Dormant Oil Spraying for Fruit Trees in
the Orchard
Fruit trees will be sprayed, while leaf-less and
dormant, with dormant oil spray. The only commercial
varieties I have found all had some sort of pesticide contained in
the mixture. This is not what I want. I will make my own dormant
oil spray using approx. 1 gallon of water boiled with a
Tablespoon of lecithin liquid or granules. After the lecithin is
dissolved, I will add an oil. Any oil can be used. I would recommend
a thinner oil like coconut or grapeseed though. If any natural pest
repellent is desired, I would add a few drops (6-30) of pennyroyal
(handle carefully and keep out of the reach of
children, this one is very toxic and can be fatal if ingested),
citronella or eucalyptus. I apply the spray with a normal
garden/pesticide sprayer with a pump and short hose. The branches
and main trunk barks should be well-saturated/covered with the oil
by spraying. Apply this more than once throughout winter for best
results. Once trees begin to bud, it is too late to use this method.
I have used this method of spraying for several years now.
The results I have seen would tell me that several winter
applications and repeating every year or two would result in nearly
wormless fruit ... in my region, at least. I apply this spray to
peach, pear, apple, cherry, plum and quince trees. I would say that
probably any fruiting tree or bush that becomes wormy from "bark
inhabitants/larvae" would benefit from such spraying.
The Best Organic Compost Material
For best results, compost raw vegetable/food matter,
eggshells, unseeded weeds if thoroughly dried, and *manures. Less
desirable compost materials are onion skins, citrus peelings,
cooked vegetable matter or fresh wood shavings.
*
Note: Manures should be wintered before applied to the garden.
Handle with great care. Parasites are frequently present and some
require only skin contact to infect a host.
Compost as a Buried Treasure
When preparations have not been previously made, compost may
be done with a simple hole in the ground. The soil in the
immediate area will benefit from the increased worm population. If
a mulch is available, compost material may also be laid on the top
of the ground and then covered well by mulching.
Compost Bins
Compost Bins may take many forms. The construction and
materials used may vary widely. With a little creativity, a
compost bin may be fashioned from most any sort of building
supplies. We will include instructions for four basic designs in
our "How To" section.
Near your compost bin, keep a soil mixture available to
cover each addition to the pile. An excellent combination is soil,
pine bark mulch, dried leaves, grass cuttings, sand and limestone.
This can be enhanced with greensand or ground seaweed.
Mulching - Hay and Straw, Cover Crops &
Green Manures
The working of any soil will vary depending upon the initial
condition. A clay-like soil will benefit from an addition of sand.
A very dry soil will be worked well with an addition of peat to
hold moisture. Prepare a rich compost to be added to the soil as
available and nourishment such as greensand, edible algaes and
ground seaweeds will show immediate results in the garden.
Promoting Alkalinity in Acid Soil
By adding soured milk, yogurt leftovers, whey and so on, you
will encourage worms and healthful bacteria in the soil. For more
information on encouraging life in the soil, see the sections on
green manures and composting.
To discourage fungi, molds and nematodes it is helpful to
dress soil with a garlic tea. Various teas with herbs for
nourishment, herbs with insect repellent properties, manure teas
can all be added when cooled to the soil at any time. These teas
can be added to the garden even after landscape fabrics have been
laid down.
A weedless environment can be created with the use of
landscaping fabrics. Secure a length of fabric to the entire
surface of the garden area. Cut-outs can be made to plant in
plugs. If initial plantings can not be done with plugs, surround
these large plants with the landscaping fabric after planted. Some
fabrics are dense enough to block light to the ground below;
others should be covered with one of the following: straw, peat,
sand, fine stones, etc...
Covering the ground in this way
will eliminate the weeds and the insects which live
amongst the weeds and prey upon the garden. In addition, the
insects which live and hide in the soil are greatly eliminated and
unable to harm the garden. Cats and other animals are also less
likely to visit a garden where no scratchable surface exists, and
since these animals frequently carry nematodes and other
parasites, this will further reduce the worms which would attack
garden plants when in a soil environment. A healthier gardening
environment is secured for the gardener when the potential for
animal visitation has been removed.
To become sensitive to your plants, it is best to tend to
your garden daily. Inspect leaves, stems, blossoms and fruits
regularly to determine the health of your plants. This is the best
way to begin recognizing problems which may require attention.
Watch for bites, wilts, spots and rots. These are the main
tell-tale signs of a need for attention. The solutions to garden
problems will involve soil work, weeding and herbal insect
deterrents (teas and companion plantings), handpicking insects
from plants and/or treating soil for molds/fungi.
Companion plants can work in a variety of ways depending
upon the combination. Some plants enhance soil conditions for
their companions, others attract beneficial insects and
pollinators or deter unfavorable insects. These benefits are
accomplished by essential oils present in the plants, the habitat
created by foliage or roots for favorable insects, and by
metabolic secretions produced by roots or other plant parts.
This Living Earth - Healthful Bacteria &
Micro-Organisms in the Soil
Human beings have kept bees for thousands of years. We have
come to depend upon the delightful foods the honey bee offers as
well as the magnificant work they perform. Orchards depend upon
bees and hire a beekeepers hives for pollination during the
blossoming season. Seed-savers require full time pollination to
ensure viable seed is produced and often keep their own bees for
this purpose.
In order to attract neighboring honey bees to your garden,
keep several of their favorite nectar sources growing nearby. A
few tree sources are maples, tulip poplars, sourwoods and citrus.
Of the smaller plants, honey bees like white clover, dandelion and
asters to name only a few.
For the best of pollination potential, it is recommended for
that the serious organic gardener consider keeping his/her own
bees. Keeping bees is an endeavour which requires some education
beforehand, but the majority of the learning must be the result of
experience.
Bumble bees are another significant pollinator. They are
encouraged by many flowering plants and housing can be built for
them to ensure their presence in the garden. `
Well pollinated blossoms will result in fully developed
fruits. When pollinated favorably, fruits are large and filled
with viable seeds, but without adequate pollination, the same
fruit will be small, shriveled or nonexistant and lacking in the
seeds to perpetuate its lineage. This natural cross pollination is
also the natural way to strengthen the genetic material of the
subsequent plant generations while simultaneously creating great
diversity and variety in the plant kingdom.
The benefits of raised beds over ground-level plots are
numerous. The soil is most manageable in the raised bed as the
additions of sand,peat, compost, etc... will not wash away. These
additions will be worked in by a healthy population of worms since
they also prefer the raised beds with their fluffy, untrodded
soils.
It is much easier to work the small sections of raised
bed gardens than to garden a large garden plot. Designing the
garden to facilitate companions works most flexibly with smaller
gardening sections. Overall design is enhanced by the tasteful
design and placement of raised beds. Raised bed gardens also
weather dry seasons more favorably than most level plots.
There are many ways a raised bed may be constructed. The
garden beds are easily terraced into a hillside with railroad
ties, poured walls, rock walls, rough-sawn hardwood boards, small
logs scewered onto rebar pins, etc.. Raised beds on less graded
ground can be built in similar fashions. For design asthetics,
place a raised bed against the backdrop of a wall, beside a garden
bench or in the perimeter of a large or ornamental tree.
Resources & LinksClick
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Goshen
Timber Frames Timber frame homes available in
standard packages and custom designs. Timber framing workshops and
apprenticeships available with this well-known timber frame company.
Ridgetop
Timber Frame Design
Timber Frame Design and Verification Providing computer aided
design solutions in the timber frame industry.
Cabin
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Frame Homes, Churches, Cabins and Barns. Complex, compound joinery
and other specialty options available.
Evelyn
Helmick - Re/Max Metro agent Serving both home
buyers and home sellers in the Metro Atlanta area.
Wayah
Waters Cottages and Cabins A beautifully renovated
mountain cabin on lovely Wayah Creek. Located in the mountains of
western North Carolina and available for year-round rental.
The
Paper is a Painting Dog and Pet Portraits,
Landscapes and Spiritual Art from dyed hand-made paper fiber,
sculpted carefully until "The Paper is a Painting".
Organic
Beekeeping A journal dedicated to promoting strong
honeybee colonies using natural methods and substances
In
the Smoky Mountains For information on local Smoky
Mountain shops, cabins, activities and homebuilders
Solid
Rock Excavating Providing excavating and poured
walls in Northeast Ohio. Homebuilding division and septic services
also a part of Solid Rock. Everyone wants a home ... Built Upon
Solid RockTM
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