Thinking ahead ...

[motdaugrnds]

I am looking through the gardening catalogs and ran across a few items I thought my benefit my fruit trees and grape vines. Would appreciate any experiences had with these anyone would care to share. (I dislike wasting money; yet am so ignorant about gardening as yet.)

Millers Nursery has a "Trombone Sprayer" that will adjust from stream to mist, has a nozzel that can spray over/under/stems & is powerful enough to reach 30 ft to the top of trees. (My concern is about where that mist is falling .. on me and I breathing it in .. may not be that healthy; so if use need a way to assure this doesn't occur.)

Was actually looking for some type of sprayer that handles "powder" instead of liquid; but didn't find one.

Stark Brothers Nursery had 3 items I am thinking might be necessary next year to keep my fruit trees (peaches, plums, sweet cherries, persimmon ... and asian pear) bug and disease free throughout the growing season. (I read somewhere that some things typically used on fruit trees could harm asian pear trees; so am not real sure, still, about what I'm doing.)

1. All Season Dormant Horticultural Spray Oil - protects trees, roses & shrubs (does not mention using it on fruit trees or fruit bushes or grapes).

2. Hi-Yield Sulfur Spray - controls numerous pests & diseases from dormant stage thru summer. Does state to use on fruit trees, berries, citrus, shade tres, shrubs & roses; but does not mention asian pears specifically. States it is "very effective when used with Dorman Oil".

3. Nutri-Cal - a liquid calcium that is non-toxic (One of my asian pear trees needed some calcium added to the soil this past growing season. I added crushed eggs shells as it was all I had at the time.)

The only fruit trees I'm growing at this time are: 2 asian pear trees (separated from the rest by 100+ ft.), sweet cherry tree, 2 plum trees, persimmon tree & grapes. The cherry, plum persimmon & grapes are at the end of our garden away from the asian pears.

The last 2 years I have had problems with some air-borne disease that affected the grapes and one plum tree (wild plum). The cherry, persimmon & Methley plum were not affected by it. I don't believe the asian pears trees were either, though not sure as had quite a bit of problems keeping them healthy this year.

Any information you care to share about experiences you have had with the above items would be appreciated.