Before focusing in on a blemish in your apple, or a spot on your leaf, it is worth taking a step back and examining your whole system. In all truth, your system is preforming exactly the way you set it up! So if you don't like the results, you must change your system.

 

1) Observe; inspect the tree, the orchard, the system; keep seasonality in mind and recent weather events. Determine what the problem is, and what factors might be contributing to the problem. Understand the lifecycle of the pest/problem.

2) Decide what solution(s) make sense to you. 

3) Act, keeping your whole-system in mind.

If some kind of pest or disease is afflicting your tree, check out our guide Identifying and Managing Pests and Diseases to common pests and diseases to identify the issue, or your favourite IPM resource (see below). Along with identification tips, we also include natural ways to deal with the problem. We mainly only cover pests and diseases that we have observed in our various areas, so please keep in mind you may experience something not on our list in your particular area.

And in the case of preventative measures; as they say, 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure': Holistic Spray Recipe 

What makes the Holistic Spray so profound? It tackles many possible fruit tree pests and diseases in a preventative approach (using key timing and ingredients in conjunction with pest lifecycles), while simultaneously boosting the trees immune system. It's a win-win! We have used it successfully in our orchards and nursery crop for over a decade.

Keep in mind this recipe is generic and you may have pests, disease, or nutrient deficiencies that are beyond the scope of this recipe, or you may find your particular orchard needs a slightly different ratio of ingredients. The recipe we offer is meant to be a base recipe that you may alter as you tune into your orchard needs. Read Michael Phillips' books for more inspiration, or any of the more comprehensive orchard care books we offer.

Do you sell the Holistic Spray premixed?

We do not sell the Holistic Spray, as it must be mixed and sprayed immediately, but we do sell the following components:

  • Cold-pressed raw fish hydrolysate
  • Liquid kelp
  • Unsulfured blackstrap molasses
  • Effective microbes

The rest of the ingredients can be found at the following sources:

  • Neem oil - Black Swallow Living Soils
  • Biodegradable dish soap - available at most health food stores

More Resources:

The Ontario government has an in-depth and comprehensive list of fruit tree pests and diseases along with how to deal with them HERE which we would also recommend checking out if you are still unsure what the issue is. 

Susan Poizner (Orchard People) also has a helpful IPM course that can be found HERE.

Common environmental factors such as too much sun and too much or too little water can have the following symptoms:

  • Too much water: yellowing leaves, small leaves, root rot, poor quality fruit that ripens early
  • Too little water: wilting and yellowing leaves, fruit ripens and/or drops early, in conjunction with high heat edges of leaves will turn brown or entire leaf may brown and drop off tree
  • Sunscald: irregular reddish-brown sunken patches on fruit surface, can be alleviated with proper watering, nutrients, and adding shade cover

If nothing else seems to explain what is wrong with your tree, the likely culprit could be some kind of nutrient deficiency. Based on what is deficient, nutrient deficiencies can have a wide array of symptoms like browning or yellowing leaves, leaves growing unusually, and various problems with the fruit like dark sunken spots, cracking, and brown patches. If you believe your tree is suffering from a nutrient deficiency, we would recommend getting soil test or plant sap analysis, but these results can be challenging to interpret.