Protecting fruit from pest attacks is an essential part of edible gardening and, you’ll be delighted to know, there is absolutely no need to pick up anything from the ‘lethal poison’ department as it can be done 100 percent organically.

The prime rule of organic gardening is garden hygiene and nowhere is this more important than around fruit trees, fruit bushes and fruiting vines, as it is in and under regular debris — fallen leaves, fallen fruit and fallen twigs — that many garden pests hide, breed and multiply. With this in mind, keep the area beneath and around fruit trees completely free of any kind of debris except, that is, for purpose-laid mulch and manure, which has a good reason for being there.

Try to keep these areas weed-free too so that pests have no place to hide from hungry birds who, being the gardeners’ friends, can gobble up a massive number of insect pests in no time at all. Depending on the kind of fruit being grown, birds, too, may need excluding once fruit begins to ripen.

Having discussed fruit fly control in the column of January 5th, 2020, this week let’s look at some of the organic pesticides and fungicides you can make at home to deal with many other fruit tree issues.

Some organic pesticides and fungicides you can make at home to deal with fruit tree issues

Oil

Pure, unadulterated, olive oil — you can substitute a different vegetable oil such as canola or sunflower but it is unlikely to be organic — is one of the best pesticides there is. All you have to do is mix one tea cup of the oil with 3.5 litres of warm water and spray it, every two to three weeks throughout the growing season, as an insect prevention and control method. The oil works by suffocating insect eggs, larvae and insects themselves.

Hell-fire spray

Soak a tablespoon full of crushed and dried red chillies in a litre of boiling water for 24 hours. Wearing gloves and eye protection, strain the mixture through a piece of mulmul or coffee filter paper, and then mix the liquid with a tea cup of olive oil and 2.5 additional litres of water. Spray, preferably towards sunset, on fruit trees etc showing signs of insect infestation. Repeat every three days until all signs of pests have vanished.

Garlic

Mix one tablespoon of garlic powder with a litre of boiling water and proceed as for Hell-fire spray.

Soap

Add two tablespoons full of liquid soap — use soap that is either chemical- or perfume-free or is a reputable ecological brand — and proceed as for previous recipes. Soapy water is an excellent all-round bug spray for indoor and outdoor plants. Spray each evening until pests disappear and, when using on potted plants, take care to ensure they do not become waterlogged.

Neem oil

Just about the best natural insecticide and fungicide for plants there is. As a basic guide use just two teaspoons full of pure neem oil and three teaspoons full of pure liquid soap to one litre of warm water — although please do check the label of the neem oil for specific instructions as its purity and strength differ from brand to brand. Mix well and spray weekly as a pest deterrent, daily to kill off visible pests until they are eradicated, and twice a week to control powdery mildew and other fungal infections.

Tomato leaf spray

Tomato leaves contain a natural insecticide called ‘tomatine’ which is very effective for controlling aphids and other soft-body insects. Simply add two teacupfuls of finely chopped tomato leaves — the leaves from the bottom part of the plants are fine — to one litre warm water, leave to stand overnight, strain and spray for three successive evenings or until the aphids have gone.

Protect fruits such as plums, peaches, apricots, figs, persimmons and grapes from bird attack by netting the trees or by hanging improvised bird scarers — old DVDs are ideal — in the trees where they will glitter and dance in the slightest breeze and any bird around will — or should — immediately take flight.

If growing just small amounts of vine fruit, grapes for instance, it makes sense to protect the developing bunches of fruit from the predations of both birds and wasps. If enveloping the vine in fine netting isn’t possible, you can tie brown paper bags around each individual bunch of grapes or cocoon each bunch in newspaper tied in place with string. The only drawback with the paper bag and newspaper method is that the paper can disintegrate if there happens to be rain and it can be time consuming untying/unwrapping each bunch to check for ripeness.

Soft fruits, raspberries, blackcurrants, blueberries etc are best grown inside purpose-constructed ‘fruit cages’, fully encased in very fine, very strong, mesh to keep out pesky wasps and destructive birds, which home in on soft fruit when it is ripening.

Patience, forethought, dedication and lots of tender loving care pave the way to successful organic fruit production.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, EOS, February 16th, 2020