Dormant Spray for Fruit Trees

Clean Up Your Garden

Debris will harbor insects and diseases. A good general garden clean-up, removing leaves, spent flower heads, old fruits, nuts, dead and broken branches eliminates insect and disease hiding places. Although a potential problem in the garden, these materials are perfect candidates for the compost pile as long as your compost pile generates sufficient heat to kill insects, their eggs, and diseases. For more information, visit www.stopwaste.org

February into Spring (About Valentines)

coppersoapsm[1]Apply Bonide Copper Fungicide. The timing of spring sprayings for various fruit trees can be crucial.

Leaf curl on nectarines and peaches is controlled with another application of Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide or Monterey Liqui-Cop when flower buds swell but before they show any color.

To control brown rot and shot hole fungus on stone fruits, spray with Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide or Monterey Liqui-Cop when the buds crack and show color, then again 2 weeks later.

dormant-control

January Garden Checklist

checkbox Brighten the garden with colorful bedding plants. Refresh your garden beds and containers with primroses, pansies, Iceland poppies and more. Check with the staff for helpful advice and ideas.

checkbox Feed camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons monthly with Master Bloom through March.

checkbox Prevent crabgrass before it starts. Apply Bonide Crabgrass & Weed Preventer (with fertilizer) now to keep crabgrass seeds from sprouting in your lawn. Apply Bonide Crabgrass & Weed Preventer (without fertilizer) to ornamental landscape. Use Corn Gluten around edibles.

checkbox Spray Your Roses Now. An application of dormant oil just after winter pruning will help reduce pest populations by smothering over-wintering eggs. Spraying copper fungicides, as well, will halt diseases such as rust, blackspot and powdery mildew. Bonide All Seasons Spray Oil and copper are listed for use on organic gardens.

checkbox Protect tender plants when frosts are expected. If it hasn’t been raining, make sure to water plants ahead of a cold snap. Cover with drawstring frost bags or drape with protective frost blanket. String non-LED Christmas tree lights on your frost-tender plants when a freeze is expected. The warmth from the bulbs will provide another measure of protection.

checkbox Keep up your New Year’s Resolution . . . join the Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club (lavgc.org) and the Mt. Diablo Rose Society (mtdiablorosesociety.org), Northern California Daffodil Society (daffodil.org), Iris Society (MtDiabloIris@gmail.com) and Valley Bonsai Society (valleybonsaisociety.com).

December Garden Checklist

Things to do this month

checkbox[1] Indoor Bulbs – Start paperwhites, hyacinth or amaryllis now for showy blooms in the weeks ahead. They bloom indoors and make an ideal housewarming gift. We have instructions along with an assortment of bulbs suitable for forcing at https://www.aldenlane.com/paperwhites

checkbox[1] Come on by the nursery and pick up a gift card for your favorite gardening pal, the postal carrier or the babysitter. It’s a gift sure to please anybody and everybody on your shopping list.

checkbox[1] Prevent Peach Leaf Curl! Protect fruit trees and deciduous shade trees from overwintering diseases and pests. Use Monterey Liqui-Cop, or Bonide Liquid Copper Spray now if you haven’t already. For more details, to go https://www.aldenlane.com/dormant-spray.

checkbox[1] Protect frost tender plants when frosts are expected. For added protection cover with “Fleece Bags” or drape plants with plant blanket fabric. String ­non-LED Christmas tree lights on your frost-tender plants when a freeze is expected. The warmth from the bulbs will provide another measure of protection. Click on https://www.aldenlane.com/winter-proof.

checkbox[1] Poinsettias and cyclamen make wonderful hostess gifts and thank you’s to work associates. And don’t forget to treat yourself and decorate the home too.

checkbox[1] Take care of gift plants by placing them in a comfortable, well-lit area of the home. Punch a hole in the foil covering for drainage. Place away from drafts.

checkbox[1] Prune most fruit trees, roses, and other leafless trees and shrubs from December through January. WARNING: Do not prune spring-blooming shrubs and trees such as magnolia, quince, flowering cherry, etc. until the blooming period is over.

checkbox[1] Keep up your New Year’s Resolution . . . Join the Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club (www.lavgc.org), Mt. Diablo Rose Society (mtdiablorosesociety.org), Valley Bonsai Society (valleybonsaisociety.com), Mt. Diablo Iris Society, Northern California Daffodil Society (Daffodil.org).

checkbox[1] Think Summer pies and jams! By mid-month we’ll have all the perennial vegetables and fruits. Currently, we have rhubarb, raspberry, blackberry, and many other cane fruits.

checkbox[1] Set out winter blooming annuals for a garden filled with color. Choose primroses, pansies, Iceland poppies, ornamental cabbage, and kale. Check with the staff.

Checklist for May Gardening

checkbox[1] Protect your cherry crop! Prevent wormy fruit. Start spraying with Captain Jack’s spinosad weekly when fruit begins to change from green to strawberry color.

checkbox[1] Feed roses now and every two weeks for maximum rose production. Use MaxSea plus Kelp Sea Life for the trace elements and minerals.

checkbox[1] Thin apple, plum, apricot and peach crops if too much fruit has set, you’ll get fewer but larger, juicier fruit.

checkbox[1] Timing is important for grub control. If you had trouble with grubs last summer and fall, now is the time to prepare a treatment plan for prevention. Treating your lawn in May with Bonide Grub Beater or beneficial Nematodes while the grubs are young and vulnerable is best. Use beneficial Nematodes in your vegetable garden as well!

checkbox[1] Ladybugs and praying mantis to the rescue! Control aphids, beetles, scale and leafhoppers naturally.

checkbox[1] Deep-root water trees and shrubs. Never depend on lawn watering to take care of trees and shrubs. The use of soaker hoses helps deliver deep water as well. Your trees and shrubs will thank you for doing this at least monthly through the warmer months.

checkbox[1] Do you have small sucking bugs on your vegetables? Use vegetable safe Bonide All Season Spray Oil.

checkbox[1] Plant 4-inch or larger vegetable plants and save several weeks of growing time. Remember to protect them from hungry snails and slugs with Sluggo Plus or pet safe Sluggo. Both are labeled for organic gardening, both control slugs, Sluggo Plus controls insects too.

checkbox[1] Prevent olive fruit set with Florel Fruit Eliminator. Spray the olive when the tree has just reached full bloom. Olive flowers are tiny, so watch carefully. Full bloom usually occurs in early May. Spray the whole tree thoroughly. We have the names of commercial spray companies that can help too.

checkbox[1] Turflon Esther for Bermuda grass control controls that wiry-stemmed, nuisance weed Bermuda grass. It also works wonders on Oxalis, a yellow clover look-alike.

checkbox[1] The miracle of mulch. As well as looking good, mulching conserves water and suppresses weeds and keeps roots cool. We suggest a mulch layer of 4 inches thick. Don’t mulch right up to the plant trunk or stem. Leave 4 to 6 inches of breathing room.

checkbox[1] Protect the trunks of fruit trees with Go Natural Tree Trunk Paint. Applying this coating to the trunk will reflect heat away from the tender tissue and protect the trees.

checkbox[1] Regular feeding for Citrus. Citrus performs well with monthly light feedings of fertilizer specifically formulated for Citrus. This will ensure that your tree gets a nice even supply of food year-round instead of occasional periods of highs or lows. We recommend Master Nursery Citrus Food, or for a completely organic approach, use E.B. Stone Citrus and Fruit Tree Fertilizer. Make quarterly applications of Iron Sulfate for optimum feeding and greening.

checkbox[1] Prep your roses for the second wave of bloom! Cut back and feed roses as the first set of blooms fade. Feed with Master Nursery Rose and Flower Food. Water and stand back (roses typically rebloom six weeks after pruning and feeding. For special treatment, feed roses with water-soluble Maxsea. It can be sprayed on the leaves and gives the plant a dark glossy appearance.

Ladybugs to the Rescue

Ladybug larvae might be mistaken for a foe, but don’t run for the bug spray! These offspring eat more aphids than their parents.

Ladybugs are handy critters to release into your garden in the spring, summer, and fall. They are beneficial in all stages of their life cycle. Each female can lay 10-50 eggs daily. Ladybug larvae live for three weeks before pupating and eat up to 400 aphids at a rate of 50-60 aphids a day in later stages. After 2-5 days adults emerge and continue to feed.

Plum and Cherry trees are producing succulent new growth now which aphids find irresistible. Keep a close eye on new foliage for signs of aphids. If you control them early, you will prevent significant damage.

Aphids suck the juice from new spring leaves, and the subsequent scarring can cause the leaves to warp and curl around the aphids, protecting them.

In addition to weakening the plant, aphids drop a messy, sugary residue on items below their work site and they are also prolific in their reproduction, making problems exponentially worse if left unchecked.

Each adult ladybug will consume over 5,000 aphids in their lifetime.

These beneficial insects are a valuable addition to the toolkit of every Valley gardener. Alden Lane Nursery can provide them in useful quantities and advise you on where and how to use them most effectively.

For those wishing another organic, or natural method of controlling aphids, we suggest a one-two punch, first with Master Nursery Pest Fighter Spray Oil followed up with a fresh release of Ladybugs a day or 2 later.

The spray oil simply sprays on at the end of a hose, no mixing. It smothers pests, rather than poisoning them. The Ladybugs mop up the leftovers and stand guard against local aphid uprisings.

Set Praying Mantis Egg Cases into the Garden Early


Place mantis egg cases into your garden now. As the cases warm, the young will hatch and go right to work protecting your plants.

Use a clothespin to hold the egg case on twig or branch of a shrub. Place the egg case on the morning sun side of your bush, so can warm up, but has some shade through the hottest part of the day.

Praying Mantids are very territorial and as they grow into larger insects, will patiently stalk their prey. They are amazing creatures and can help control garden insect pests naturally. They are fascinating to have around, spending days just waiting and watching for their next meal. Mantids robotically move their heads, keeping the prey always in sight, they have a quick and accurate attack.

Praying Mantid is so named because, while waiting for food to come by, they hold their long front arms as if it is praying. The mantid is a useful insect to have in your garden; it eats flies, caterpillars, grasshoppers, roaches, and other pests. But if you are a beekeeper, watch out – the praying mantid will sit at the entrance to the hive and devour bees one by one as they go in and out!

If you see a mantid, you may be startled by its aggressive behavior. It will stand up and buzz its wings at you. But that’s because it’s trying to scare you off; the Praying Mantid is harmless to humans.

Praying mantids are terrific pest exterminators. They keep down the population of bugs that are a threat to plants. A master of disguise, they can be an able assistant to farmer and gardener alike.

We have egg cases for sale, 2 cases in a cup for $12.99.

Dormant Spray for Fungus Control

February into Spring (About Valentines)
The timing of the dormant spray  spring sprayings for various fruit trees can be crucial and focuses on fungus control.

Leaf curl on nectarines and peaches is controlled with an application of  Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide when flower buds swell but before they show any color.

To control brown rot and shot hole fungus on stone fruits, spray Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide when the buds crack and show color, then again 2 weeks later.

For control of fire blight in apples and pears, (if your trees have a history of fire blight,) Spray with Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide every 5 days during the bloom cycle.

Additional spring spraying will minimize wormy apples & pears. To properly time these sprayings, hang Codling Moth Traps in one of your fruit trees just before blossom time. When codling moths first appear (usually when about 3/4 of the flower petals have fallen from the tree), wait one week and spray with GardenTech Sevin once, and then spray weekly with Captain Jack’s Spinosad mixed with Bonide All season Spray Oil for 2-3 weeks.

Replace traps monthly and repeat spray regime after additional generations of moths are trapped.