Spring Maintenance For Fruit Trees: 2 Simple Steps To Promote Tree Health & A Hearty Harvest
Did you recently plant fruit trees in your yard, but notice that they have't been thriving as much as you had hoped? Or did you just move into a home that already has fruit trees planted in the yard and need to learn how to care for them? Just like other trees, fruit trees need care and attention to stay healthy, and the right care can also help promote the growth of healthy fruit.
Tree maintenance should be performed at least twice a year, and since spring has sprung, read on to learn two steps you can take now to improve the health of your fruit trees and promote a hearty harvest of fruit.
1. Have Your Fruit Trees Trimmed
It is important to have all trees trimmed on a regular basis to remove damaged and dead branches. Removing these branches from fruit trees will help prevent pests from munching on the dead branches. It is also important to remove decayed branches before the decay spreads to the trunk of the tree. If your fruit tree has a large, dense canopy, then thinning it a bit can also help every branch of the tree receive the sunlight it needs to produce plenty of fruit and help prevent tree diseases.
Any small sprouts, which tree professionals call "suckers," that emerge from the trunk of the tree and/or from the tree branches should also be removed.
While fruit trees can be trimmed in the winter when they are dormant, they should also be trimmed in the spring; it can be easier to spot dead branches in the spring due to the fact that leaves will not begin growing on those branches for the season. In addition, trimming a fruit tree in the spring will lead to it growing less during the summer, which is a good thing -- when the tree is not putting its energy into growing, it will produce more fruit.
2. Apply a Whitewash Solution to the Trees' Trunks
Promoting good health of your fruit trees also involves providing proper care for their trunks. Unlike many other kinds of trees, the trunks of fruit trees can actually become sunburned when exposed to too much strong sunlight during the spring and summer. Thankfully, there is an easy way to prevent this sunburn, and the hotter and sunnier your local climate, the more important it is to perform this step in early spring.
To protect your fruit trees' trunks from sunburn, apply a solution to them called a "whitewash." Whitewash can be created right at home by mixing a solution of 50 percent white exterior latex paint and 50 percent water. Cover your trees' trunks with one coat of the solution, let it dry, then add another coat.
In addition to protecting your fruit trees' trunks from sunburn, this solution will also protect them from insects that can bore into the tree bark.
If you recently planted fruit trees or this is your first spring in a home that has fruit trees planted in the yard, then take these two small steps this spring to help keep your tree healthy and promote a hearty fruit harvest.
For more information, talk to companies like General Tree Service.