Natural & Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

Fruit trees should be sprayed in early spring before the bud opens in order to kill overwintering insects/insect eggs nestled in the crevices of your fruit trees. However, in order to safeguard your health and that of the environment, consider using one of the environmentally safe natural or organic fruit tree sprays which are every bit as capable of killing overwintering insects and insect larvae. Any of the following organic and natural fruit tree sprays will do the job: a lime sulfur/horticultural oil mixture, a horticultural oil/water mixture, and a homemade spray made up of natural ingredients.

Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

Organic

The first type of organic fruit tree sprays, the lime sulfur/horticultural oil mixture, can sometimes be bought premixed, but you can also buy a kit and mix the two. The lime sulfur is a natural fungicide which kills dormant fungus spores or bacteria. The horticultural oil is used to smother all overwintering insects and/or the eggs.

Natural & Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

This combination spray must be used early in the spring before the buds swell and break open; otherwise you risk burning the new leaf. Also it can be sprayed only if the temperature remains between 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) and 20 degrees Celsius (about 70 F) for at least 24 hours because the oil part of the spray needs time to smother insects or their eggs. A cold night will break down the oil before it has a chance to be effective. However if it happens to freeze after the 24 hour period, there is no harm done.

Spray when there is very little or no wind, and no rain, snow, or sleet in the forecast. Read instructions carefully and cover yourself well because it can be a messy job when you spray your tree from the top down until it drips. In addition, the lime sulphur has a strong smell, so wear clothes you can wash.

A second type of organic fruit tree sprays, the horticultural oil/water mixture, can be used not only in early spring but also throughout the summer as long as the spraying is done early in the morning when the weather is cooler and the tree has cooled off. This mixture is far less messy than the first one.

Natural Fruit Tree Spray

You can always opt out of this messiness by making your own mixture with natural ingredients from your kitchen cupboard or bought at a gardening center. One spray mixture which is easy to make and which can be used in the spring or at any time during the summer months includes liquid seaweed (found in plant nurseries) blackstrap molasses (the kind you use for cooking), apple cider vinegar, and Murphy soap - all added to a gallon of water.

The seaweed and the molasses not only fight fungal disease in the garden but also feed the plant through the leaves (called foliar feeding) especially if you are spraying really early in the morning when the leaf pores are still open.

You needn't worry about the molasses attracting bugs. The plants absorb the molasses instantly. Boom it's gone! The fruit trees just love it!

The acidity of the vinegar helps kill black spot on roses, powdery mildew, brown patch, and other nasty fungi.

So instead of spraying your fruit trees with poisonous insecticides/pesticides, you may want to consider using the dormant spray combination of lime sulfur and horticultural oil, the dormant horticultural oil/water mixture, or a spray made up of natural ingredients, a spray which not only smothers the insects/insect eggs and fights fungal diseases but also feeds the tree.

Natural & Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

Bio: A gardener for years, Marcie has learned that getting rid of overwintering insects/fungal diseases in early spring is necessary. Find out more about Natural & Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

Homemade Pest Sprays - Creating Your Own Organic Insecticide

The safe way to deal with pests and insects on your plants, in your nursery, your garden and around your home! Make sure you test your homemade sprays on a conspicuous part of your plants first, before spraying all your plants completely.

Which home made insect spray on what insect?

Organic

Aphids - Alcohol spray, Nicotine spray, Garlic spray, Tomato Leaf spray, Potato Leaf spray, Hot spray
Mealybugs - Alcohol
Scale - Alcohol, Nicotine (soft/young scale only)
Thrips - Alcohol, Nicotine
Whitefly - Alcohol, garlic, hot
Fungus gnats - Nicotine
Leafhoppers - Nicotine, Garlic
Leafminers - Nicotine
Earwigs - Garlic
Earworm - Tomato Leaf / Potato Leaf
Spidermite - Hot
Caterpillar - Hot

Alcohol spray

Use 1-2 cups of rubbing alcohol (70%) to 1L of water. Test the spray on some bottom leaves of your plants first to make sure it's safe and doesn't burn the foliage. Sometimes Alcohol spray can cause leaf damage on Violets or Apple Trees. Works well on many types of plants, including house plants and tropical plants.

Nicotine spray

Nicotine spray is extremely toxic to insects. You can make it by either soaking 1 cup of tobacco leaves (of the tobacco plant), cigarette butts, or rolling tobacco in 4L of warm water. Add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to bind it all together, and act as a foliage sticker + spreader. Strain the liquid after it has soaked for an hour or so. Spray the foliage thoroughly underneath and on the top. Nicotine spray acts as a systemic pesticide, and remains active for several weeks. Be careful with your vegetables, and don't spray them when you're planning on harvesting the vegetables within the month.

Garlic spray

Garlic spray works wonders as insecticide and has been proven to work against fungi as well. Mince 10 cloves of garlic in some vegetable oil for at least a whole day. Once it has soaked, add some dishwashing liquid and ½ L of water. The dishwashing liquid helps the oil mix with the water. Stir well and strain. Use 2 tblsp of the garlic mix per 1/2 L of water, and spray plants thoroughly.

Hot spray

Mix 1 teaspoon of Tabasco Sauce with 4 cloves of garlic and 1L of water. Let is soak for at least a day, before straining it.

Tomato Leaf spray / Potato Leaf spray

Both tomato plants and potato plants are members of the nightshade family, which have a toxic, water soluble substance in their foliage. You make this homemade insect spray by soaking 2 cups of chopped tomato leaves, or potato leaves (whichever you prefer or is more readily available) in 2 cups of water for a day, before straining the liquid. Spray both top and bottom of the leaves of your plants for protection.

Homemade Pest Sprays - Creating Your Own Organic Insecticide

El Meager is the Owner Manager of National Tropical Plants, one of Australia's leading online nurseries. National Tropicals Online Nursery specialises mainly in rare, exotic, native and general tropical garden plants for Australia. El has written 100's of articles on the subjects of gardening, plants and nurseries and is an avid supporter of the preservation of natural habitat for wildlife and nature. El is also a fanatic gardener herself together with husband Dan. All growing and plant information can be found on the website http://www.nationaltropicals.com.au

Natural & Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

Fruit trees should be sprayed in early spring before the bud opens in order to kill overwintering insects/insect eggs nestled in the crevices of your fruit trees. However, in order to safeguard your health and that of the environment, consider using one of the environmentally safe natural or organic fruit tree sprays which are every bit as capable of killing overwintering insects and insect larvae. Any of the following organic and natural fruit tree sprays will do the job: a lime sulfur/horticultural oil mixture, a horticultural oil/water mixture, and a homemade spray made up of natural ingredients.

Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

Organic

The first type of organic fruit tree sprays, the lime sulfur/horticultural oil mixture, can sometimes be bought premixed, but you can also buy a kit and mix the two. The lime sulfur is a natural fungicide which kills dormant fungus spores or bacteria. The horticultural oil is used to smother all overwintering insects and/or the eggs.

This combination spray must be used early in the spring before the buds swell and break open; otherwise you risk burning the new leaf. Also it can be sprayed only if the temperature remains between 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) and 20 degrees Celsius (about 70 F) for at least 24 hours because the oil part of the spray needs time to smother insects or their eggs. A cold night will break down the oil before it has a chance to be effective. However if it happens to freeze after the 24 hour period, there is no harm done.

Spray when there is very little or no wind, and no rain, snow, or sleet in the forecast. Read instructions carefully and cover yourself well because it can be a messy job when you spray your tree from the top down until it drips. In addition, the lime sulphur has a strong smell, so wear clothes you can wash.

A second type of organic fruit tree sprays, the horticultural oil/water mixture, can be used not only in early spring but also throughout the summer as long as the spraying is done early in the morning when the weather is cooler and the tree has cooled off. This mixture is far less messy than the first one.

Natural Fruit Tree Spray

You can always opt out of this messiness by making your own mixture with natural ingredients from your kitchen cupboard or bought at a gardening center. One spray mixture which is easy to make and which can be used in the spring or at any time during the summer months includes liquid seaweed (found in plant nurseries) blackstrap molasses (the kind you use for cooking), apple cider vinegar, and Murphy soap - all added to a gallon of water.

The seaweed and the molasses not only fight fungal disease in the garden but also feed the plant through the leaves (called foliar feeding) especially if you are spraying really early in the morning when the leaf pores are still open.

You needn't worry about the molasses attracting bugs. The plants absorb the molasses instantly. Boom it's gone! The fruit trees just love it!

The acidity of the vinegar helps kill black spot on roses, powdery mildew, brown patch, and other nasty fungi.

So instead of spraying your fruit trees with poisonous insecticides/pesticides, you may want to consider using the dormant spray combination of lime sulfur and horticultural oil, the dormant horticultural oil/water mixture, or a spray made up of natural ingredients, a spray which not only smothers the insects/insect eggs and fights fungal diseases but also feeds the tree.

Natural & Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

Bio: A gardener for years, Marcie has learned that getting rid of overwintering insects/fungal diseases in early spring is necessary. Find out more about Natural & Organic Fruit Tree Sprays