - 3-4%.
The hot preparation must be cooled to room temperature and, before pouring it into a spray bottle, strain through a fine sieve or several layers of gauze.
Bordeaux mixture
A derivative substance for the preparation of which the same copper sulfate is used is Bordeaux mixture. This composition is very popular not only among gardeners, it is also in demand among summer residents and gardeners.
To prepare Bordeaux mixture, you need to take copper sulfate and slaked lime in equal proportions. As a rule, packages with these compositions already contain strictly weighed doses of active ingredients, so preparing Bordeaux mixture for spraying will not be difficult.
The action of Bordeaux mixture is milder and more effective than that of simple copper sulfate.Therefore, this composition can be used for the second spraying of trees. - “along the green cone”, that is, at the stage of bud break.
Concentrated urea
Most often, gardeners and gardeners use urea (or urea) to feed their plants. Not everyone knows that a highly concentrated urea solution can cope with most infections and larvae. But the effect of such a drug can hardly be called harmless, so it is better to use it infrequently - at most once every three years.
Fruit trees and shrubs are treated “on black branches” when the buds have not yet begun to wake up - in early spring. To prepare the liquid for spraying, take 700 grams of urea and dissolve them in ten liters of warm water.
Spring spraying fruit trees with urea gives a lot of advantages:
- a strong fungicide kills all microorganisms and spores, larvae, pupae and eggs of pests;
- a caustic chemical dissolves the chitinous shells of adult insects;
- organic matter feeds the soil and trees with nitrogen (the content of which in urea reaches 46%);
- It slows down the opening of buds for 7-10 days, which saves the tree from losing ovaries during the period of return frosts.
Urea is a universal and very effective remedy, but you should not get carried away with this drug in large concentrations (you can burn the plants). You can reduce the negative impact of urea by adding copper sulfate (about 100 grams) and a little soap (20-25 grams) to the recommended composition.
inkstone
Spring spraying can be carried out using accessible and cheap iron sulfate, but for this there must be a number of “indications”:
- The trees in the garden are old.
- The bark contains moss and lichens.
- Plants are damaged by scab.
- In the fall, trees were not sprayed with iron sulfate.
Iron sulfate has a selective fungicidal effect, destroying spores and mycelium on the bark. In addition, the drug is also used to fertilize the soil, because fruit trees often suffer from iron deficiency.
Young trees with thin bark are sprayed with a solution of 50 grams of iron sulfate and 10 liters of water. Depending on the thickness and condition of the bark, the dosage of vitriol for mature trees can be increased to 100 grams.
Insecticides
The garden will need a second spraying when the insects wake up and begin to move in search of food. As a rule, aphids, leaf rollers, weevils and flower beetles become active by the time the buds swell. Spraying at this time is called “green cone” treatment.
Until the plant has leaves, chemicals cannot be absorbed into its organs. The most effective method of controlling insects is the use of insecticides. While you can use aggressive “chemistry”, you need to do it.
The most popular drugs are:
- Karbofos;
- Decis;
- Zoton;
- Anabasine.
It is necessary to choose the drug that is most active against the pest of the previous season.
In addition to insects, the orchard at this stage is threatened by rot and fungal infections, so it is recommended to combine insecticides with fungicidal antifungal agents.
Biology
Spring spraying with modern biological preparations is possible only when the thermometer consistently shows +10 degrees. In a cooler environment, bacteria from these compounds do not act and simply die.
Various biological preparations are capable of invading the digestive system of insects and caterpillars, sterilizing pests, depriving them of the opportunity to reproduce, and infecting “living creatures” with infections and parasites. To enhance the effect of “biology”, it is recommended to combine treatment with fungicidal agents.
Herbal infusions and decoctions are safe for plants in the garden and can also be used to spray fruit trees. Typically, this product is used when “chemistry” is undesirable: after flowering and at the stage of ovary formation, during the period of fruit ripening.
The following herbs and their combinations are effective against insects and fungi:
- celandine;
- hemp;
- garlic;
- chilli pepper;
- tansy;
- nightshade and others.
Conclusion
Spring spraying of the garden is an important stage in the care of fruit trees and shrubs. It is necessary to begin gardening work in the very early spring, as soon as the snow cover has melted from the ground. For the prevention and treatment of the garden, you can use a variety of means: from inexpensive mineral compounds to the latest biological preparations that do not accumulate in the fruits and allow you to grow an environmentally friendly crop.
