Is orange spray a safe nontoxic way to kill bugs on fruit trees?
by
Jaci
+3
We keep our fruit trees outdoors in the summer and want to bring them in for winter. We are looking for a nontoxic easy way to kill bugs in the soil to try to prevent the aphids we get every winter.
6 answers
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There is a product called safer soap you can purchase or try rubbing alcohol and water.
Janet Pizaro
on Nov 04, 2015
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One way to "clean" the soil when you bring plants in as the weather gets colder is very simple. As Janet suggested, Safer (or any other brand, really) Insecticidal Soap is non-toxic and does a very good job with soft-bodied insects that you find ON your foliage. However, if you'll literally SOAK your plant -- pot and all -- in plain water for half an hour or more before you bring the pots indoors, you'll drown and "flush out" the soil-dwelling insects that might plague you later. Obviously, you want the plants to drain extremely well after this soak, but this is non-toxic and does a good job of preventing a lot of problems. You can do it in a bathtub or outdoors in a large trash can or galvanized tub -- really any container that's a few inches deeper than your potted plant's container. Fill it with lukewarm/tap temperature water, set the plant - pot and all - in it, and leave it for up to an hour or so. Remove, and let drain well before you bring it in. This is a good time, too, to THOROUGHLY spray the front and back of every leaf on the plant with a good dousing of water from the hose, which you can then follow up with some insecticidal soap. Most people forget about the BACKS of the leaves, so a lot of critters hide there and escape notice.
Linda B
on Nov 05, 2015
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I use a mixture of Dawn blue dish liquid to kill many pests around our home. It's a lot less expensive than the other brand as it only takes 2 teaspoons of Dawn to a quart of water. Do make sure to test it on a few leaves first to make it doesn't harm your tree. I like Linda's idea about ridding the soil of bugs too. I'll have to try that one.
Z
on Nov 06, 2015
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Use your product sparingly on a few leaves. If the leaves fall off or die, don't use it again. If the leaves seem okay after a few days, treat the whole tree and watch for a decline of pests. Personally, I prefer to identify the pest and look for ways that are known to slow the pest but not interfere with beneficials that usually live side by side.
Duv310660
on Nov 13, 2015
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You can follow this link to a complete home orchard spray schedule based on University scientists' research-based recommendations: http://carteret.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/16/2%20Disease,Insect.%20Mngmt%20in%20Fruit%20trees.pdf It includes organic recommendations for both disease and insect control. The problem with spraying only when you see insects is that there are lots of them that you will never see, and there are some, like borers, that will kill the plant from within. So a regular, thorough control program will really help. Your local Extension office can give you more information.
Linda B
on Nov 14, 2015
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I always just wash my hands with dish soap and rinse them off in a small bowl. Then I dump the water on the plant. It never harms the plant and always kills the many bugs in the soil. Very easy. I also spray the leaves if they seem to have flies or aphids on them. Soap is very good for this job.
Pat Croley
on Apr 28, 2016
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