With the weather now starting to heat up, it’s that time of the year when your trees begin to experience negative effects. We think of summer as a time when trees thrive, growing green and bright, but some negative effects come from invasive insects feeding off them or tree diseases that break the trees down and remove their fundamental basics for surviving.
One thing we might expect people to do when they see this happen is take sprays or other bottled products and use them to repel diseases and insects, but sometimes that’s not always the right move unless you’re properly handling what kind of products to use. It’s always best to consult with a certified arborist before making any decisions on using products.
In this blog, we will break down how the usage of sprays and injection products can help your trees as you try to get rid of those pesky insects and diseases.
The Timing for When to Use These Repellents
The seasonal timing for when to use spray repellents on trees is something that most people won’t consider before using them. Certain weather conditions and temperatures can affect how well the products do their job of moving their way through the tree and into the insects and diseases it has on it.
Because we are at the end of the Spring season and approaching the beginning of Summer, it’s important to keep in mind how much these conditions affect the repellents.
Extreme heat is often the most common condition that negatively affects sprays and other repellents. Insects also respond more to those rising temperatures, and it makes them more devastating and abundant on trees. It’s important to consult with a Bradley Tree arborist on when the best time to use specific products for specific plant healthcare issues. Some things may require an application in the dormant season, whereas certain issues may require application during the foliage season. We can help you understand what’s best for your tree by simply coming out to take a look.
To help demonstrate some of the products we might use, we figured we’d provide a few examples for our fellow WNY tree lovers out there. We always aim to use safe products and stand by what we use, and we always want our customers to make informed decisions in caring for their trees. That’s why we will always thoroughly explain what we’re using and why, so you know what the best plant healthcare plan is.
Here are 3 Products We Might Use on Your Trees to Help with Fungus & Pests
Reliant Fungicide – Reliant works well on vegetables, citrus, fruit and nut trees, ornamentals, landscaping, turf, conifers, and bedding plants. It can be used to control something called Phytophthora. Sudden oak death (SOD), downy mildew, pythium, root rot, and fire blight come from this. It can also be used for black spot or apple scab and other diseases like those mentioned on the label. We see quite a bit of apple scab here in WNY.
Boxer Insecticide – Boxer is a systemic insecticide-miticide which is effective against a wide range of insect and mite pests that can infest trees. It can be used to treat things like mbrosia beetles, aphids, bagworms, clearwing borers, cone beetles, conifer mites, cynipid gall wasps, fall webworms, flatheaded borers, gypsy moths, and honeylocust plant bugs. Gypsy moths have been problematic here in WNY.
You apply it by injecting it directly into the tree’s cambial area, which is the active vascular system. This is where having a certified arborist in your Rolodex is vital. We have the equipment and proper products that are meant for professional application, and can be most effective.
Omni Supreme Spray – a spray that is a refined mineral oil used as a contact insecticide and miticide, primarily for controlling pests on plants, trees, and shrubs. It’s effective against various insects and mites, including scales, aphids, and leafminers, and can be used on plants in both foliage and dormant stages. Omni Supreme Spray can also be used to control certain fungal diseases like mildew and rust. Scale has been a huge issue here in WNY, especially on magnolia trees.
Be Careful What You Use, & Read Those Labels!
It’s not recommended to take a shot in the dark on a product you may find online or in the hardware store. It’s always best to consult with us before making any purchases or trying to get the sprayer out on your own. We will tell you what the best course is, so just give us a call and we can let you know!
READ THOSE LABELS!! The results of improper product usage on trees can be damaging, but also time-consuming in unnecessary ways. Let’s take one of the products on our website as an example, with the Boxer Label. It doesn’t specifically say which trees to use the repellent on. It takes proper research and advice from a professional to tell you where it is meant to be used.
That’s the other part of this that results in something bad, not talking to an expert about the next best steps. We have professional certified arborists (tree care experts) who will give you the best information you need, and we recommend contacting us to talk about what you’ve got going on.
On our website, one of our main pages lists product label information for many different forms of sprays and repellents that can help you with insect and disease removal. We want you to take some time and look at more details about each to have a better understanding of how they work.