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Fruit
Trees
Fruit Trees
Gardeners who grow fruits at home will tell you that the fresh-picked taste is more than enough reason to grow them; but fruit trees also enhance the landscape - even in a small yard or garden. Fruit trees are now available in a range of sizes that permit using them almost anywhere. When you landscape with fruit trees, you combine beauty with practicality. Fruit trees can serve many functions. For example, apple trees make superb shade trees anywhere in the yard if you prune them to a branch high enough to allow passage underneath. A large spreading cherry will also provide good shade. Any fruit tree you like can be used as a focal point or accent in the yard or garden. The most striking trees in bloom are apples, cherries, quince, and some peach varieties. These hardy trees are the most widely adapted of all flowering trees and offer abundant displays of red to pink to white blossoms followed by brilliantly colored fruit. As a rule they require winter chilling, but there are varieties that bloom beautifully even in mild climates. Check with a local nursery or your County Cooperative Extension for varieties suitable for your area.
Fertilizing Your Fruit Trees
Fruits rarely need extra phosphorus, but they will occasionally need potassium and other nutrients. If growth is slow or leaves and fruit look unhealthy, check with your nursery or your County Cooperative Extension agent to find out what should be added. The following are general guidelines for the amount of 10-10-10 fertilizer needed for fruiting trees each year. Although one or two feedings are often recommended, we suggest feeding equal amounts of chemical fertilizers four times at evenly spaced intervals between early spring and late June. Keep fertilizers away from the trunks of trees and shrubs and water very deeply after feeding. Use the following schedules for standard-sized fruit trees. Dwarf trees will require proportionately less, and very large nut trees will require more.
First and second season: Four tablespoons 10-10-10 fertilizer per year; one at each feeding, scattered evenly.
Third season: 1/2 cup or 2 tablespoons per feeding
Fourth season: one cup or 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) per feeding
Fifth season: 2 cups or 1/2 cup per feeding
Sixth season: 4 cups or 1 cup per feeding.
Seventh season: 8 cups or 2 cups per feeding.
Mature tree: Continue feeding with 2 cups per feeding, for a total of 8 cups per year.
Watering Your Fruit Trees
Fruit trees that are actively growing generally need 1 inch of water once a week, or about 2 gallons of water per square foot of root space once a week. (The roots generally spread out somewhat farther than the top canopy of the trees.) A newly planted tree would have a root spread of up to 2 square feet and, therefore, would need 2 - 4 gals of water a week. Adjustments can be made for rainfall and soil type. Your tree may need water quite often in very sandy soil, less often in heavier soil. Always dig down a few inches into the soil first to see if watering is necessary. Trees in a lawn area should have a deep soaking about twice a summer in addition to normal lawn watering.
Pests & Diseases of Fruit Trees
The more energy your plants expend recovering from the effects of pests and diseases, the less fruit they will bear. Here are some tips on giving them a helping hand that will bring ample rewards at harvest time. Maintain plant heath. One of the best defenses against pests and diseases is a vigorous plant which is able to resist infection and can overcome insect attacks without succumbing to these problems. Practice good sanitation. Be sure to remove all remaining fruits, berries, and nuts at the end of the season and clean up the ground below the plants. This material can provide a home for over-wintering pests. Choose the right product to control pests. When you use chemical controlmeasures, read the label carefully and follow all directions exactly. Check to make sure your plant and pest are listed on the label.
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