Content
The modern reality is that not a single garden is complete without regular spraying: even the highest quality seedlings of the newest elite varieties will not give a good harvest if the trees are not protected from diseases and pests. There are many preparations for processing an orchard, but domestic gardeners prefer old, time-tested means, such as copper and iron vitriol. These substances are available, cheap, easy to make a solution from, and, most importantly, copper and iron preparations can be used all year round.
All about spraying fruit trees in spring copper and iron sulfate can be found in this article. Here you will be told about the features of each drug, about the methods for preparing solutions, about the spraying technology and safety measures when working with toxic substances.
What is spring garden processing for?
The gardener has to deal with fruit trees throughout the warm season: from early spring to late autumn. In addition to standard activities such as watering, fertilizing and pruning, the garden requires preventive treatment against common diseases and pests.
It is in early spring that it is possible to suppress the growth of infections and larvae, which often hibernate on the bark, in cracks, in the ground near the trunk and even in the buds of fruit trees. Spring spraying of the garden allows you to solve several problems at once:
- Build plant immunity to dangerous infections and viruses.
- Prevent reproduction and attacks of insect pests.
- Prepare fruit trees for flowering and the formation of ovaries (feed the plants with minerals).
The gardener must understand that it is extremely difficult to eliminate the consequences of the disease or the vital activity of insects, therefore the most important measures in processing the garden are preventive.
Garden treatments
The processing of fruit trees in domestic gardens is most often carried out with affordable and inexpensive means, such as urea, copper and iron vitriol, Bordeaux liquid, lime.
Such drugs are considered less toxic and hazardous to human health, their particles do not accumulate in fruits and fruits, and the effect of exposure is long-lasting.
Copper sulphate
Copper sulfate, in fact, is an aqueous copper sulfate and is a small blue or blue crystal. In agricultural stores, copper sulfate is sold in bags or in bottles, respectively, it can be in the form of a powder or a liquid concentrate.
It is necessary to understand that copper sulfate is a toxic substance belonging to the third hazard class. Therefore, work with copper sulfate should be in protective clothing, goggles and gloves.
Spraying fruit trees with copper sulfate is quite justified for the following reasons:
- if the instructions are followed, copper sulfate does not accumulate in plants and fruits, does not give side effects and does not have undesirable manifestations;
- has a strong fungicidal effect, therefore it is widely used in the fight against mold and other fungal infections;
- is a good biocidal agent that helps in the prevention and control of some insects, pests of fruit trees;
- does not cause addiction to copper sulfate in harmful objects of influence, that is, it can be used repeatedly and several times per season without losing its effectiveness;
- is a source of trace elements copper, necessary for plants for normal photosynthesis and other vegetative processes;
- copper sulfate is much cheaper than similar synthetic preparations.
Dosage and solution preparation
Before spraying fruit trees with copper sulfate, it is necessary to accurately calculate the amount of the drug for each plant and prepare a solution. The concentration of the solution will depend on the goal of the gardener: is it necessary to prophylactically treat the garden or to fight against pests or infections developing at full speed.
So, there are three concentrations of copper sulfate:
- Burning out, when the proportion of copper sulfate in the solution is from 3 to 5 percent. That is, in order to prepare a liquid for disinfection and treatment, it is necessary to dissolve 300-500 grams of copper sulfate powder in 10 liters of water. The concentration of such a force can only be used to disinfect the soil on the site or in the greenhouse, to combat mold on wooden structures. Plants are not treated with a burning solution of copper sulfate.
- Treatment-and-prophylactic the mixture should contain 0.5-1% copper sulfate. To prepare a composition for spraying garden trees, you need to stir 50-100 grams of copper sulfate in 10 liters of water. This solution is suitable for combating fungal infections and some pests: anthracnose, coccomycosis, spots, septoria, scab, rot, curl and others. Wounds on trunks and shoots are treated with the same composition.
- Supplementary prophylactic the solution should contain only 0.2-0.3% copper sulfate. To prepare it, take 20-30 grams of powder for 10 liters of water. It is recommended to use a weak solution of copper sulfate when signs of copper starvation of plants appear (chlorosis of leaves, twisting of their tips, strong tillering, etc.). Another similar tool is used for preventive treatment of the garden.
When to use copper sulfate
Gardeners use the fertilizing and prophylactic solution of copper sulfate throughout the summer season. This affordable and simple tool is effective in many cases:
- as soon as the air warms up to 5 degrees, the soil is watered with a weak solution of copper sulfate near the roots of the trees;
- even before budding, trees are sprayed with a 1% solution to destroy spores of infections and insect larvae wintering on the shoots;
- before planting, the roots of any seedlings can be dipped in a 1% solution of copper sulfate for three minutes to disinfect them (after that, the root system is thoroughly washed with running water);
- when the first signs of disease or pest infestation appear, fruit trees are treated with a 0.5-1 percent solution;
- any wounds on plants can also be disinfected with copper sulfate (for adult trees, a 1% solution is taken, and for seedlings and shrubs, 0.5% is enough);
- after autumn leaf fall, the orchard can be processed one last time in order to destroy pathogens and larvae that hibernate on the shoots and in the bark.
Ferrous sulfate
Ferrous sulfate is a salt formed by the reaction of sulfuric acid and ferrous iron. Externally, ferrous sulfate is a small turquoise crystal.
In agriculture, ferrous sulfate is used in the form of a solution, for the preparation of which the active substance is dissolved in water. The resulting mixture is sprayed on the plants or added to the whitewash for treating the trunks.
With the help of ferrous sulfate, gardeners solve a number of problems:
- eliminate mosses and lichens on tree trunks and boles;
- fight various fungal infections;
- protect the garden from insect pests;
- the solution heals wounds and old hollows on the trunks;
- saturate the soil near fruit trees with iron.
Preparation of the solution
It is necessary to prepare a concentrate from crystals of ferrous sulfate strictly in accordance with the instructions. Usually, in early spring and late autumn, trees in the garden and the soil are treated with a strong solution - 5-7%, but during the growing season of plants, a weaker concentration should be used - 0.1-1%.
The concentration of ferrous sulfate solution depends not only on the season, but also on the type of fruit trees:
- stone fruit crops (plum, peach, apricot, cherry and others) are processed with a 3% solution of ferrous sulfate. In 10 liters of water, 300 grams of turquoise crystals are dissolved and the orchard is treated with the resulting mixture in the late autumn period (when the branches are bare).
- Pome crops (grapes, apple trees, pears) require a stronger concentration - 4% ferrous sulfate (400 grams of powder per 10 liters of water). Garden processing should be carried out in early spring or late autumn.
- In the event that the garden is running, the trees were sick for the entire previous season, the concentration of ferrous sulfate can be increased to 5-6%. In this case, it is very important to choose a suitable time for processing - when the movement of sap in the plant has not yet begun or has already ended.
Conclusion
To improve your garden and prevent various diseases, you do not have to spend huge amounts of money on special drugs. In any agricultural store, there are a couple of time-tested, affordable substances: copper and iron sulfate. Prophylactic spring gardening, pest and disease control of fruit trees, plant nutrition with metals are carried out with solutions based on these drugs.
