In My Garden: Fruit Trees

Let’s talk fruit trees. This is the time of year to spray your trees especially the dormant trees, but also the others as long as they are not flowering. Pyrethrum and copper are organic but not good for bees. Pyrethrum is made from an extract of the crushed dried flowers of the Chrysanthemum and breaks down in less than 24 hours. It is then no longer harmful to anythng including insects. Pyrethrum and copper can be both be sprayed in the same mixture.

Pyrethrum controls larvae and mites living in the bark and copper helps to control a multitude of bacteria and fungus living on the trees. This year I’m going to try something new as well, spraying a mixture of boron and zinc, both organic trace minerals, to help flowering and fruit set. I have several old avocado trees that produce only a few fruit each year and I am hoping this might help to increase my harvest. The boron/zinc combo is also good for the other fruit trees and I am planning to try it on my greenhouse tomatoes as well.

Happy gardening in 2024! I will keep you posted in a future blog on how this worked.