Using Bonide Fruit Tree Spray - How the Pros Do it

What Is It

Bonide Fruit Tree Spray is protect roses, apples, cherries, strawberries, grapes, peaches, flowers and ornamental evergreens from harmful insects and diseases. It is concentrated and does not need to be premixed. You simply mix it with water prior to use.

Its main ingredients are captan, malathon and carbaryl. These ingredients protect the trees by killing and repelling insects and diseases that ruin plants that are used for food or decorative plants. Although it is safe to use on edible plants, because it is not organic it should not be used within 14 to 21 days of harvest time.

Although Bonide Fruit Tree Spray is considered safe for humans and pets once it has dried, people and animals should stay out of the area when it is sprayed. Precautions should be taken to ensure that the spray does not come into contact with skin or eyes. You should also be sure not to inhale or ingest Bonide Fruit Tree Spray.

Warning! Bonide can cause temporary eye injury and skin irritation.

What Pests and Diseases Does Bonide Fruit Tree Spray Protect Against?

Bonide Fruit Tree Spray can be used to protect against apple maggots, coddling moths, leafhoppers, Japanese beetles and several other insects that feed on apples. It also protects apple trees against Botryosphaeria (or white rot), bullseye rot, cedar rust, Brooks fruit spot, quince rust, scab and other diseases. The spray protects cherry trees against plum curculios, cherry fruit flies, black cherry aphids, cherry fruit worms and other insects as well as brown blossom rot, blossom blight, fruit rot and cherry leaf spot.

Bonide protects grapes, peaches and strawberries from various insects such as strawberry weevils, spider mites and aphids as well as mildew, rot, scabs and blights that make the fruit inedible. It also protects flowers from insects, worms, and diseases that cause black spots to form on the blooms.

Bonide Fruit Tree Spray is not for use on pear trees, nut trees, plum or any other fruit tree not specified on the label. It is also not for use on citrus trees. The company has a separate product--Bonide Citrus, Fruit and Nut Orchard Spray--for these trees.

How to Use Bonide Fruit Tree Spray to Protect Your Trees

Bonide Fruit Tree Spray is concentrated and should be mixed with water prior to use. Because the ingredients may settle, it is important to shake the spray before mixing as well as in the sprayer periodically during use. The spray should only be applied using hand held sprayers or hose end garden sprayers. Though the instructions state that the product can be used up to four times a year depending on the tree, the EPA regulates its use to only twice a year. It is important to read the instructions carefully to decide when the spray would most benefit your orchard.

The amount of fruit spray used to protect your trees and flowers depends on what type they are and the stage of growth . For example, trees at the green tip stage require one and a half tablespoons of Bonide per gallon of water. At the pre-bloom stage, you need to use two and a half tablespoons per gallon of water. The company recommends that you avoid using the product while the plants are blooming as it can be harmful to bees and other insects that pollinate flowers.

For strawberries, use two and a half tablespoons per gallon of water and spray no more than three quarts of the mixture per 100 square feet of strawberries. For ornamental evergreens, roses and other flowers, use one and one half tablespoons per mixture. Roses should be sprayed at the first sign of insects or diseases and then at later maintenance intervals to keep your plants from getting ruined.

Do not spray your plants if the weather report forecasts rain soon after your planned application. Make sure that you use the fruit spray during times when the air is still and it is not windy. Early mornings or evenings usually work best. Wait 14 to 21 days after treating edible plants before harvesting them--eating fruit and vegetables sooner than that after spraying with Bonide Fruit Tree Spray is not recommended.

If you wish to add beneficial insects to your orchard, like ladybugs, or expect bees to make a visit, make sure to spray your trees at least a month before their expected arrival. Bonide Fruit Tree Spray is harmful to these insects as well as other insects, and will kill them before they have done their job.

Warning: Proper protective clothing is needed when using this product. Wear long sleeves, coveralls and goggles as well as chemical resistant shoes and gloves while spraying Bonide Fruit Tree Spray.

Bonide Fruit Spray Safety Information

Bonide Fruit Tree Spray is only for use in your home orchard or garden. It is not labeled for fruit or flowers that are grown for commercial purposes. For safety purposes, it is important to use this product as directed. Any use outside of the guidelines presented on the label may be in violation of federal law.

In order to avoid contaminating ground water, it is important to use and dispose of the product properly. Do not use when wind or rain might carry the product outside of the treated area. Also, make sure that it is not allowed to run off into storm drains, gutters or drainage ditches as it is harmful to aquatic invertebrates.

Before you remove your gloves, wash the outside of them to avoid getting the product on your hands. Take off clothing and other protective equipment soon after using the product. Make sure that you wash your hands before eating, drinking or using the toilet.

If the fruit spray gets on your skin, rinse it off immediately and call a doctor or poison control center for advice on further treatment. If it gets in your eyes, hold them open and rinse for 15 minutes before calling poison control for further advice. Do not induce vomiting if swallowed because it can cause damage to the mucus membranes in the stomach. Instead, call poison control immediately and follow all instructions as given.If the product is inhaled, go where you can breathe fresh air and if possible, call 911.

Spray Chart

Fruit	Green Tip	Pre Bloom	Full Pink	Petal Fall	1st Cover	2nd Cover	Notes
Apple	1 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	Do not use more than twice a year or within 14 days of harvest
Cherry	1 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	Do not use more than 4 times a year or within 14 days of harvest
Grape	1 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	Do not use more than twice a year or within 14 days of harvest
Peach	1 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	1 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	2 1/2 tbs. Per gallon of water	Do not use more than 3 times a year or within 14 days of harvest

What other insecticides or disease fighting sprays do you use on your orchard?

1. Hi Yield Lime Sulfur Spray
2. Neem oil
3. Bonide Citrus, Fruit and Nut Orchard Spray
4. Bonide Total Pest Control
5. Other organic or non-organic pest control product