Liquid Copper Fungicide Spray

Liquid Copper Fungicide Spray is a copper-based fungicide and bactericide that protects leaves, fruit and buds from fungal and bacterial diseases such as anthracnose, leaf spots, peach leaf curl and fire blight. Copper works by preventing infection, not curing it, so spray before disease spreads or at the first sign of symptoms.

1 pint liquid concentrate. Not available for sale in Canada.

What diseases does liquid copper control on trees?

Copper controls a broad range of leaf, blossom and twig diseases, including:

• Magnolias: bacterial leaf spot, anthracnose and algal leaf spot
• Dogwoods and sycamores: anthracnose
• Apples and pears: fire blight, apple scab and blossom blast
• Peaches and cherries: peach leaf curl, bacterial spot, shot hole and brown rot blossom blight
• Palms: pestalotia leaf spot (date, European fan and Washingtonia palms) and phytophthora bud rot (queen palms)
• Walnuts and pecans: walnut blight, shuck and kernel rot
• Roses: black spot and powdery mildew

Copper is a contact protectant. It does not move inside the tree, so it can't reach root rots or diseases already established in the wood.

How do I apply liquid copper fungicide to a tree?

1. Mix the concentrate with water at the label rate for your plant. For ornamental trees and shrubs, that's 2 teaspoons per gallon. Fruit and nut trees use different rates, so check the label for your crop.
2. Spray with a pump or hose-end sprayer until all leaf, twig and bark surfaces are wet to the point of runoff. The label calls for about 3 gallons of mixed spray on a small tree, 6 on a medium tree and 9 on a large tree.
3. Shake or agitate the sprayer often while you work so the copper stays mixed.
4. Repeat every 7 to 14 days while disease pressure lasts, using the shorter interval in rainy weather.

At the ornamental rate, one pint of concentrate treats about 5 large trees. Fruit trees sprayed at higher rates will use it faster.

When should I spray copper fungicide?

Timing depends on the disease, so match the spray to what you're treating. Most leaf spots and anthracnose are sprayed as new leaves emerge in spring and through wet weather; sycamore anthracnose starts at bud crack. Some diseases are dormant-season sprays: peach leaf curl is sprayed up to late bud swell, apple scab gets a dormant spray after harvest before fall rains, and cherry dead bud and coryneum blight are sprayed before heavy fall rains. Fire blight on apples and pears is sprayed during bloom at the label's bloom rate. Do not spray when temperatures are at or below freezing.

Can I use copper fungicide on a palm tree?

Yes. Copper is labeled for pestalotia leaf spot on several palms, and for phytophthora bud rot on queen palms. After a freeze, University of Florida IFAS suggests copper fungicide as an attempt to keep cold-damaged buds from developing bud rot once warm weather returns, applied no more than twice to avoid copper injury. Do not rely on copper for frost or freeze protection.

Will copper fungicide get rid of sooty mold?

No. Sooty mold grows on honeydew left by scale insects, aphids and whiteflies feeding above it. Control those insects, for example with Horticultural Oil Insect Spray, and the mold weathers away.

What should I know before spraying?

• Copper can stain or react with metal and masonry. Keep spray off cars, roofs, siding and patio furniture.
• Some plants are sensitive to copper. Test-spray a small area and wait a few days before treating the whole plant.
• Read and follow the full product label before use.

Treating a tree you're not sure about? Identify the disease first. Copper fits leaf, blossom and twig infections; root rots need a different approach. We stock Liquid Copper Fungicide Spray at TreeHelp.