Dormant Oil Sprays

The first step to controlling pests and disease in fruit trees happens during the spring pruning. One of the 8 steps to pruning fruit trees includes removing dead, damaged, or diseased branches. This will eliminate some of the contagious diseases like Fire Blight before they can spread, and remove broken branches that are highly attractive to diseases like Cytospora, and wood boring insects like Shot Hole Borers and Greater Peach Tree Borers.

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When you prune your own fruit trees you can do a detailed inspection of your tree and identify symptoms of disease. Don't let this stress you out too much because you don't always need to identify the specific disease, classification of the disease is usually enough. We do not recommend blindly spraying all-in-one pesticides in fruit trees on a regular schedule because of the environmental effects of some pesticide, but there is one spray that can be done every year whether or not symptoms of disease are present.

Dormant oil sprays are highly effective with very little impact on the environment. Many pests like aphids, mites, and leaf miners will overwinter or lay eggs that will over winter on your fruit trees. By coating your tree with oil, you can suffocate those pests and their eggs and prevent them from emerging in the spring or re-infecting your tree from one season to the next. 

Most dormant oil sprays consist of mineral oils. Although not considered organic, mineral oils are relatively inert. If you are concerned about bacterial or fungal diseases, dormant oil sprays can be mixed with copper.

If you are looking for an organic treatment, Neem Oil extract is an excellent option. Neem Oil is an extract from a tree that has both insecticidal and fungicidal properties all in one. Neem Oil dormant oil sprays for fruit trees are available, or you can use pure Neem Oil, but you will need to mix it with dish soap to allow it to dissolve in water so you can apply it to your tree.

Like all pesticides, timing is everything! Spraying the right spray at the wrong time will have very little impact on a disease population, and in some instances may even cause more harm than good. For example, spraying your fruit tree when it is in full bloom could kill off your Honey Bee Population. Dormant Oil sprays should be applied while your tree is still dormant, but will have the greatest benefit to your fruit trees if done while buds are swelling in the spring. Buds are covered with protective scales that protect blossoms from cold winter conditions. When the buds start to swell, these scales begin to separate which exposes some of the pest eggs that were deposited there in the fall.

Bud Scales on a Pear Tree

The best time to apply dormant oils, is also the best time to prune. By pruning first, you can inspect your tree for symptoms of disease, but also reduce the amount of dormant oil used because you will not need to spray branches that will be removed in the pruning process. So, prune your trees in the spring and promptly apply your dormant oil spray. You may not eliminate all of the pests and diseases in your fruit trees, but you will be setting your trees up for a healthy, productive season.

Thanks for Reading! If you would like to learn more about the care and pruning of fruit trees, please browse our 100+ fruit tree articles here, join our Backyard Fruit Growers Facebook Group, and take our free Fruit Tree Pruning Course. Also, please subscribe to our Fruit Pruning YouTube Channel.