Keep Bugs And Animals Away From My Fruit Trees?
by paco on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 | 15 Comments
I have 4 fruit trees in my backyard (pear,apple,peach,and nectarine) and i was wondering if there was any way (other than pesticides) of keeping bugs and animals away from them but mainly bugs ?
I would definitely use Dormant Oil Spray. I think this is what Ashley and some of the others are talking about. And this is the right time to ask the question as this is when you can use it. Dormant Oil is a solution of mineral and lime sulphur (usually) and you spray it on your dormant plants just as they start to bud. This helps control all sorts of critters but especially ones that attack fruit trees such as apple maggot flies, scales, mealy bugs, whitefly larvae, red spiders and so on. The nice thing is that its not toxic to the environment and it’s very effective. It’s the lime sulfur that does the work, and the oil helps it ‘stick’ and also suffocates larvae.
For more info
oh and for the summer months hang a red object with sticky stuff on it to trap bugs, or also a sugar and vinegar solution hung in a 2 l pop bottle – bugs usually get in and can’t easily get out.
BTW to Amy R – I would advise caution with the cayenne b/c I’ve heard horror stories of bunnies scratching their eyes and nose to a bloody mess if they get it on them.
Leave it to a grandma to ask why you don’t have 2 pear trees? Usually pear trees need a pollinator to produce good fruit.
Try this
Organic Pest Control > Insect Traps – Lures
*********OR ************
Try this for Organic Sprayhttp://www.organic-gardening-shop.com/Ag?
If you want to keep the animals away from the tree use sections of wire fencing around your trees, just make a circle not too close to the trunk and fasten the ends together and stake it to keep it from hitting the trunk.
See the Lowes links below
This is what I did to keep my granddaughter boxer from pulling them out of the ground.
Loweshttp://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pr?
*****Item # 153521
*******Model # 70947
pyrethrum is a good pesticide – made from the daisy with the same name, the poison lasts only 12 hours, so spay in the evening so as not to kill the bees. Companion planting can help – chives, onions and garlic are good for most fruit trees. try planting plants that will encourage carnivorous bugs that will eat you other bugs – for example: red clover, alyssum, cosmos, marigolds, Queen Anne’s Lace, buckwheat, lucerne, dill, caraway, coriander and gypsophila.
depending on where you live… i keep guineas (weird little chicken-like birds) in my garden. They eat bees, insects, and the rotten fruits. They are cheap and easy to keep and completely natural. I got mine from Ideal Poultry.
I would spray the leaves with the same soap made for roses. Net the trees to protect the fruit from critters.
A compost tea can help as well as encouraging bees to come to your yard.
Go to a local flower shop or Lowes and get them to find you some Spray that is safe on trees and kills bugs. thats what i did and it worked
Tobacco juice,water and dish wash soap.Go buy some chewing tobacco soak it in a 1 gal milk jug or other container.Let the tobacco soak in the water for at least 1 day or more.hen use this measure one third tobacco juice, 3 Tbl spoons of dish wash,two thirds of water.This works great,but you will have to apply it regularly.It really depends on the weather and humidity.And it also works as a mosquito repellent.Just spry it on all the plants in the yard mainly under the leaves,cause this is where they are in the daylight hours.
Apply yellow (or other color) sticky glue around the lower (close to the ground) stem of your fruit trees. This can help preventing ants coming up on the trees . Good luck.
you could use vinegar, definitely. Or you could build those little houses for plants. You could build it around the trees, and have an artificial sunlight lamp(s). I don’t know much about plants, but I hope this helps =]
There is an all natural spray that you can use. I forget the name, but you can go to a garden center and ask there.
well im sure they sell things like “off”, where they have the scented candle, but you just hang it by your trees and it will keep them away. otherwise just cut the trees down if your worried about the bugs
There are some good organic sprays you can make from lighter oil mixes and/or dish soap. See some recipes at the link below. Also you can add more cayenne pepper to keep animals away or you can net the trees to protect the produce once it starts to ripen. Wrap the trunks with protection paper in winter to avoid rabbit damage – remove it in spring.
vinegar.
the same way you keep them out of your greens