Hey! Don't Forget to Dormant Spray!

When Spring starts popping, people are inspired and motivated to get outside. Right as trees, plants, and perennials are about to wake is the time to tackle disease and insect control. While the plants are still dormant, you want to preempt possible issues before problems arise!

Dormant plants such as blueberries, lilacs, photinia, dog woods, roses, fruit trees, or anything that tend to develop fungal issues, will need Copper Fungicide and Horticultural Oil before they leaf out. As the season develops each of these plants might have different needs and wants. For example, your roses might need Black Spot treatment or if aphids descend on your roses, they may need to be treated for those as well.

Each plant is different, if you have any questions, we have plant experts at Al’s that would love to help. Members of Al’s team can help identify a plant from just a clipping of a leaf or bloom that a customer brings in; it is like a puzzle! Same goes for insect and disease issues. If you are having trouble identifying what something is, bring in a clipping of your troubled plant and ask us for help! More often than not, we have personally had that problem with our plants at home and know what will work best to solve it!

Here are two sprays that you should apply:

Monterey Horticultural Oil: Spray this while plants are dormant to cover the larval and nymph stages of insects stopping them from further development. It contains mineral oil and functions as an insecticide, fungicide and miticide. Use it to control aphids, mites, scales, whiteflies, and other soft-bodied insects. What is different about Monterey Horticultural Oil is it can be mixed with copper and sprayed at the same time. Other oil sprays you cannot spray at the same time and must wait a day or so to apply another spray.

Liquid Copper:  This spray is used to control disease such as canker on stone fruit trees (fruits that have a pit, such as cherries, peaches, apricots, and plums).  For maximum effectiveness, use a Spreader Sticker (we recommend Bonide Turbo Spreader Sticker).  When mixed with Liquid Copper, it helps your sprays stick to the leaf of the plant and spread out evenly.  We recommend two applications, one in the fall after leaves have fallen and another in the spring or late winter just before the buds begin to swell.  Be sure not to spray in freezing temperatures as it could damage the tree.

Do not forget clean up the dead leaves, fallen fruit, and dead branches around your plant and trim before spraying. Cleaning and trimming your plants encourage better airflow, prevents disease, and insect infestation.

This table from our Al’s Growing Guide: Fruit Tree Spraying Made Simple is helpful when thinking about the time frame you are going to want to spray to keep your plants healthy!

When	Spray	Reason
Fall (as soon as all the leaves fall off)	Copper Fungicide	Helps control bacterial blights, leaf curls, and other fungal diseases. Spray the ground and tree thoroughly
Winter (when trees are dormant - Superbowl Sunday)	Copper Fungicide	Helps control bacterial blights, leaf curls, and other fungal diseases. Spray the ground and tree thoroughly. Do not mix with oil.
Winter (when trees are dormant - Superbowl Sunday)	Monterey Horticultural Oil	Kills overwintering insects and certain disease spores on dormant trees. Regular Horticultural Oil does not mix with liquid copper. Monterey Horticultural Oil is okay to mix and spray at the same time as Copper. Apply when temperature is above 40°F.
Spring 1 (when buds start to swell)	Copper Fungicide	Helps control bacterial blights, leaf curls, and other fungal diseases.
Spring 2 (7 days after Spring 1 application)	Copper Fungicide	Helps control bacterial blights, leaf curls, and other fungal diseases.
Spring (after 2/3 of the flower petals have fallen)	Fruit Tree Spray, Eight (Permethrin), Orchard Spray or Capt. Jack’s	This application of an insecticide helps prevent insects from attacking the fruit and trees.

 

Note for the future: When your Peonies start to leaf out, they love Copper so you will want to spray them with Copper Fungicide.

Please note that you should always consult and follow manufacturers’ label on all products.