Almost time for the first spray of copper?

General Fruit Growing
#1

If the wind dies down here in RI I’d love to prune a bit, get rid of the out of hand summer growth and would it be too early to spray my copper? Thanks.

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#2

Mrs. G.,
Several of my trees still have a lot of leaves. I would like to wait for a week or two before spraying. If your trees drop most of their leaves, you could spray.

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#3

No, I won’t spray still have too many leaves! But it has been really cold out these past few days.

#4

This week has been colder than some weeks in the winter!!!

#5

I have been told its best to spray just after the leaves have fallen as diseases can enter where the leaf was attached. Not sure how important it really is though.

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#6

Thanks for posting this topic. This is my first time to do a copper spay going into the winter period. Do you also add dormant oil with this application of copper?

#7

Have not heard of fall apple pruning. OK to do? Does tree react to fall (leaves off) pruning same as winter dormant pruning?

#8

I usually don’t add oil to the fall copper but add a triple dose of my pine-tar sticker to keep the copper on a long time. Oil is best at smothering pests as they start to wake up in early spring.

I have not been doing fall copper for several years now as my bacterial spot problems have been minor. I still do spring copper on peaches and plums.

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#9

Thanks

#10

I usually try to get a fall spray of copper in just in case spring weather gives me a hard time. Weather here is unpredictable to begin with.

I want to make sure I have at least one spray in.

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#11

Thanks Scott!

#12

the trees are usually treated with copper when it has fallen more or less 50% of its leaves to cover the wounds left by the leaf petiole.

I always add paraffin oil 83% and some insecticide to help paraffin oil, in this case I use the oldest insecticide … I have to remember that at this time our trees not bear fruit and if I do pesticide treatments now I’ll have to do fewer treatments in the spring, when there is already fruit on my trees.

at the end of winter you have to repeat the operation, when the trees are coming to sprout (in pink button), you have to wet the entire tree, including the trunk and areas with cracked bark which is a favorite place to hide the aphid (eg grape rind).

concerning the first treatment, say that in some “warm and low winter rest” with the copper areas paraffin oil and insecticide use a little fertilizer rich in nitrogen, this causes the leaves to burn and fall date on tree at rest many days before and so begins to add hours before cold

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#13

Dear Mrs. G.,
I will be spraying copper + Nufilm17 either tomorrow or Fri. About 80% of the leaves have dropped. I will remove the rest off myself.

It will be in the 50’ and sunny tomorrow and Fri. Starting Sun, it will be a lot colder. So I would rather do it sooner than later.

#14

I’m with you my friend. I sat in my orchard today watching the sun go down and it was another beautiful sunset in my orchard. I just love being there. I will spray this weekend as well and bring in my citrus. My leaves are still on my trees as I believe it is a bit warmer here. It only goes down into the 40’s at night and my citrus is still outside and blooming! Thinking of you! We will leave for France in the spring. I will prune like crazy this winter. Only one new tree made it this summer out of five new trees. It is a sunset peach.

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#15

How did they die? No one watered them during the drought!! That’s bummer.

#16

They were watered, they just did not take. Bummer all around!

#17

Hope you get refunds.

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#18

I sprayed my peach trees with Kocide 3000 on Monday. It was a great day to spray with little wind and temps in the 50s. I removed the rest of the leaves from my trees prior to spraying though…that was a pain in the arse!

#19

Is there a reason to remove the leaves? I sprayed on Sunday with the copper soap I have. It isn’t terribly effective, but for Redhaven it has been enough to keep the leaf curl to a dull roar.

#20

My understanding is that when the leaves fall there is a small “wound” area that will not get have any coverage if you spray before leaves fall off.

Also, if thee are too many leaves, they interfere with the spray getting to the surface of the branches and into the nooks and crannies.

You wind up using more spray with less coverage and then the leavers fall off anyway … taking along the copper spray you wasted on them.

Mike

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