If you properly care for your fruit trees and focus on preventive measures in the fall rather than pest control in the summer, you can enjoy a bountiful fruit harvest. Glue rings for fruit trees are an effective, environmentally friendly method that you should try now.
Caterpillars and peepers often attack the fruit trees in the kitchen garden and prey on the newly appearing flowers and young fruits in spring. If you want to reduce their harmful effects without the use of chemicals and insecticides, then there is an old-fashioned but very effective method to save your trees. Glue rings for fruit trees have been used for generations to protect apples, plums, pears and cherries and their use should begin now in the fall so that fruit production is not affected.
Glue rings are a pesticide-free method of keeping pests away from fruit trees. They form a barrier on the trunk that prevents the wingless females from climbing up the trunks, mating and laying their eggs. Find out here when and how you should attach the glue rings to the fruit trees and how you can make a homemade glue ring.
Which pests can you combat with it?
The sticky glue rings protect the tree from many harmful insects such as frostbite, ants, aphids and blood lice.
Be careful, however, that glue rings are not as effective against codling moths and plum moths because their females are winged and active in summer.
Although this method is environmentally friendly, always remember that beneficial insects can also stick. Nevertheless, the glue rings are a better option for combating the disease than later treating the trees with chemical agents.
When should you apply glue rings for fruit trees?
It is important to time the application correctly so that the glue rings intercept the wingless females before they reach the branches and lay their eggs.
You should stick them around the trunk until the end of September, as the insect larvae begin their journey from the ground in October. Make sure that you smooth them well on the bark so that the caterpillars and peepers cannot crawl underneath and leave them on the tree until mid-April, because in spring other insects will also try to attack the fruit tree.
How are the glue rings attached?
First, clean the trunk of the tree byRemove moss and lichensto make it as smooth as possible.
Place the glue rings 45cm above the ground around the trunk if the tree is between 60cm and 100cm tall. For larger trees whose trunks are very tall, secure them at a height of between 1.2 m and 1.5 m above the ground.
Make sure there are no hanging branches touching the other plants, which pests could use to bypass the barrier and get into the tree.
If the tree bark is rough or there are cracks and crevices, use cotton balls to fill the gaps and prevent insects from getting under the sticky material.
Make your own glue rings for fruit trees
There are different types of glue rings available in the market, but you can also make your own without much effort to ensure more protection for your fruit trees.
All you need is strips of fabric or greaseproof paper and glue.
Prepare a strip of fabric or sandwich paper about 6 inches wide and long enough to match the diameter of the tree trunk.
Coat the entire surface of the strip with glue, wrap it around the trunk and attach it to the tree using a string. It is not recommended to spread the glue directly on the tree as this may damage the bark.
Replace the glue ring in January or earlier if it no longer sticks.
When making it, do not use strong adhesives that could harm larger animals such as birds, mice or bats.
Use adhesive tape as a glue ring
You can also use adhesive tape, masking tape or electrical tape for this, choosing the widest possible variant. A ribbon with a width of 7 cm is perfect for this.
Wrap the tape around the trunk, sticky side out, overlapping it to secure it in place.
Fold the top corner over to create a small tab that makes it easy to pull off when you're ready to replace it.
Next, brush some horticultural glue onto the tape for best results. Check the fruit tree regularly and if the tape is covered with insects or is no longer sticky, remove and replace it.
And how to properly care for your fruit trees in autumn,find out here.
