How to Control Diseases on Your Fruit Trees....

1.  Get control of the watering. 
Overhead watering is bad as it  does the following:
     
      A. City water destroys the beneficial bacteria.
     
      B. As water evaporates, the disease raises with the water vapors and lands on the leaves and bark of the fruit tree.
     
      C. This causes the disease to spread to the tree.
 Apply a mulch to cover the bare soil. You can apply rock dust, then mulch or wood chips over that.


2.  Get control of the soils health.    
     A. All most all diseases are soil borne. That is to say they start with the soil and then spread to the fruit tree.  
     
     B. Diseases require certain conditions in order to survive
.                 
         1. Bad Guys Vs Good Guys. If the good guys die then the bad guys will take over. The two don't live in the same niche. Applying compost regularly is one of the best ways to supply needed bacteria and fungi, etc that the soil needs.
                   
         2. Diseases require water (see 1) Applying an acid mulch will help to 
:
                             A. Control over head water
                            
                             B.  Control PH levels. The PH of the soil needs to be between 6 and 7 ph. 6.8 is perfect.
                  
         3.  Most diseases require access to the open air so by using drip and soaker systems instead of over head sprinklers, it will greatly reduce the water and disease from being spread.

3.  Get control of nutrition:
      
       A. Learn to use a refractometer to determine if the nutrition is being made available to the fruit tree.
     
       B.  Brix level should always be above 12 (14 is better). The proper Brix level to shoot for is 18.
     
       C.  Brix is a measurement of the dissolved sugars in the tree. The higher the sugar level, the higher the mineral level and the higher the carbohydrate levels.
      
       D. Only fertilize with organic fertilizers.
      
       E.  Apply Rock Dust several times per year for the minerals.
      
       F.  Apply Compost and a acid mulch over that.
      
       G.  Learn to use foliar spraying on a regular bases to provide nutrition and to control any diseases that may start.

4.   If you do get disease, learn to use only organic methods to control and eliminate.

Andy Lopez

Invisible Gardener

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Natural Fruit Tree Care