Maintenance and Care

Fruit trees are generous and resilient but just like all living things they need to be taken care of. While this may seem like a daunting task, there are a few simple things you can do that go a long way towards making sure your tree is healthy and its bountiful for years to come.

Watering

Watering is essential to keep your tree hydrated. But it’s also key in keeping your tree well nourished. That’s because fruit trees can only absorb the nutrients in the soil if they are in liquid form. So dry soil will lead to a malnourished tree.

While watering your tree regularly is important, how you water your fruit tree matters too! That’s because fruit trees are vulnerable to fungal diseases, and excess moisture on the bark, branches and leaves can make those problems worse. Also, keep in mind that although older, mature trees don’t need to be watered as often as younger trees. Once every three weeks to a month should be sufficient.

Susan’s watering tips:

• Water the roots, not the branches, leaves or bark! The roots are the only part of the tree that can absorb water.
• Avoid sprinkler systems that will water the entire tree as the excess moisture on the branches and leaves can encourage fungal diseases.
• Water all around the tree’s roots on all sides of the tree to ensure all the roots are hydrated.
• Fruit trees need to be watered deeply and slowly – try using soaker hoses looped around the base of your tree so that the water can slowly soak into the ground.

Feeding and Mulching

Feeding your tree is essential to making sure it has enough energy to produce delicious fruit. Every year in the early spring, it’s important to give your tree a healthy dose of compost or well-rotted manure to make sure it is well nourished for the fruit bearing season.

Mulching helps lock in your layer of compost, while also encouraging moisture retention, adding nitrogen, and discouraging the growth of weeds. Susan recommends using a low lignin mulch such as alfalfa hay or alfalfa meal that will break down quickly and increase nitrogen content.

Susan’s 5 step nutrition method:

1. Pull back any existing mulch around your tree.
2. Add up to 5 centimeters of compost or 2.5 centimeters of well-rotted manure in a circle around the base of your tree.
3. Create a doughnut shape with the mulch. Focus the nutrients on the area where the feeder roots are by starting your compost circle 15 centimeters away from the tree trunk and stretching it out to the drip-line of the tree (the area directly under the circumference of its outer branches).
4. Put the old mulch back on top of the new compost or well-rotted manure and add more mulch on top as necessary to ensure there is 5 centimeters of compressed mulch in a donut around the tree.
5. Water the tree deeply, focusing on the feeder root area so that the nutrition in the compost or manure starts to work its way down into the soil

• Join our Picking Team.
• Have a fruit tree? Register it now.