During cold January weather, you may not often think about spraying your orchard of fruit trees, blackberries, muscadines, and blueberry shrubs for spring insects and diseases. It’s just not on the radar. The fact is January and February are the best time to apply dormant sprays to combat insect and disease issues. So, “What are dormant sprays?”
Caption: Phomopsis leaf and stem symptoms. Credit: NFREC, UF/IFAS
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Dormant sprays act on insects or disease pathogens differently. Many insects overwinter on trees and shrubs, either as eggs or immobilized in a protective shell (scale insects). Horticultural oils applied during the winter dormant season work by smothering the eggs of some insect species or encapsulated scale insects. Since they cannot breathe, they die. On the other hand, dormant sprays containing copper or sulfur actually kill latent fungal spores that are ready to infect the moment weather warms back up. However, oils also burn tender young plant tissue, so they can only be used when the plant is not actively growing. These preventative sprays can delay disease incidence in early spring and allow for reduction or elimination of regular fungicide applications. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” surely applies to these situations.
There are several products on the market for dormant applications. Dormant oil is a type of horticultural oil, made of refined petroleum products, for application on trees or shrubs when the trees are not actively growing. It has been in use for over 100 years. They are effective in the suppression of scale insects and mites. Care must be used to not apply them when daytime temperatures are above 75 degrees or night temperatures below 28 degrees. Other horticultural oils exist that can be applied during the growing season to control soft-bodied insects, but not during extremely hot weather. Many different brands exist, some are certified organic by OMRI. They can be purchased at most garden centers, but the best selection is usually found at your independent feed or farm store, or even online.
Cottony Cushion Scale, Image Credit, Matthew Orwat, UF / IFAS Extension
Dormant fungicides can be classified into two groups. Those that contain copper or those that contain sulfur. The most common preventative remedy for fungal disease is lime-sulfur. It is applied to dormant plants and actually sanitizes the stem, killing all fungal spores. It cannot be used during the growing season since it burns leafy tissue. Caution must be taken when mixing and loading, since this acidic product can burn the skin. Wear chemical resistant gloves when applying (bought at your local hardware store for $4.00-$10.00), safety goggles and follow all label directions carefully. Also, never apply lime-sulfur within one month of horticultural oil applications. It should be applied in early to mid February, avoiding hard freezes for the 24 hours around application time.
Dormant copper sprays are effective on both bacterial and fungal pathogens and used primarily on fruit crops for the suppression of many fruit diseases including fire blight, bacterial leaf spot, powdery mildew, downey mildew and anthracnose. One popular option, the “Bordeaux Mixture” blends copper with lime. The lime reduces the acidic nature of the copper, thus reducing tissue damage when applied to plants. Always read the label for proper personal protective equipment and dosage rates, to avoid copper toxicity.
For more information, contact your local extension agent or consult these extension publications from: Disease Management Strategies, and Pest Control Using Horticultural Oils .
Matthew J. Orwat started his career with UF / IFAS in 2011 and is the Horticulture Extension Agentfor Washington County Florida.His goal is to provide educational programming to meet the diverse needs of and provide solutions for homeowners and small farmers with ornamental, turf, fruit and vegetable gardening objectives. Please feel free to contact him with any questions you may have.
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