Once fruit production is gone all summer and into the fall, fruit trees need to be pampered to stay healthy and produce large quantities of apples, pears, apricots, cherries and other fruits again.
it is in winterwinter that larvaelarvaeTHE parasitesparasites or diseases hide and hibernate in the bark of fruit trees only to reappear when the weather is nice. Use this period to treat your fruit trees preventively to benefit from abundant and healthy harvests.
Keep the suitcase
Scrub the bark with a brush with semi-rigid bristles treestrees remove mossmoss and lichens that can harbor diseases, larvae, eggs and insectinsect pests. Then use a large brush to brush out the trunk tree whitetree white made of lime, about 1.5 meters high. It creates a natural and protective barrier against these pests. If you notice the location of a broken branch, rub the wound with healing putty to fill in any break.
Feeding a fruit tree
Fallen and subsequently collected leaves leave free space under the fruit trees. Before winter, place a good layer of mature compost or leaf compost about 10 to 15 cm high, which will nourish the tree’s roots as it decomposes. To strengthen the tree’s resistance, use a treatment such as horsetail decoction or nettle manure to strengthen it.
Protect yourself from pests
After carefully brushing the bark of the tree, spray paraffin oil, canola oil, or a black soap-based product that will act as insecticidesinsecticides on all parts of the tree, branches, stems and trunk. They tend to suffocate insects. These natural treatments can be used in Ecological agricultureEcological agriculture to be performed on a beautiful day, without windwindnor the rain.
Discard diseased fruit
Sometimes mummified fruits remain on branches or have fallen to the ground. Collect them and then throw them away, as they are a source of shelter for parasites that will reappear in the spring. The spread will be inevitable if you do nothing.
Did you know ?
Good ventilation inside the tree reduces the risk of disease and the presence of insects. Pruning is important for this, so that air can flow inside the branches. At the same time, the sun’s rays penetrate better to ripen the fruits.
Natural care of fruit trees
Often affected cryptogamic diseasescryptogamic diseases AND mushroomsmushrooms such as mildew, leaf blister or scab, fruit trees should be treated from December to January. For this, spray Bordeaux mixtureBordeaux mixture which you can renew 15 days to 3 weeks later, from February to April. Respect the doses prescribed on the packaging and safety instructions, gloves and goggles, sometimes a mask.
Clean the base of the tree
From the endautumnautumn, collect all the fallen leaves. For healthy foliage, keep them to feed the composter or create a mulch to serve as winter protection. In the case of diseased leaves, throw them in bags at the recycling center or burn them, if this is allowed in your place of residence (inquire at the town hall).