The content of this article 'Organic treatments for your fruit trees' was prepared by Nature & Garden and has been revised and republished by FreshFruitPortal.com.

Do you have a garden with fruit trees and you’d like to get a bit more organic?

Preserving and protecting nature is getting more and more attractive, most of all for our own children.

Luckily, there are organic treatments for fruit trees that make it possible to reduce the amounts of chemical products used in the garden.

Is organic safe?

It is very important to start with a short note as regards organic treatments for fruit trees.

Organic does not necessarily mean safe!

We tend to think that everything that is organic or directly collected from nature doesn’t present any risk to human beings. That’s wrong.

You can imagine that a product that kills insects isn’t really innocuous… even it it’s perfectly natural.

So first of all, it is critical to follow elementary precautions when going about treating your fruit trees organically.

Scrupulously follow indications provided on the packaging of your product.

Bordeaux mixture

Very well-known by all gardeners, Bordeaux mixture is a product authorized for use in organic farming.

A blend of copper sulfate and quicklime, a bordeaux mixture looks like a blueish powder that must be dissolved in water.

The resulting solution is then sprayed on trees to destroy fungus like downy mildew and also try to contain various other diseases that infect fruit trees.

Sulfur

Sulfur can be added to Bordeaux mixture to “organically” treat your fruit tree. It will supplement the treatment provided by Bordeaux mixture.

It can be used curatively, but most often is applied preventively. Its favorite targets: apple scab and powdery mildew.

But sulfur can also of course be used on its own. Simply dilute in water and spray it.

Pyrethrin

Extracted from chrysanthemum, pyrethrin is an excellent insecticidal against aphids as well as caterpillars and many other insects.

Trichoderma

Trichoderma comes in powder or granule forms. The former is applied on wounds after pruning the fruit tree.

The latter is sprinkled in nooks and crannies of the trunk. Collected from the spores of a friendly fungus, Trichoderma is an organic treatment against fruit tree parasites.

Marseille soap

Yes, simple organic Marseille soap made from olive oil (no animals fats of course) does the trick!

Simply grate and melt in water to produce a perfectly natural and non-toxic insect killer!

It’s also possible to add a dab of plant-based oil to the mix.

The key concept here is to “suffocate” aphids and scale insects with this special potion. Diligently spray both the top and the underside of leaves.

The biggest advantage of this product is that it is truly 100% safe for nature, for the gardener, and the gardener’s children!

It is however slightly less effective than the aforementioned treatments. It seems these old maid’s remedies have a future in organic gardening, too!

All rights reserved Nature & Garden. Currant bush currently sprayed by Jerzy Górecki under Pixabay license.