Weather continues to roll this season - warm one day, colder the next. From here through February it will be time to seize every warmer day for spraying dormant oil on the fruit trees and any other non-coniferous plants to smother any overwintering pests and fungi.
There are few garden treatments as easy, effective and relatively non-toxic as oil sprays. Although some brands have sulfur compounds to help combat fungus, any light oil will do. I suspect I could hike out with the "Pam" cooking spray and accomplish the same thing, if using an aerosol wasn't so time consuming and expensive. Hmmm....I wonder if this wouldn't be a good way to use up olive oil and/or other kitchen oils that have passed their prime?
At any rate, loading the very light, easily misable oils into the sprayer and coating the plants - seriously coating, soaking everything to the point of runoff - knocks out a host of future problems and gives me something to feel virtuous about in the winter. Note to self: Make sure the sprayer gets cleaned immediately after spraying this year!
More horticultural oil info: Horticultural Oils
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Hello Sybil;
ReplyDeleteGlad to see your post about horticultural oils. Few gardeners seem to know about them unless they have had fruit trees for a while.I have used oils quite successfully to control the lily leaf beetle which has a hungry habit for lilium from the Rockies east. I spray in early spring when the bulbs are first coming up and then again at 6"-8", being sure to spray the underside of the leaves. That's because as the beetles exit the ground, they crawl up the stem and begin laying eggs on the underside of the the first sets of leaves they come to.
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com
VermontGardens
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Vermont Flower Farm
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Hi Sybil, I like your post on horticultural oils. I just wrote one on blackspot. I found you on Blotanical. I hope you enjoy it there with all of us.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteI'm not the Diva. I'm Dee from www.reddirtramblings.com. For some reason, open id is having trouble with technorati today.
The oil-vs-lilly beetles (as they are known locally) is a wonderful tip, George - and a new way for me to use the oils. Like Dee, I also use the oil/baking soda technique for miscellaneous rose ailments - works to some extent on anything, I suspect!
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