The chill in the air reminds gardeners that it’s time to start winter chores. Spraying of dormant oils on deciduous fruit and nut trees, roses and other ornamentals can diminish the incidence of ...

Q: You seem to be a “fan” of recommending spraying dormant oil as a pesticide. Is this product good to spray on most trees and shrubs that typically grow around here? — M.C., Albuquerque A: I don’t ...

Q. I am confused about when and how to apply dormant oil. What pests does it control? A. Dormant oil is used to “smother” the overwintering stages of insects such as spider mites, scales, mealybugs, ...

Dormant oil sprays are applied to plants during mid to late winter to control overwintering insects, often scales. Some plants infested by scale insects include lilac, dogwood, Euonymus, apple, pear, ...

WITH THE SEVEN reasons to prune last week, you should be ready to start pruning. With this in mind, let us take some time to explain dormant oil spray and then explain the two types of cuts in pruning ...

Dormant oil sprays are applied to plants during mid to late winter to control specific insects, usually scales. Now is the time to inspect plants and prepare to apply dormant oils if scale insects are ...

Dormant oils (horticultural oils, superior oils, parafine oils, Volck oils Ö) are great to spray now on your trees and shrubs. Be sure to read the label and make sure the temperatures are going to be ...

Many gardeners, as well as the horticulturists at the Chicago Botanic Garden, had issues with magnolia scale last year, and it’s a pest to watch closely for in 2025. The Garden’s plant health care ...

Q: We moved to a property where there are many shallow, large roots spreading out from a mature tree in the lawn, and the roots have holes in a few places. Should we fill them in to prevent rot? A: ...

We have two cherry trees in our yard and have rarely gotten any cherries from them because of a slug-type bug. We were advised to spray them with dormant oil, but we don't know when to do that. Also ...

With the arrival of March, we are full of great ideas and optimism for the upcoming season. True gardeners know that, despite all of the plans we can make, there will be challenges along the way.