Dick’s tip this week
When I first moved to New Mexico, one of the first things I noticed as a certifiable tree nut was that borers were destroying a lot of the stone fruits (cherries and peaches, both fruiting and flowering, apricots and fruiting plums). The symptoms are hard to miss — leaking sap that has sawdust in it, small holes and die-back.
If your tree isn’t already in bad shape, here’s what you can do to keep borers out, but do it soon — early March is actually best, if your tree trunk is over 1 inch in diameter.
Get a gallon of exterior latex that’s anywhere between white and brown. You can usually get the store to add some color if needed. (Stores will often sell paint that has been colored but never picked up for $10 a gallon.) It must be exterior latex. Flat or gloss doesn’t matter, though I prefer flat or satin.
Into a gallon, mix four tablespoons of something with 20 percent to 25 percent carbaryl such as liquid Sevin, one tablespoon of Bayer Complete Insect Killer and two ounces of spinosad. Spinosad is available as an ingredient in a number of products, so just ask. This will act as a barrier and won’t affect the organic quality of fruit.
Remove all loose dirt from around the trunk and, using a paintbrush you can throw away, apply the mix liberally from the soil line up to about a foot onto the main branches. Work it well into all crevices and cracks. Be sure to keep the trees deeply watered about once a week. Borers are drawn to trees that are stressed!