Environmentally Safe and Effective Tree Spraying: Don’t Panic, It’s Organic

Among the most popular ways of controlling pests and diseases in fruit trees is organic spraying. If you are tree spraying in Kansas City, MO, you must consider using organic spray because of its many benefits. Tree spraying using traditional pesticides are still widely used, but more and more tree owners are now shifting to organic. There are several important reasons for this. One very important reason has to do with health. Organic sprays are considered harmless to one’s health, while the traditional spraying that uses chemicals has been known to pose serious health issues. Another reason has to do with the environment. Organic tree sprays are not known to cause harmful effects on the environment compared to the chemical sprays that poisons the environment.

The following are some of the common types of fruit tree sprays that are organic. These organic sprays are effective for tree spraying in Kansas City, MO. It works well in killing insects and larvae that are overwintering.

Lime Sulphur/Horticultural Oil Mixture

This type of organic spray for fruit trees is composed of horticultural oil and lime sulphur mixture that can sometimes be purchased premixed. You can also purchase a kit and do your mixture. The lime sulphur component of the mixture is a natural fungicide that kills bacteria or fungus spores that are dormant. The horticulture oil component is use for smothering overwintering eggs or insects. The best time to use this spray is in spring right before the swelling of the buds. Otherwise, you face the risk of burning the new leaves. It can also be sprayed when the temperature is between 32 degrees F (0 degrees Celsius) and 70 F (20 degrees Celsius) for not more than 24 hours. This is because the spray’s oil part requires time to kill the insects and their eggs.


Water/Horticultural Oil Mixture

This second type of organic spray is effective for spring use and all summer. Just be sure to do the spraying early in the morning, or when the weather is a lot cooler and trees and vegetation have cooled off. This mixture is not as messy as the first type of fruit trees.


Homemade Mixture of Natural Tree Spray

You can also come up with your own mixture for your tree spraying in Kansas City, MO project. You can buy your own ingredients at any organic farming store. The store will also offer you brochures on how to do the mixing.

Premiere Tree Services of Kansas City, MO
4741 Central Street #413
Kansas City, MO 64112
(816) 226-6344
kansascitymo@premieretreeservices.com

Boston’s Winter Moth May Cause Untold Devastation

Boston’s Winter Moth May Cause Untold Devastation

Boston has witnessed the destructive behavior of winter moths every spring in eastern Massachusetts with absolutely no idea how to stop it. Winter moth caterpillars devour holes through newly blossomed foliage of shrubs, apple trees, maples, oaks and blueberry bushes. Because they have no natural predators in New England their population growth continues to increase year after year. It’s been a burden on the local forests and has even affected commercial and residential areas as well.

Local entomologists estimated trillions of winter moth larvae consumed more than 100,000 acres of trees in Massachusetts in 2005, with the trail of destruction augmenting about 4 or 5 miles each year. Thousands of trees were left bare from Boston to Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Hampshire. Tree services in the Boston area were forced to shorn dozens of branches and remove decaying shrubs. Though tree spraying has become a viable option, entomologists suggest a more organic solution. 

Cyzenis Albicans to the Rescue

Native to Europe, the moth has species-specific predators, called the Cyzenis Albican, that control the population, but none of them exist in the Boston. Without a balanced ecosystem the moths could ravage the area until the resource is depleted. This isn’t good news for the beloved trees of Massachusetts metropolis, the outlying cities Boston or for the native insects and animals that thrive on these trees. But since 2005 these greedy flies have been released into the vicinity to combat the spread of these destructive moths.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the US Department of Agriculture has ordered the containment of the winter moth in six areas of eastern Massachusetts including Falmouth, Yarmouth, Seekonk, Hingham, Wellesley, and Wenham. With a controlled release of moths entering the affected areas, the flies are a welcome inhabitant. They are considered safe for the survival of the natural ecosystem because they target the winter moth and no other species.

How exactly does this tiny fly eat a winter moth? It’s all in the eggs.

The Cyzenis albicans, a parasitic fly, lays its eggs near the food source of caterpillars. When the caterpillar consumes the larvae the eggs continues to grow and hatch in its stomach. Essentially the fly devours the caterpillar from the inside out, both feeding simultaneously. It’s considered a win-win for the fly. That’s one tenacious bug!

Restorative Tree Care

For those trees that have fallen victim to the wide-spreading winter moth, it may be too late to salvage the loss of foliage. With literally millions of moths burrowing into a single tree, tree removal may be essential to the safety of people and structures nearby. However, some trees are luckier than others and may only require tree trimming. Professional restorative care such as tree trimming, tree spraying, or tree removal can mitigate the destruction of these mischievous moths.

If you need professional tree services in the Boston area, contact Premiere Tree Services.  The certified tree experts offer residential and commercial tree care at affordable prices.

Premiere TreeServices of Boston

71 Commercial St. Ste. 98
Boston, MA, 02109
Phone: (617) 517-3719      
boston@premieretreeservices.com

Photo Courtesy: Markuso

Tree spraying in Kansas City, KS: A Few Basic Tips

There’s more to tree spraying than just aiming a hose. Tree spraying involves different techniques depending on the type of tree and the type of pest in question. This is not to mention the amount of caution you need to exercise in handling those potentially harmful chemicals. Before you make any attempt at spraying your trees, you must consult an expert on tree spraying in Kansas City, KS.

And you will definitely need the following basic tools and materials: hose, hydraulic sprayer, spray bottle of fungicide or insecticide and water. A professional in tree spraying will give you the following pieces of advice and steps to follow:

Water Spraying

Select the method of spraying. If you use water, you can use sprinklers, a hose, drip irrigation or a spray hose to water your trees.

Then proceed to spraying the ground around the tree if it is newly planted or if it is about two years old. You will need to saturate the area several times each month. Once weekly or every two weeks is fine, depending on the type of oil and the tree species. When the water begins to pool, you stop spraying.

If the tree is more than two years old, check its leaf canopy. You will have to spray under the canopy’s outer edge and around the tree. Avoid spraying right directly on the trunk because the tree’s roots are not centrally located anymore. Stop spraying once the water begins to pool or if the ground is already wet enough for the water to seep into the ground at two feet deep 

 

Insecticides

Identify the type of insects that is infesting your tree before you buy the chemicals. This is important because certain types of bugs and insects can be only killed by certain kinds of insecticides. There are even insects that can be killed without the use of insecticides.

Once you’ve identified the pests, research about their life cycle. Don’t spray too soon or too late because the insecticides may not have an effect. There are only certain times that some insects become vulnerable to insecticides.

Contact your expert in tree spraying in Kansas City, KS for a hydraulic sprayer if you don’t have one, especially if your trees are too tall to be reached using a hose. It is important for your sprayer to reach the topmost part of the trees to achieve full results.

 

Premiere Tree Services of Kansas City, KS
10940 Parallel PKWY Suite K-131
Kansas City,KS 66109
(913) 730-7700
kansascityks@premieretreeservices.com

Tree Removal | Tree Trimming

Tree Spraying: Keeping Your Fruit Trees Healthy

The importance of spraying your fruit trees should not be underestimated. Spraying, along with other tree services such as pruning and trimming, protects trees against pests and diseases, thus keeping them healthy and strong and maximizing their fruit-bearing capabilities. Tree spraying in Dayton can be done with the help of a professional tree service company, or you can do it on your own. Either way, you need to know some basic information on how to spray your trees the right way.

First thing to know are the tools to be used in tree spraying. The use of proper tools and equipment makes the job easier to do and faster. Choose a sprayer that is of excellent quality. You can visit any store that sells farming tools and inquire more about tree spraying equipment. You will not go through all the hassle if you decide to hire experts in tree spraying in Dayton.

Choosing The Type Of Spray
You can choose from any of the several spray products available in the market today. Of these products, the most commonly used are the organic type, usually made from mineral oil, which is good for suffocating pests. Sulphur and copper also work pretty well against fungus. But avoid using sulphur products on apricot trees. Also wait for thirty days from the time you used oil spray before using sulphur spray products.

How To Spray Fruit Trees
Tree spraying should be done during a calm weather. The spray will be blown away by wind, wasting your investment. In a calm day, you can get a thorough covering of your trees, from the tip of the branches to the trunk’s base. In spraying, cover the area under the tree. Also spray the root area. If you are spraying near a pond, make sure there will be no spray particles that drift into the water. Sprays are mostly poisonous to fish. And to protect yourself, wear glasses and gloves. Chemicals, even if you are using organic ones, may cause some amount of harm.

Choosing the time of the year to do your tree spraying is important. Expert tree spraying companies know when the best time is to do tree spraying. Check the climate in your locality. The best time to do tree spraying in Dayton must depend on what particular part of the year that pests attack trees.

Generally, though, winter is a good time to do an oil spray because the trees are leafless and dormant, an anti-fungus spray before the opening of flower buds and another spraying after the petals of flowers have dropped.