Be Inspired Blog - Arizona

5 images - light green leaves covered in frost; cabbage covered in frost; a red rose and buds covered in frost; peach leaf curl on a peach tree; and healthy peaches growing on a tree

Protect Them During Cooler Temperatures

The most important thing you can do in your garden during the cooler months is to go into protect mode. Your fruit trees can become susceptible to peach leaf curl, blight and other damaging diseases. And your delicate outdoor plants, such as hibiscus, gardenias and bougainvillea can perish during a hard frost.

Spray at the following intervals:

Once your fruit trees fall dormant (leafless), you will want to spray 3 separate times during the dormant season, a minimum of 30 days apart.

Spray 1 - Mid to Late November
Spray 2 - New Year's Day
Spray 3 - Valentine's Day

We recommend the following:

Bonide Copper Fungicide - Organically treats brown rot, black spot, blotch, downy and powdery mildew, fire blight, leaf spot, peach leaf curl, rust and scab.

Bonide Neem Oil® - A great all purpose insecticide, miticide, fungicide for organic gardening. For use on roses, flowers, vegetables, herbs, spices, houseplants, tree, turf and shrubs. Kills all stages of insects--eggs, larvae and adults. A great dormant spray.

When spraying, follow these helpful tips:

Apply Copper Fungicide a minimum of 24 hours before oil treatment but up to two weeks after
On a day without wind
Early in the day
24 hours or more before expected rain
Sprays should be reapplied after significant rains
Last spray should be early February, around the Super Bowl!
ALWAYS before bud break - NEVER after (Bud-break usually occurs mid-Feb. when temperatures begin to warm)

To download a pdf version of this information and additional tips on fruit trees, click the button below:

Fruit Tree Health & Pruning

Ways to protect your delicate plants during cooler temperatures and potential frosts:

DeWitt N-Sulate

Thankfully in this day and age, we hear about potential frost warnings in our areas before it's too late. Heck there are even apps, such as ColdSnap that can alert us in advance. The importance then falls on the types of products we keep on hand to protect during the cooler temps. We recommend:

DeWitt's N-Sulate - DeWitt's 1.5 oz. N-Sulate is a permeable, UV-treated fabric of medium weight, crafted to shield flowering annuals, bedding plants, and vegetables from harsh cold and freezing temperatures. It's effortlessly installed and can be reused. N-Sulate has the potential to prolong your harvest window and extend the flowering season. Available in 10x12 sheet, and by the running foot (12 ft. wide).

Ike's Frost Armor Frost Protection Blanket - For use with flowers, bushes and small trees to protect against early/late frosts. Made from a breathable, lightweight fabric, this easy-to-use reusable blanket allows sunlight to reach plants while trapping and holding heat needed for survival against winter frost. Size: 6 ft. x 50 ft.

Bonide Wilt Stop - Anti-transpirant plant protector. Reduces moisture loss when plants are under stress. Prevents winter kill, wind burn, sunscald, salt damage and drying out. Helps reduce transplant shock.

If you have questions about these products or additional measures you can take to protect your garden during cooler months, stop by your local SummerWinds Nursery to speak with one of our Trusted Garden Advisors! At SummerWinds, We Guarantee Success!