Protecting the apple tree from pests - spraying

To get a generous and high-quality apple harvest, you need to be prepared to fight pests and insects. And if you do not spray the apple trees in a timely manner, then all your efforts during the year (care, watering, fertilizing the soil, pruning) will be useless. The article will give answers on how to properly spray an apple tree, which drugs are most effective in use.

When should you spray?

Many gardeners spray their gardens. But in order to achieve the desired result, you need to know when and how to carry it out. After all, a mistake will cost you your harvest. Care should be started in early spring and continued in summer when the pests are most active. When autumn comes and the harvest takes place, it is also advisable to spray for prevention.

Gardeners, based on long-term observations and experience, have drawn up a special calendar. With the help of it, you can find out what processing needs to be carried out in a particular season of the year and in each month separately.

Spring

As soon as the snow melts and the ambient temperature rises above 5 degrees, the first stage can be carried out. Usually favorable conditions for processing appear in the second half of March, when buds begin to form. At this stage, special attention should be paid to the bark of the tree - all kinds of pests can hibernate in it. First, use a special brush to remove the old bark and only then treat the bark with a freshly prepared urea solution. Please note that the drug already on the second day loses all its beneficial properties and, using an expired solution, you can cause burns to the tree, but the insects in the bark will not suffer. Be aware that in March the goal is to get rid of wintering, not yet active pests. And already in April, spraying is used so that parasites (deer beetle, fungi) do not damage the buds. In late spring, when the apple tree has faded, spraying will save it from all kinds of diseases and harmful insects.

Summer

In the summer, the main task is to feed the plant. Mostly liquid fertilizers are used, since they are easily absorbed by the foliage. And only in isolated cases spraying is used to combat pests, more often insects are fought with the help of special methods, such as planting repellents, trapping belts.

Autumn

The main task of treating trees in autumn is reduced to the prevention of all kinds of diseases. Often amateur gardeners complain that the apples do not have time to ripen, as they begin to rot before our eyes. This disease is very common. Most diseases appear only during the fruiting period. However, it must be remembered that it is strictly forbidden to spray during the ripening period of fruits in order to combat diseases. They return to this procedure as soon as the fruits are harvested. You will see and evaluate the spraying results only next year.

Processing in the winter is not carried out, since the vital processes of the tree slow down, and all kinds of pests and parasites, if any, go into hibernation and are inactive.

Drugs

Let's get acquainted with the most common and effective drugs that are used for feeding and pest control.

Urea

One of the most common drugs.When using urea, remember that it is not used in its pure form, but must be diluted according to the instructions. Urea can be used for different purposes depending on the season. In the spring, it should be used for prophylaxis against overwintered pests that sleep in the bark of the apple tree and its trunks (it helps well in the fight against aphid eggs). If using urea you want to get rid of harmful insects in the bark, make the solution more concentrated. If you get rid of apple pests by spraying, try not to get the solution on the foliage and buds of the tree.

Also, this drug can be used for feeding in the summer. Urea is rich in nitrogen, the lack of which significantly affects the yield. When carrying out foliar feeding, be careful with the amount of urea, large dosages can cause burns on the foliage.

If you have any doubts about the concentration of the prepared solution, do not rush to process the entire tree at once. To get started, process only a couple of branches and wait a few days to evaluate the result.

Copper sulfate

This drug is used to prevent the following diseases: moniliosis, anthracnose, scab. It is successfully used in the fight against harmful insects. To prevent fungal diseases, the apple tree should be treated with a solution based on it in early spring, before bud break. Consumption of substance: 0.1 kg of vitriol per 10 liters of water.

inkstone

Unlike copper sulfate, it is used not only to fight diseases and all kinds of pests, but also as a top dressing - it saturates the plant with iron. It is an essential mineral for growth and abundant fruiting. If the soil in your summer cottage is depleted and lacks this element, then the treatment with iron vitriol is just the way to go. Spraying stimulates growth and promotes the formation of chlorophyll. For the greatest effect, process both the plant itself and its near-stem circle at the same time.

Colloidal sulfur

Sulfur is effective against powdery mildew, scab and spider mites. Colloidal sulfur does not dissolve in water, but it mixes well, forming a suspension. The consumption of the substance is 100 g of sulfur per 10 liters of water. Experienced gardeners recommend soaking sulfur in water before use, so that it will be easier to dilute it in the future. Sulfur is practically not poisonous to humans, but under the influence of sunlight it forms vapors that have a detrimental effect on pests and their larvae.

Technology

To process the garden, most gardeners now use pumps of all kinds of systems, from manual to electric, with compressors. Of course, the method using a bucket and a broom has not gone anywhere either, but its effectiveness is rather low.

Training

Use a pump nozzle that allows you to precisely spray the liquid. The smaller the drops, the better. With this treatment, you, first of all, use the solution sparingly, and secondly, the entire surface will be treated evenly.

Before the procedure, be sure to check the operation of the pump, the length of the hose, whether it is enough to get to the highest branches. Install a ladder if necessary. If the length of the hose is short and you have not worried about it in advance, then spraying the tree in parts will not achieve the desired effect.

Examine the tree trunk and branches for moss and lichens. If found, remove carefully with a brush. Now you can start preparing the solution. Remember, it should be smooth, without lumps. During the preparation process, the active substance is mixed with water, trying to achieve a homogeneous mixture so that there is no stratification. If you stir it poorly, the plant will be processed unevenly - one side of it will receive only water, and the other, on the contrary, will receive a concentrated preparation.Such spraying will cause the death of the apple tree. In the process, do not forget to shake the prepared solution from time to time.

Processing process

Spray the prepared spray solution evenly on the trunk, branches of the apple tree and leaves. Try to keep the distance between the tree and the pump tip at least 75-80 cm. Spray so that the solution also falls on the back of the foliage. After spraying is complete, immediately rinse the entire unit thoroughly under running cold water.

If you want effective spraying, you shouldn't do it selectively. It is advisable that your entire garden be treated at once. In the event that you are fighting insects on the same tree, do not be lazy and process the near-stem circles of plants in the neighborhood to prevent the spread of parasites.

Safety regulations

For the procedure, you should prepare special tools and materials. You will need: a piston pump or a special compressor, a respirator mask (or a multi-layer gauze bandage that you can make yourself), rubber gloves, goggles for eye protection. It is also advisable to wear clothing that hides the body as much as possible so that the sprayed substances do not come into contact with your skin.

When spraying, be extremely careful, as the drugs used can adversely affect human health. After completing the procedure, wash your hands and face thoroughly using soap. Take the most common, as soap with aromatic additives contains a little "chemistry" in its composition. It is not worth the risk, because an interaction reaction may occur between particles of chemistry from the soap and the remnants of the active substance. Rinse your mouth with plain water. Remember that spraying is best done in calm, windless weather and no longer than 6 hours at a time.

Knowing what and when to spray will make it easy for you to spray it yourself. Now the fight against pests and various diseases will become more effective, and your garden, thanks to proper care, will grow healthy and delight you with generous harvests of apples.

Video "Spring spraying of apple trees"

This video will show you when and how to sprinkle your apple trees in the spring.