Fruit trees need a lot of care if you want them to produce a bumper crop of insect free fruit. Fruit trees need to be pruned to really produce, and fertilizing is also a great idea if you want a high quality fruit. A low nitrogen fertilizer such as 16-16-16 is wonderful for fruit trees because it also has a high phosphate content, which is what the fruit itself needs to become the best it can be. A fertilizer too high in nitrogen can actually make the setting fruit drop off the tree. Make sure that your fruit tree gets adequate water during the growing season as well. A control program for insects in fruit trees has to be started before you ever see any, in the very early spring before the buds break open. This kills insects that have spent the winter under the bark of your fruit tree. For this early treatment, use Ferti-Lome Horticultural Oil, and thoroughly wet the trunk and branches. After the buds break open and you begin to see blossoms, it is extremely important to not spray again until
after
the blossoms have completely dropped off the tree. Spraying before the blossoms drop will kill the bees and other insects that fertilize the blossoms, and if you spray while there are still blossoms on the tree, you may get little or no fruit. After the blossoms have dropped off the tree, a regular spraying program is needed to produce practically perfect insect-free fruit. The insecticide most commonly used on fruit trees is malathion. This product has a low residual rate, which means that it dissipates quickly. This is what makes it safe to use on an edible crop, but it is also what makes it necessary to spray every ten to fourteen days during the growing season. One or two spray applications during the season will help, but only
dedicated
spraying, at ten to fourteen day intervals, will
really
control insects in the fruit. Remember, use Ferti-Lome Horticultural Oil to spray your fruit tree before you see any growth in the spring, and then Hi-Yield Malathion at ten to fourteen day intervals after the blossoms have completely dropped off the tree.
