Spraying shrubs and trees
How to perform spring spraying of shrubs and trees in the garden and orchard?
What measures are best to use? What diseases will they protect against?
How to protect plants from pests?
How to perform spring spraying of shrubs and trees in the garden and orchard?
It would seem that care treatments should be performed in the spring itself. It turns out, however, that some actions should be taken already in the early spring. This is mainly about spraying plant protection products. What are these treatments for? First of all, by spraying, we reduce the risk of disease and pest invasion to a minimum. The first spraying treatments are carried out when our plants do not have leaves yet. Spraying shrubs and trees in our gardens and orchards should be carried out at a temperature of about 7 degrees Celsius, only on windless days. Manufacturers usually provide reliable information on their proper use on the packaging of plant protection product preparations. For a specific measure to be fully effective, follow this instruction. Let’s take into account the fact that in Poland we tend to change the weather, so we shouldn’t stick to the calendar when it comes to spraying, in order to observe the weather and use common sense. It is also important to take into account the stage of plant development. We distinguish here:
- bud swelling and development phase;
- the period when the buds begin to turn green, pink, until they take the form of a white flower bud;
- flowering phase.
The main condition for a good spraying is to verify the disease that attacked our plants and to draw conclusions based on previous vegetation periods, what diseases and pests may be lurking on our shrubs and trees. Let’s also get to know the species of plants that we plant in the garden. Producers are increasingly adding labels to seedlings that contain information regarding the characteristics of the species and the best care measures, including information about potentially useful fertilizers and plant protection products. If we do not have this information on the attached label, let us seek advice from gardening magazines or from qualified experts.
What measures are best to use? What diseases will they protect against?
At the turn of February and March, spraying with fungicides is recommended. We can do them until the beginning of April. Fungicides are preparations against fungal diseases. These measures enjoy a wide range of applications. By using them, we prevent, among others, such plant diseases as:
- plum cyst – the procedure is performed before buds develop;
- curly leaves (in peaches) – spraying is carried out in the leafless period, also before the formation of buds;
- bacterial canker and fire blight – to prevent this condition, we used to use cuprate during the bud development period;
- brown rot of trees – in order to prevent this disease, spraying should be done just before flowering;
- red blotch of plums – copper spray treatment is carried out in March. To strengthen its effect, we repeat this activity in June;
- powdery mildew – we should spray against this type of fungal disease during the development of flower buds and leaves. We can also successfully use ecological measures in this case, e.g. plant compost;
- scab of pear and apple trees – we used to take spraying treatments during the growth of leaves, as well as during the development of green flower buds.
How to protect plants from pests?
Also in early spring, we should take preventive measures against insects in our garden. We use protection measures against such pests as:
- apple bloom – spraying against this pest is carried out just before the flower buds of both apple and pear trees burst;
- currant urchin – we fight this pest at the leafless stage, before the temperature reaches above 15 degrees Celsius.
Mosquito and spider mites are also dangerous pests for garden plants. They should also be sprayed in early spring. There are many effective remedies available on the market, which we should stock up on in the early spring.
