When do I spray copper on the pear and plum trees? - Ask Extension
Do I spray Copper fungicide on the fruit trees after they bloom and right before the leaves are completely out, like now? Does this small window hurt ...
Knowledgebase
When do I spray copper on the pear and plum trees? #448257
Asked April 17, 2018, 7:25 PM EDT
Do I spray Copper fungicide on the fruit trees after they bloom and right before the leaves are completely out, like now? Does this small window hurt the pollinators because my fruit trees are blooming at different times. I have an Anjou pear (blooming), Bartlett pear (small leaves), Bosc pear (small leaves) all bloom at different times. Also Brooks plum(finished blooming, small leaves), and two Imperial Epinuese (small leaves). The Brooks is the only one that fruits each year after 3 1/2 years, but it tastes good, so it's worth it. The Anjou pear has a lot of blooms, just doesn't fruit. Should I spray the other trees even with the Anjou blooming?
Marion County Oregon
Expert Response
Thanks for your question! Is there a particular problem that you are needing to spray for now? If just a general purpose spray, I'd say don't apply it now. Dormant or delayed dormant sprays are more appropriate for that purpose. The most noteworthy pest of these crops is scab on pears. Here is more information about scab...
https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/pear-pyrus-spp-scab
Please note that most of the fungicides listed are for commercial use and not available in small packaging. For example, the smallest container of lime sulfur currently available is 2.5 gallons (which is a lot for only a few fruit trees, but still only about $35). Bonide Fruit Tree and Plant Guard is available for home use, but it contains an insecticide and, therefore, cannot be used during bloom. Beware of sulfur-based products, as they can damage some pear cultivars, including 'Anjou.' Best practices for managing scab in pears includes proper pruning to promote an open canopy, fruit thinning, avoiding overhead irrigation during the summer, and applying a dormant or delayed dormant lime sulfur spray (not harmful during the dormant season).
Regarding productivity, it appears you have proper varieties for cross-pollination. Are all the trees just 3 1/2 years old? If so, they should start coming into production very soon. If you've never added boron to the soil, I recommend 1 level tablespoon of "20 Mule Team Borax" or "Boraxo Hand Soap" per 100 squre feet. Since it's impossible to spread such a small amount in a dry form, dissolve it in about two gallons of water and either spray it on the soil with a pump sprayer or distribute it with a watering can. Make sure it fully dissolves first. Boron is important for fertilization of the flowers, and a deficiency can be responsible for poor fruit set despite good flowering. Typically this doesn't need to be added more than once every few years.
https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/pear-pyrus-spp-scab
Please note that most of the fungicides listed are for commercial use and not available in small packaging. For example, the smallest container of lime sulfur currently available is 2.5 gallons (which is a lot for only a few fruit trees, but still only about $35). Bonide Fruit Tree and Plant Guard is available for home use, but it contains an insecticide and, therefore, cannot be used during bloom. Beware of sulfur-based products, as they can damage some pear cultivars, including 'Anjou.' Best practices for managing scab in pears includes proper pruning to promote an open canopy, fruit thinning, avoiding overhead irrigation during the summer, and applying a dormant or delayed dormant lime sulfur spray (not harmful during the dormant season).
Regarding productivity, it appears you have proper varieties for cross-pollination. Are all the trees just 3 1/2 years old? If so, they should start coming into production very soon. If you've never added boron to the soil, I recommend 1 level tablespoon of "20 Mule Team Borax" or "Boraxo Hand Soap" per 100 squre feet. Since it's impossible to spread such a small amount in a dry form, dissolve it in about two gallons of water and either spray it on the soil with a pump sprayer or distribute it with a watering can. Make sure it fully dissolves first. Boron is important for fertilization of the flowers, and a deficiency can be responsible for poor fruit set despite good flowering. Typically this doesn't need to be added more than once every few years.
Thank you for the important information. We will spray the boron tomorrow. Last Fall I sprayed all the fruit trees fro the first time with Copper Fungicide liquid Bonide after we had to remove two apple trees for very bad Fire Blight. We sprayed again on Super Bowel Sunday, but the pear and plum trees never had fire blight, so I am not going to spray again. I'll use the Lime sulphur this fall once as you recommend. I suppose it will be ok for the Anjou too if it is delayed dormant. We bought some of the fruit trees at different times and are new at this. The funny thing is the Brooks plum took off from the beginning and grew probably 3 times as big as any of them and has great fruit. I do have an Indian Plum (male) next to it, I don't know if that is a pollinator of European plums, but the Brooks has a wonderful taste and I don't know why the growth difference because they are barely 10 feet apart from each other. The Indian plum cannot be eaten because it is poisonous and I don't have a female plant anyway. Thank you again for your help.
I should mention that boron applied now will benefit next year's crop, but it won't impact this year's crop. So, hopefully they're just juvenile trees and they start producing on their own very soon, but if it is a boron deficiency, the boron you add now will be in the plant next year at bloom time. Regarding scab and lime sulfur, you could spray in the fall, but winter is best. I only spray once each year (I'm lazy, I admit it!), and that is after I'm done pruning but before the trees begin to flower. When the first tree in my orchard shows signs of buds swelling and beginning to open, then I spray the whole orchard. When the time comes, if you have any questions about the lime sulfur label (which isn't easy to wade through since it's for a commercial audience), please feel free to contact me. I'm at 996 Jefferson Street in Eugene,<personal data hidden>, <personal data hidden>.
My question is regarding Spseedzone herbicide. Is this safe or is it banned in any countries like the EU or is it cancer causing? I have previously seeded different varieties of clover all over the front yard, but the weeds and clover together do not look good, so I asked a neighbor who runs a lawn care business if he would spray for broadleaf. He said he would use Speedzone. Thank you for information on this herbicide. The label does not mention glycoside Round-Up-Ready which I know France has banned.
Speedzone contains four active ingredients:
1. carfentrazone
2. 2,4-D
3. Mecoprop
4. dicamba
This product does not contain glyphosate, an active ingredient in Round-Up products.
I cannot speak to EU classifications of this product or its ingredients.
There are two types of toxicity: acute and chronic. Acute toxicity is associated with a one-time or limited exposure, and it is communicated on product labels with one of three signal words: Danger (highest toxicity); Warning (intermediate toxicity; or Caution (lowest toxicity, relative to "Danger" or "Warning"). Speedzone has a signal word of "Caution."
Chronic toxicity is associated with long-term, repeated exposures, and there is no standard assessment of it. With regard to the potential to cause cancer, the EPA publishes an "Annual Cancer Report" that you can access for 2017 here: http://npic.orst.edu/chemicals_evaluated.pdf
Carfentrazone - "Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans."
2,4-D esters - "Not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity."
Mecoprop - "Suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity, but not sufficient to assess human carcinogenic potential."
Dicamba - "Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans."
If you have questions about these classifications, I encourage you to contact the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), which is housed at OSU in Corvallis: http://npic.orst.edu,<personal data hidden> (open 8am-12pm Pacific Time , Monday-Friday).
All of these ingredients are readily available in common retail products sold to homeowners for lawn weed control. In fact, I do not think it possible to find a lawn weed killer that doesn't contain at least one of these ingredients, and the vast majority contain more than one. The combination of 2,4-D, Mecoprop, and Dicamba is a very common combination often referred to as "Tri-mec" (which is technically a specific product). The commonality of these ingredients doesn't change their safety, but perhaps it's reassuring to know that Speedzone isn't fundamentally different from these other products.
Thanks for your question!
1. carfentrazone
2. 2,4-D
3. Mecoprop
4. dicamba
This product does not contain glyphosate, an active ingredient in Round-Up products.
I cannot speak to EU classifications of this product or its ingredients.
There are two types of toxicity: acute and chronic. Acute toxicity is associated with a one-time or limited exposure, and it is communicated on product labels with one of three signal words: Danger (highest toxicity); Warning (intermediate toxicity; or Caution (lowest toxicity, relative to "Danger" or "Warning"). Speedzone has a signal word of "Caution."
Chronic toxicity is associated with long-term, repeated exposures, and there is no standard assessment of it. With regard to the potential to cause cancer, the EPA publishes an "Annual Cancer Report" that you can access for 2017 here: http://npic.orst.edu/chemicals_evaluated.pdf
Carfentrazone - "Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans."
2,4-D esters - "Not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity."
Mecoprop - "Suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity, but not sufficient to assess human carcinogenic potential."
Dicamba - "Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans."
If you have questions about these classifications, I encourage you to contact the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), which is housed at OSU in Corvallis: http://npic.orst.edu,<personal data hidden> (open 8am-12pm Pacific Time , Monday-Friday).
All of these ingredients are readily available in common retail products sold to homeowners for lawn weed control. In fact, I do not think it possible to find a lawn weed killer that doesn't contain at least one of these ingredients, and the vast majority contain more than one. The combination of 2,4-D, Mecoprop, and Dicamba is a very common combination often referred to as "Tri-mec" (which is technically a specific product). The commonality of these ingredients doesn't change their safety, but perhaps it's reassuring to know that Speedzone isn't fundamentally different from these other products.
Thanks for your question!
