Hello,
Last year we planted a variety of fruit trees: apple, plum, apricot, peach, and pear. I have been told:
1) Spray the peaches and plums now with Dormant spray, as a preventative, and spray all the trees with an insecticide. (Obviously, wait 2-4 days between sprayings.) I should do this now.
2) Don't worry about spraying this year, trees are too young; wait until next year.
Which, if either, of these is correct?
If I do need to spray, what should I use? I'm not radical about organic, but, I do want to minimize the use of chemicals when I can.
Thanks

We used the dormant oil spray as the name implies, when the trees were dormant to smother any overwintering insects or their eggs. Nowadays there are recipes on the internet to make your own sprays - save money and really know what it is that is being added to your food chain. Here is one example:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/h...