Do you have between 1 and 100 fruit trees? Get a backpack sprayer.

I’ll be honest, most effective tree care seems to happen at the tip of sprayer- even in organic orchards, and I find it kind of an impersonal way to look after trees.

There are some years when I’m too busy or I don’t prioritize spraying because I don't want to accidentally get fish juice in my hair, which somehow seems inevitable...and then a couple months down the line, in casual conversation someone will always end up casually dropping a phrase like “oh, I thought your trees looked better last year” Ouch- nothing like the cold hard truth from a neighbour!

But they’re right, the thing is, spraying your trees works really, really well to alleviate basically everything that an apple or fruit tree might suffer from. On years that I get proactively on the other end of that spray nozzle, I have visibly healthier trees with fewer pests AND usually there is some benefit the following year since trees went into dormancy healthier.

This is one of those years- I didn’t quite get to it during dormant season, but I’ve managed two applications this season of a microbe rich micronutrient blend since bud break. And I have high hopes of a 3^rd that will include some summer weight horticulture oil to deal with a blister mite issue I’m seeing crop up in the pears. It’s worth noting that had I done a spray of dormant oil before bud break I might not have the blister mites at all. But better late than never...

So this is my pitch- I strongly advocate for everyone with a couple of trees to buy a backpack sprayer and get familiar with the liquid ways to support your tree health. And actually, once you get the hang of it, it’s a fast easy way to be certain you’re doing your trees some good. Even now that trees are in full leaf on the west coast, there’s still spray blends you can use to support your orchard health.

There are 2 approaches that can work for everyone:

1) Spray to treat your known problem. For example you see blister mites, identify the treatment at the time of year you spot them, and make a plan to treat again with the right ingredient at the correct dormant stage again next season as a preventative.

2) Spray to support general health- that’s what I’m doing this year, and with this approach I recommend starting with Michael Phillips Holistic Orchard Spray. This recipe was developed by a pioneer of organic orcharding in the modern era and uses nutrient rich and natural ingredients to directly support the nutrient needs of your trees. I’ll link this article here that breaks it down really well: https://orchardpeople.com/holistic-sprays-for-fruit-trees/

A backpack sprayer is one of the best investments you can make for a small orchard, and once it's part of your routine, it's genuinely not much work. Start with the Holistic Orchard Spray, see how your trees respond, and go from there. Even a late or imperfect spray season is better than none at all — as my neighbours would no doubt agree.