Fruit trees are some of the best trees to plant, especially for people who are trying to eat a bit healthier: fruits just tend to taste better if they have been grown in your yard. On top of that, you can rest assured that they haven’t been treated with some pretty nasty chemicals if you have grown them on your own.
For nature lovers, fruit trees tend to attract many different types of animals, depending on where you live. Of course, they can also attract humans who want to take your fruit as well – so you have to watch out. Mostly, however, owning a fruit tree is a very positive experience. You can get quite a bit of fruit for your initial investment, especially if you take care of the trees and are attentive to them.
For The Best Fruit, Consider Thinning The Herd
- A tree cannot handle all the fruit that starts to develop
- Be choosy when picking the ones to stay
- Do some research on your trees
To get the best possible yield, you will have to do some research to understand just how many fruits your tree can handle. Like humans, trees sometimes try to take on too much and they get spread too thin. This can result in yields that are lackluster, fruits that don’t taste all that great, or it could kill the tree early. Prune the fruits that are earliest so that you can space out when the fruit gets harvested, that way you can get the most out of the tree every year.
According to Earth Easy, “If the size of the fruit produced from your tree is below expectations, it may be due to an over-abundance of fruit on the tree. The tree has only so much energy to use to produce fruit, so thinning (removing some of the fruit) is essential to produce large fruit in some species, such as peach and apple. For best results, thin fruit trees early in the season, when the fruit is still quite small.”
Make Sure You Follow Instructions
- Keep the paperwork that comes with the tree
- Ensure that you stay up to date on soil and air quality
- Talk to a professional if you have questions
One of the most important things you can do when you purchase your fruit tree is keep all of the paperwork that you get. Read all of the labels carefully, as they can have important information. Small errors on your part can have significant consequences – you can kill the tree, render the fruit inedible, or even get no fruit at all but still have a healthy tree. Also, pay attention when it comes to pest control, according to Weston Nurseries.
If you weren’t the person to buy the trees, you probably don’t have the information from those labels – it isn’t likely that the previous homeowners thought to keep it. In that case, you can take to the internet to find the information that you need. If you aren’t sure, you can talk to a tree care professional at a nursery or when you have tree work done in your yard.
If You Are Starting Out, Start With Fruits You Know
- Some trees are easier than others
- Look at the weather patterns
- Think about how much work you want to do
If you are just starting out with fruit trees, you may want to start with trees that have fruits you know well – apples, oranges, lemons, avocados, berries. This will help you to get a better feeling for how the trees should grow and what the fruits should look like when you plant them.
According to The Guardian, starting with easier plants can help you to learn the ropes and get a good understanding of how much work fruit trees are – and how much they aren’t. By selecting trees that are hardy and aren’t killed easily, you will be able to make some mistakes and still see the benefits.
However, it is important to note that fruit trees do take some time to grow, so you shouldn’t expect a harvest the first year if you are growing from a seed. If you purchase a tree at a nursery, you can usually ask how old the tree is for an idea of when you should start seeing growth – it can take up to seven years for some trees.
Think Ahead If You’ve Experienced Diseases Previously
- Some areas are more prone to attacks
- Consider defensive measures
- Watch out for new problems
New diseases and pests tend to pop up from time to time, especially with all the shipping that happens in the United States. This means that you have to be vigilant and ward off any new pests that may come your way. At the same time, you don’t want to spray down your tree with insecticides which would render the fruit inedible in some cases.
According to Gardens Alive, one way to avoid this is to use a clay spray. This, “coats the trees with a light powder that provides a physical barrier against all kinds of pests and disease. It has proven to be so effective in my own garden that over the past few years I have come to solely rely on several sprays of Surround a season. It sure seems to be a ‘one size fits all’ solution for peaches, apples and just about any other fruit tree.”
If you are worried about your trees or you see something that just doesn’t look right, make sure to give Arbortec Tree Service a call at (303) 466-3175. While you can certainly watch over your trees and love them, there is nothing that beats the practiced hand of professionals. We can help you to take care of your fruit trees so that you get the best possible yields (and the tastiest).