Treatment of fruit trees with copper sulphate in spring

The modern reality is such that not a single garden can do without regular spraying: even the highest quality seedlings of the latest elite varieties will not give a good harvest if the trees are not protected from diseases and pests. There are many preparations for processing the orchard, but domestic gardeners prefer old, time-tested products, such as copper and iron vitriol. These substances are available, cheap, it is easy to prepare a solution from them, and, most importantly, copper and iron preparations can be used all year round.

Everything about spraying fruit trees in spring with copper and iron sulphate can be found in this article. Here we will talk about the features of each drug, about the methods of preparing solutions, about spraying technology and safety measures when working with toxic substances.

Why do you need spring processing of the garden

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 overwinter on the bark, in cracks, in the soil near the trunk, and even in the buds of fruit trees. Spring spraying of the garden allows you to solve several problems at once:

1. Build plant immunity to dangerous infections and viruses.
2. Prevent the reproduction and attacks of insect pests.
3. 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 garden cultivation are preventive ones.

Garden treatment products

The processing of fruit trees in domestic gardens is most often carried out with affordable and inexpensive means, such as urea, copper and iron sulfate, Bordeaux liquid, lime.

Such drugs are considered less toxic and dangerous to human health, their particles do not accumulate in fruits and vegetables, and the effect of exposure is long-term.

Copper sulfate

Copper sulphate, in fact, is hydrous copper sulfate and is a small blue or blue crystals. In agricultural stores, copper sulfate is sold in bags or in bottles, respectively, it can be in the form of a powder or liquid concentrate.

It must be understood 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 sulphate 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 tool 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 effectiveness;
• is a source of microelements of copper necessary for plants for normal photosynthesis and other vegetative processes;
• copper sulfate is much cheaper than similar synthetic drugs.

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: whether preventive treatment of the garden is necessary or whether pests or infections are developing in full swing.

So, there are three concentrations of copper sulfate:

1. burning out, when the proportion of copper sulfate in solution is from 3 to 5 percent. That is, in order to prepare a liquid for disinfection and treatment, it is necessary to dissolve 10-300 grams of copper sulfate powder in 500 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.
2. Therapeutic and prophylactic the mixture should contain 0,5-1% copper sulphate. To prepare a composition for spraying garden trees, you need to mix 10-50 grams of copper sulfate in 100 liters of water. This solution is suitable for fighting fungal infections and some pests: anthracnose, coccomycosis, spotting, septoria, scab, rot, curl and others. The same composition treats wounds on trunks and shoots.
3. Feeding and prophylactic the solution should contain only 0,2-0,3% copper sulfate. For its preparation, 10-20 grams of powder are taken per 30 liters of water. It is recommended to use a weak solution of copper sulfate when there are signs of copper starvation of plants (leaf chlorosis, 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 a 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, a weak solution of copper sulfate is poured over the soil near the roots of trees;
• even before bud break, trees are sprayed with a one percent solution to destroy infection spores and insect larvae hibernating on the shoots;
• before planting, the roots of any seedlings can be dipped for three minutes in a one percent solution of copper sulfate to disinfect them (after that, the root system is thoroughly washed with running water);
• when the first signs of a disease or pest invasion appear, fruit trees are treated with a 0,5-1% 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 treated for the last time to destroy pathogens and larvae that hibernate on shoots and in the bark.

Ferrous Sulphate

Ferrous vitriol is a salt formed as a result of the reaction of sulfuric acid and ferrous iron. Externally, iron sulfate is a small crystals of turquoise color.

In agriculture, iron sulphate 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 to treat the trunks.

With the help of iron sulfate, gardeners solve a number of problems:

• eliminate mosses and lichens on trunks and boles of trees;
• 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 iron sulfate crystals 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 three percent solution of ferrous sulfate. 10 grams of turquoise crystals are dissolved in 300 liters of water and the orchard is treated with the resulting mixture in the late autumn period (when the branches are bare).
• Seed crops (grapes, apple, pear) require a stronger concentration – 4% iron 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 neglected, the trees were sick for the entire previous season, you can increase the concentration of ferrous sulfate to 5-6%. In this case, it is very important to choose the right time for processing – when the movement of juice in the plant has not yet begun or has already ended.

Conclusion

To improve your garden and carry out the prevention of various diseases, it is not necessary to spend huge amounts of money on special preparations. In any agricultural stores there is a couple of time-tested, affordable substances: copper and iron sulfate. Solutions based on these preparations are used for preventive spring treatment of the garden, control of pests and diseases of fruit trees, and fertilizing plants with metals.