Spraying of Peach Trees in Southern California
Question from Stennis:
My peaches have brown spots and some worms inside this year; what is the appropriate time for spraying? What kind of schedule do you recommend and with what?
Answer from Pat:
It is too late to spray fruit at this time of year with anything. The damage is already done. Spraying now in August would be entirely ineffectual and even harmful to yourself, your tree, and the environment. You can, however, build up the health of the tree by improving the soil with amendments including John and Bob’s Soil Optimizer, kelp, humic acid, and home-made compost. I advocate dormant spray for peach trees and this can only be done in winter after the leaves have fallen and the tree is dormant.
Begin your spraying routine in fall after leaves have fallen and you have correctly pruned the tree and cleaned it up. November, December, and January are the times to use dormant sprays as discussed, explained, and described in detail in my organic book on pages 57 to 59, 382, 384, 385, and 403. (Also see pages 45 and 46.) I’m sorry that the information is just too long to cover again here. Additionally, please notice the checklists at the end of every chapter. These lists cover all the plants we grow and the tasks to be done each month. Don’t be overwhelmed. No one has all these plants so the lists are far more comprehensive than any one gardener needs but they jog your memory when you need it, like last winter when you should have been doing this job. So this year, begin in fall this year to protect your tree for next year.
Pat…thank you SO MUCH for your detailed response. I will check out the
references you made to the Soil Optimizer and your own book.
I DID use Volck Oil Spray as well as Lilly Miller’s Polysul Summer & Dormant
Spray BUT it didn’t seem to do the job adequately. Don’t recall WHEN I used
these exactly, but it was probably when our local paper (Pasadena Star
News) made the recommendation in their weekly “Things to do in your garden”. Any suggestions?
We also have a problem with birds and squirrels which I have partially
solved by using garden netting over and even around the trunk of the
tree…those squirrels are REALLY CRAFTY in finding their way into the
fruit!!!
Thanks again for your response.
Yes, I do have another suggestion: Spray more than once in winter, perhaps three times, such as November, December, and January, and while using protective clothing, spray with a hand sprayer and go over every bit of the tree with it, instead of just broadcasting from a distance. Repeating this task three times will help you get a complete cover. Bonide Organic Lime Sulfur Spray is the product I usually recommend.
Squirrels are a really difficult problem. One doesn’t like poisoning them or trapping them. An owl box might help but owls are night animals. Squirrels are up, however, very early in the morning. Hawks are more effective since they hunt in daytime but not often near houses. A pesticide company concentrating on animal pests might be an option. Ground squirrels are not healthy animals to have around. You have the right idea using netting to control birds.
If your squirrels are ground squirrels they don’t jump. I recommend attaching a funnel-shaped piece of aluminum called a “Squirrel Guard” so it encircles the trunk. This device can stop squirrels from climbing the tree.
Pat…many, many THANX for your time and advice!