CARE OF FRUIT TREES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 29, 3 August 1939, Page 25

CARE OF FRUIT TREES

'■ For scale insects and red mite red oil spray is used at a strength of one of oil in twenty of water. It should be applied before any movement is shown in the buds, otherwise damage may be done; i : For peach leaf curl Bordeaux Mixture is the usual spray. This should be applied when the fruit buds begin to -swell and the bud scales to lift. In all cases it is most important that every part of the tree should be covered with the spray and to ensure this a calm day should be chosen for the work and spraying should be done from all sides of the tree. MANURING FRUIT TREES. Garden fruit trees do not as a rule require any special manuring the ground being supplied with fertiliser for vegetable crops and this being sufiv | cient. If, however, the fruit trees are growing away from the cultivated area a, dressing- of half a pound of superphosphate per tree, or 4oz Ox super and 4oz of blood and bone may be applied. Ihe fertiliser should be spread evenly over the ground to a distance of 6ft tir so from the trunk and either forked or raked in.

' The requirements of trees, of course, vary according to the growth of the particular tree; one which is lagging in growth.will respond to nitrogenous .manure while one which is making perhaps too much new growth would benefit by applications of potash in place of nitrogen.

What is more important, perhaps, than manures is the humus content of the soil, which should be replenished as often as possible by the digging in of a green crop or material from the compost heap.