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Some problems have to be met on the outside of the tree. Leaf and needle pathogens, surface-feeding insects, mite outbreaks and most fruit tree disease all live where a foliar application can actually reach them — and where the calendar matters more than the product. Our WSDA licensed applicators spray on infection and life-cycle timing, in the weather window that lets the material stay on the leaf, across Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Renton, Tacoma and Puyallup.
Free on-site consultation · Timed to the season, not to the schedule
Spraying is a delivery method with real limits. It is the right tool for surfaces and the wrong tool for anything living under the bark.
Backyard apple, pear, cherry and plum carry the heaviest disease and insect pressure of anything in a Puget Sound yard, and they are the trees people most want to actually harvest from. A program is built around dormant, delayed-dormant and bloom timing rather than a single visit.
Oils work physically rather than systemically, smothering overwintering eggs, scale and mites. They are the backbone of dormant-season work and are useful where a broader-spectrum material is not warranted.
Scab, anthracnose, needle cast, rust and blossom blight are all controlled preventatively. The application has to be on the leaf before the infection period, which in this region means watching wet spring weather closely.
Caterpillar outbreaks, leafminers, sawfly larvae and mites are treated when monitoring shows the population actually warrants it — see integrated pest management for how we make that call.
Everything below is documented in western Washington. We do not build programs around problems that belong to other parts of the country.
| Target | Trees affected here | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| Apple and crabapple scab | Apple, crabapple | Bud break through the wet spring period; the most serious disease of crabapple in the region |
| Brown rot blossom blight | Cherry, plum, peach | Bloom. More of a problem west of the Cascade Range than east |
| Bacterial blight and canker | Cherry, plum | Dormant season, in dry weather. Common west of the Cascade Range |
| Pear trellis rust | Pear | Spring, as leaves expand. Commonly reported on pear leaves in western Washington |
| Dogwood and sycamore anthracnose | Dogwood, sycamore, London plane | Bud break and through leaf expansion |
| Swiss needle cast | Douglas-fir — its only host | As new needles emerge in spring |
| Aphids, pear slug, birch leafminer, elm leaf beetle | Birch, pear, cherry, elm, maple | On monitoring, when populations exceed threshold |
| Western tent caterpillar, fall webworm | Alder, cherry, fruit trees, ornamentals | Early larval stage, before the tents get large |
| Spider mites, oystershell scale | Many hosts | Dormant oil for overwintering stages; growing-season treatment on threshold |
| Cypress tip miner | Arborvitae, cypress, cedar, hedges | Adult flight period in spring |
Weather governs everything on this list. Rain inside the drying window undoes an application, and wind puts an application off entirely — we reschedule rather than spray badly.
An ISA Certified Arborist identifies the species and confirms what is actually present, including whether the damage you are seeing is even still active.
You get the target, the number of applications, and the calendar window each one falls in, in writing.
We apply in conditions that keep the material on the target. If the forecast will not cooperate we move the visit.
Work is performed under WSDA Pesticide Applicator License #109480. On request we leave the application record with you.
We look at how the tree responded and adjust next year’s program, including dropping applications that were not needed.
The three windows that matter most in western Washington are dormant, delayed-dormant just before bud break, and bloom. Dormant and delayed-dormant applications deal with overwintering insect stages and set up disease control; bloom timing is what protects cherry and plum from brown rot blossom blight. Missing the window matters more than which material is used.
It depends entirely on the target. Some insect problems are handled in one properly timed visit. Apple scab on a susceptible variety in a wet spring may need several applications across the infection period. We put the number in the written quote so it is not open-ended.
You do not need to be home. Every product we apply carries its own label-mandated restricted-entry interval, and the applicator will tell you what it is for the specific material used on your property and post the area where the label requires it.
Up to a point. Ground-based equipment reaches a real height limit, and beyond it coverage in the upper canopy becomes unreliable — which is worse than not treating, because you pay for a result you will not get. On tall conifers and large shade trees we usually recommend trunk injection instead.
Pollinator exposure is a real consideration and it drives timing. Applications that could affect foraging bees are kept out of bloom wherever the target allows it, which is one of the reasons dormant and delayed-dormant timing is used so heavily on fruit trees. Every product is applied according to the pollinator-protection language on its label.
Yes. Arborvitae, cedar and cypress hedges are common in the South Puget Sound and they get their own set of problems — cypress tip miner, spider mites and dieback from drought stress. Hedge work is usually a combination of a targeted application and corrective trimming.
Whichever one reaches the target. Leaf pathogens, surface insects and fruit tree programs call for foliar work. Borers under the bark, vascular disease and infestations high in a mature canopy call for injection. The diagnosis picks the method, not the other way round.
Treatment is quoted per tree after an on-site inspection — species, trunk diameter, the number of trees, and access all change the number. The consultation and the written quote are free.
Spray programs are priced by the number of trees, the canopy height, and how many applications the target requires. A single dormant application on three backyard fruit trees is a very different job from a season-long program on mature street trees. Pruning to open a dense canopy often reduces how much spraying a tree needs at all — see tree pruning and our fruit tree after-care guide.
Every certification number below links to that arborist’s credential record with the International Society of Arboriculture, so you can verify it before anyone sets foot on your property.
Washington L&I Contractor License PACIFA*813KG · WSDA Pesticide Applicator #109480 · $1M liability insured
Tell us the trees and what you are seeing. If photos show the damage, attach them — it often lets us narrow the diagnosis before the visit.
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