The Holistic Spray

Do you want to keep your fruit trees healthy and happy without resorting to chemical pesticides and fertilizer? This Holistic Spray, was adapted from Michael Phillips’ book, The Holistic Orchard, will start you off on the right path. We removed neem oil from the original recipe because it is not approved for use as an insecticide in Canada, however it is approved in the USA. I adjusted the recipe to compensate. This spray focuses on increasing the health of the plant and soil. It provides the following benefits:

• helps the plant deters insect pests
• mitigates disease by pre-colonizing plant surfaces with beneficial microbes
• strengthens the tree's ability to fight off pests and diseases by giving it a nutritional boost
• can reduce the need for other organic chemical inputs

Based on our own experience using this spray for over a decade the spray, we would highly recommend it! As the saying goes, 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!' Download Holistic Spray Recipe & Schedule.

Keep in mind that the Holistic Spray is a great general-use spray, but more specific treatments may be required if you are dealing with certain pests, diseases, or environmental stressors. 

Do you sell the Holistic Spray?

We do not sell the Holistic Spray as a pre-mix, as it must be mixed and sprayed immediately, but here is where to source the components:

• Fish hydrolysate, cold-pressed (Pacific Naturals)

• Optional: Squid hydrolysate, cold pressed (available from us soon!)

• Liquid seaweed, or kelp (Stella Maris)

• Monosilicic acid, bio-available (CropSil)

• Fermented Microbial Inoculants (Terra Biosa / EM1 / brew your own)

• Clean water (rainwater, reverse osmosis water, or well water but not chlorinated water)

• Optional: Molasses, unsulfured blackstrap used to activate effective microbes (Black Swallow)

• Optional: Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), biological control for caterpillars (source from local garden center or hardware store, sometimes called BtK [Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki])