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Thorough spraying
at the right times is probably the most important step you can take towards
more and better fruit. Spraying in winter kills the eggs of Aphides
(Greenfly), Apple Sucker, Red Spider, Capsid Bug and Winter Moths. Between
the beginning of December and the end of January, you should spray your
apples and pears, once, either with a tar-oil spray (1/2 pint tar-oil to 1
gallon water) if Aphides or Apple Sucker are the troublesome pests, or with
Dinitrocresol petroleum oil (D.N.C. for short) if the other pests mentioned
also need to be controlled. D.N.C. can be applied as late as the first half
of March.
With plums and damsons, spray as for apples up to the middle of
January. Don't delay until after the end of January or the crop may be
seriously affected. Spraying time for gooseberries is up to the middle of
January and for blackcurrants up to the end of that month.
So you will see that by choosing a date between early December and
mid-January you could spray your apples, pears, plums, blackcrrants and
gooseberries at one go.
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Here
are some important spraying points to bear in mind— - Don't alter
the proportions recommended for making up the sprays. Stronger mixtures may
do more harm than good; weaker sprays may not be effective.
- Mix and strain all sprays thoroughly before use. A piece of coarse muslin
makes a good strainer.
- Spray thoroughly; every part of the tree or bush must be drenched,
especially the twigs.
- Don't spray in the rain, when rain is likely, or during frosty or windy
weather.
- Cover any vegetable crops under or near the trees, to prevent damage when
using tar-oil or D.N.C. sprays; spring cabbages, for instance, are spoiled
by the spray. Failing anything better, use newspapers.
- Take care not to damage flowering plants and hedges, especially your
neighbour's, over the fence; if accidently sprayed, they should be
thoroughly washed with clean water, using the garden hose before the spray
has time to dry.
- Wash the spraying equipment after use.
- Don't make up more spray than you need for a day's work.
The quantity of spray needed will of course, vary with the number
and size of your trees and bushes. For fruit trees, here is a table showing
the average quantities required according to the size of the tree— |
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For
blackcurrants, gooseberries and other bush fruit, 1 gallon of spray will be
enough for up to 10 bushes, according to size.
Any form of syringe can be used for spraying, provided that you can
reach every twig with it. Or you could use a stirrup and bucket pump of the
A.R.P. variety, though you'll need two persons to work it. For really big
trees, a barrow type of sprayer would be necessary. |
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