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I waited two full years with our young pluot trees before doing what everyone* said we would need to do: Apply a copper-based fungicide.

*“Everyone” in this case includes the tree nursery where we bought the trees and our local master gardeners, both of whom advocate organic growing and are better at growing fruit than I am.

(Copper-based treatments are safe for organic growing, BTW. When a product has the OMRI label, it means that it can be used on organic produce. That doesn't necessarily mean non-toxic, however. You must always read labels and follow safety procedures!)

The trees have been suffering from something fungal. This is what they looked like over the summer:

The most likely culprits were Coryneum blight shothole or non-infectious shothole, according to the UC Davis IPM (Integrated Pest Management) page. Thankfully, you don’t have to diagnose exactly which fungal infection a tree has in order to treat it because the treatment is the same.

The first order of business (which I tried for 2 years) is to keep the foliage relatively dry, while watering only at the roots. Fungal diseases thrive in dampness.

I pruned off the lower branches to have more air circulation around the whole tree. I opened up the canopy into the goblet shape recommended for airflow. I cut back and transplanted some of the smaller shrubs growing near the trunks. We were careful to water just at the base of the trees.

Because we live in California, with virtually no rainfall from May to November, you’d think it would be easy to keep trees dry and fungus-free. Ha! No such luck. Perhaps it’s because we live in the fog band, and have chilly damp nights through the summer? Though I know fungal diseases are a big problem in hotter inland areas as well, so much so that spraying with copper every year is very common for fruit growers.

Either way, and regardless of whether it was the fog or something else, none of the non-fungicide methods have stopped the blight.

I decided at the end of the summer to apply copper this year, and have been waiting for the right moment.

Copper should be applied when the trees are dormant, and when you’re likely to have at least a few days, but ideally a couple weeks, without rain. That ideal moment was yesterday.

At first, I wanted to try the “Bordeaux mixture”, a mix of copper sulfate and lime that lasts a long time on trees, even through the rain. It’s fussy to mix, and doesn’t store at all, which makes it a bit of a project. I wasn’t daunted by the chemistry and mixing side of things, but the shopping stopped me in my tracks. I was going to have to buy WAY more of each than I needed. The recipe only calls for about ½ oz of each chemical, but is sold in 5 lb bags. To buy the separate materials, plus a new spray bottle to apply the mixture, would have been upwards of $40, and then I’d have to figure out how to store the leftover materials.

I ended up going with the prepared copper type of spray that is shelf stable and comes ready to go in a spray bottle, for $16. (The master gardeners recommended this type too, btw, because it’s so much easier to use and store.)

The downside of the shelf stable copper-based spray is that it doesn’t stay on the trees through rains. You have to apply it more frequently through the winter. Some sources recommend spraying pretty much anytime there is a break in the rain in the winter. Others say to apply 3 times: Thanksgiving, New Year's, and Valentine’s day, as long as it’s not raining.

Yesterday was my first Thanksgiving application of copper spray. I wore my gloves and mask and carefully sprayed every branch on the tree. It was fiddly, but oddly satisfying too. I’ll probably split the difference between 3 applications through the winter and “after every storm”. We’ll see next summer if the trees fare better!

And then here is a fun artifact of the project.

Before spraying, I pruned the long branches that were growing straight up off the top of the trees (you know how plums and apricots do that!). I was left with these lovely, shiny, reddish-brown, super flexible branches. I got all Martha Stewart inspired and wrapped them around each other into a wreath shape.

(Can you use “Martha Stewart” as a verb, btw? Because if so, that’s what I was doing yesterday!)

I added a few camellia clippings and some berries for a totally free, 20-minute holiday wreath for the front door. Maybe we’ll add more greenery as the season goes on, but for now I’m really appreciating the color and shininess of the branches themselves.

Here’s a conflict for this time of year: I LOVE all the pretty, sparkly decorations. I love how people light up their yards and make their homes feel special through the darkest days of the year. On the other hand, all the extra spending (and the pressure to spend and keep up with the Joneses even if you’re not feeling it), and ultimately all the waste from tossing the decorations at the end of the season . . . It’s rough.

I’m making an effort to decorate with things like this wreath that are free and compostable. I also read a great tip last week: Get a spool of wide red ribbon and tie it on all sorts of things, from bunches of evergreen boughs to furniture. Lots of decorative punch from a small (and re-usable) amount of material.

Now seems like a good time to mention that all Orta products ship in 100% recyclable and compostable packaging. (It’s all paper). I'm making the effort to reduce waste wherever I can, both at home and at work, and it really comes into focus during this season.

Hope your December is off to a good start,

Anne

When you’re ready, here are some more ways I can help you grow a thriving garden from seed:

1. Plan your seed-starting schedule with our ​free printable planner.​

2. Download the free ​Orta Seed Starting Handbook with all the basics you need to succeed with seeds.​

3. Take the guesswork out of watering with Orta Self-Watering Pots. (Find discounted factory seconds here!)

4. Join the Orta Seed Club to have 5 hand-picked, unusual & high-yielding varieties delivered to you every season.

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