Apply Dormant Oil To Protect Plants

The cold has set in and your plants are now considered dormant. You may think your landscape is calm and safe until spring, but there is a high likelihood that over-wintering insects are preparing an attack plan inside. Right now is an excellent time to apply dormant oil to your plants. It is an effective, safe and eco-friendly method to kill off harmful insects, such as scale, thrips, leaf minors, aphids and mites, before they become a problem in the spring and cause damage to a blooming landscape.

The majority of dormant oils are made from some type of mineral oil, a refined petroleum product. This pest control oil is usually combined with an emulsifying agent, mixed with water and used as a spray. Dormant oil is intended to suffocate over-wintering insects and prevent them from burrowing into the bark of your ornamental trees and shrubs. These oils were first designed to treat fruit trees because it was a safe method to get rid of the harmful insects during their dormancy period without killing off the good, pollinating bugs. Dormant oil is now most commonly applied to plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, barberry, juniper, burning bush, and many others.

While it is no guarantee that your landscape will be pest-free in the spring, summer or fall, using a dormant oil spray is an easy, eco-friendly step to take to give your lawn a better chance for a healthier bloom. Pannone’s Lawn Pros & Landscaping provides full service lawn maintenance to residential and commercial customers, which includes a winter application of dormant oil spray and many other pesticide treatment services as needed.