Majestic Lawn Care and Landscape ~ Proudly Serving Rockland County, NY & Bergen County, NJ for 24 Years
If you want to protect your trees and shrubs this winter, make sure they get an application of horticultural oil, also called dormant oil. Dormant oil protects trees and shrubs from further insect and disease damage over the winter months.
Perfect timing
Late fall and early winter are the best times to apply horticultural oil when trees and shrubs enter their dormancy—hence the name, dormant oil. The oil should be sprayed onto trees and shrubs before temperatures go below 40°F. Some plants that benefit from dormant oil include
- Deciduous trees and bushes
- Fruit trees and shrubs
- Roses.
If you noticed insect activity or fungal diseases on your landscape trees and shrubs this past summer, you need to hire your local landscape company today to apply horticultural oil to your woody plants.
Read the five steps to healthy trees.
How does horticultural oil work?
Horticultural oil is made with petroleum or vegetable oil bases to starve or suffocate common insects such as
- Aphids
- Lace bug
- Scale
- Mealybug
- Some caterpillars
- White fly
- Woolly adelgid.
Likewise, dormant horticultural oil interrupts or stops some disease-carrying insects from feeding off of your trees and shrubs. It can also kill overwintering insect eggs and fungal spores.
While it may not heal your infected trees and shrubs, horticultural oil will slow down the spread of disease and insect damage. And it keeps insects and fungal diseases from starting on healthy trees and shrubs.
Is your Rockland County, NY or Bergen County, NJ lawn and landscape ready for winter?
You can feel secure about dormant oil spray applications because they’re
- Safe to use – Your children and pets can play in the backyard after applications.
- Minimal safety threats – Horticultural oil isn’t harmful to the environment.
- Insects won’t develop a resistance to the oil – You won’t have to worry about additional applications or stronger oils to use the following year.
- Little toxic residue – You won’t have to worry about it absorbing into the soil or getting into storm drains.
As late fall winds down, it’s imperative to make an appointment to have your NY trees and shrubs protected from insects and disease over the winter months.
Does your home or commercial building need snow plow services this winter? Read how we can help you!
At Majestic Lawn Care and Landscape, we’ll apply dormant oil to all of your trees and shrubs. Call us today to make your appointment at (845) 708-2988 or fill out our contact form.
Sources:
Baley, Anne, “What is Dormant Oil: Information about Dormant Oil Sprays on Fruit Trees,” GardeningKnowHow.com: Updated on December 30, 2015.
Day, Julie, “Protect Trees and Shrubs with Dormant Sprays,” Today’sHomeowner.com.
Mayer Chris, “Horticultural Oils: An Alternative to Chemicals,” Penn State Extension: January 2003.
