How to Prune a Fruit Tree

Having a fruit tree in your garden is wonderful, but looking after and maintaining it takes a bit of work, especially if you are looking to enjoy the yield. Pruning is necessary for any fruit tree if you want to increase the fruit production of the tree. Also, pruning prevents the tree from facing a trauma of having bigger branches cut.Pruning involves removing the dead branches and all branches and stems that are diseased. This facilitates growth of the fruit buds and ensures that they stay healthy. There are primarily 2 ways to prune a fruit tree. You have the choice of pinching of the soft unwanted tissue, or you can use pair of pruning shears to trim the branches.

Either way is beneficial for the tree and ensures that the tree is prevented from further damage.The new growths in a tree occur around a region called the meristem. When the meristem is exposed to sunlight, it helps the roots penetrate deeper into the soil. Due to pruning, the dormant lateral buds are removed and the tree gives rise to new shoots. In addition, trimming the branches will help you design the shape of the tree and also control the size. Additionally, getting rid of branches that are unproductive helps in reducing attacks from diseases and pests.The best time to prune fruit trees is during the dormant season, which usually falls between the months of November and March.

Even in the first year, a fruit tree should be prune. When the tree has no side shoots, trim the branches to the buds. When the tree has side branches, then shorten their lengths to ensure that the upward growing buds get access to the sunlight. In the second year of the tree's life, concentrate on trimming the branches that are lower down and facing inwards. This will expose the buds facing outwards.If you follow the aforementioned pruning methods in the first 2 years of the tree's life, you will encourage the tree to flower and fruit earlier than normal. In the later years, you should not trim the branches that produce the spurs. Hence, you should spend some time learning to identify the spur bearing branches from the tip bearing branches.

If you want to prune spur bearing branches, then concentrate on older lateral branches to facilitate growth of strong laterals. In addition, ensure that the center of the tree is not cluttered and overcrowded with branches. This will facilitate circulation of air and provide a healthy growing environment for the tree.

Looking After Your Fruit Trees Locating Your Tree.

To the untrained eye, there are few things easier than growing fruit. One can all too easily, get the impression that all one has to do is sit back and wait for the fruit to drop into one's lap. Not so. The trees must be planted in a suitable location and properly looked after. If one is to have a supply of fruit for any length of time, the fruit must be thinned and stored properly. Here we will examine the area of locating the fruit tree to your best advantage.

A fruit tree will grow almost anywhere in the garden. However, there are places in your garden that will suit the fruit trees better than others will. The location of your fruit trees is often dictated by the type of garden you already have. Is it an ornamental setting or are you growing the trees in an orchard or vegetable patch to harvest the fruit? You may need to maximise your use of space and grow the fruit trees up against a wall as an espalier or fan or even grow it in a pot. In an ornamental garden, you might grow an apple tree in the centre of your lawn to make the most of the blossom in spring and the beautiful ripening fruit in autumn. However, some places in the garden will suit you better than others. It would, for instance be better to group fruits with the same nutritional needs together so that you can give them the same treatment at the same time.

For example, you would group the gooseberries and red currants near your apple trees, as they all require extra potash and the blackcurrants would go with the pears and plums as they all require extra nitrogen. All fruits need to be protected from birds and it would therefore make sense to have them all in the same general area to make it easier to protect them. There are some locations that it might be better to avoid. One of these is the vegetable border. Vegetables are generally hungrier than fruit trees and require different soil types so growing trees in this area would make it difficult to maximise the harvest in both. In addition, you may need to spray the fruit trees at a time when there is no fruit. This would be complicated if there were vegetables underneath that would be rendered inedible by toxic sprays at any time of year. Growing fruit trees against walls is an often-overlooked option.

There are many advantages to this for the gardener and the tree. They can be quite decorative when properly trained against a wall but the main advantages are space saving and the ease with which they can be managed there. It is so easy to throw a net over them to keep out birds. It is easier to reach all the branches when pruning. It is easier to know which branches to prune. Growing conditions against a wall suits many of the more delicate varieties of fruit but bear in mind that all fruit need a lot of sun to grow their fruit and therefore if the wall you had in mind is not sunny it might be better not to bother. Check with the garden centre when buying the tree. Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks. Depending on what direction your wall is facing and what the prevailing weather conditions are where you live, the wall may be a drier situation than you might expect. Therefore, you must keep an eye on the watering.

These dry conditions may suit certain pests such as red spider mites. If it is a boundary wall, make sure that you have permission or the right to grow the tree on that wall. In addition, if your tree is likely to grow into or overhang someone else's property you may need to come to some arrangement regarding spraying, pruning and ownership of the fruit and so on.If you do not use or give away your fruit in the first couple of weeks after picking, you will need to store it properly or you will lose it. But that will be the subject of another article.

Modern Fruit Trees Evolved From Ancient Historical Roots

The rise and fall of ancient empires has developed parallel also to the establishment and destruction of advanced fruit tree orchards. Ancient fruit trees such as olive tree orchards increased the wealth and health of nations by feeding the populations, providing nutritious olive oil to light lamps in ancient houses at night, as food and a cooking medium, and for the purpose of anointing Kings and Queens. Olive trees could not produce continuous crops unless the gardeners growing them could provide a secure, peaceful growing environment. The original plantings of olive trees were slow growing and could not produce a satisfactory crop of fruit, until the trees matured to bear crops in 10 to 15 years. It was well known by ancient warrior conquerors and Kings, that hostile nations could be neutralized for many years, if the fruit orchards were destroyed. The ancient Greek soldiers either confiscated the enemy orchards for their own future use, or they destroyed the trees, if they planned to move on to prevent the defeated nations from rebuilding agriculturally and to later return as a threat in the future.

The Romans fought the citizens of Carthage in North Africa, defeating them many times, only to experience a resurgence of Carthage attacks and invasions. Finally the Romans destroyed every building in the city of Carthage, leaving no stone atop another and spread salt to poison the agricultural land to prevent any possible rebuilding, since food could not be produced on salt contaminated land.Two centuries later, Israel destroyed 50,000 olive trees in Palestine, also located in North Africa like the city of Carthage, to prevent the Palestinian nation from enjoying the fruit and wealth of the olive orchards.The Hebrew Bible, in the book of Genesis, records that the first fruits eaten by Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden; however, they were forbidden to eat the fruit from the tree in the center of the garden, that was growing on the tree of knowledge about good and evil, but they ate the fruit anyway. Many Bible translators suspect that this fruit was the apple, but other botanists say that the fruit of the apple was not known then--that the quince was the most likely forbidden fruit, the most ancient relative of the apple. After eating this controversial fruit, Adam and Eve were expelled from their paradise on Earth, and after realizing their nakedness, they covered their bodies with leaves from the fig tree.

King Solomon of Israel spoke poetically and in songs about his gardens growing lushly with fruits of the Earth. Figs and fig trees are often mentioned in Hebrew Scriptures, most profoundly when Jesus cursed a barren fig tree that instantly became dead, when it didn't provide figs to eat as he passed by.Olive oil was used to anoint the Kings of Israel. Olive trees are often mentioned in the Scriptures--the most memorable story, the Mount Olive trees, underneath which Jesus prayed before his arrest in the garden of Gethsemane that led to his conviction by the Governor Pilate, and the resulting infamous crucifixion by the Romans. Pomegranates were well known and revered by the Israelites who carved images of the pomegranate fruit, that were used to decorate pillars at the Temple in Jerusalem. Perhaps the most famous fruit of the Bible was the grape that grew in vineyards and was highly prized to eat fresh, to dry as raisins and to ferment into wine and further into vinegar. Numerous references are made in the Bible to grapes, the products of grapes and the wealth provided them from the grape vineyards to the property owners. Many tropical fruit trees such as citrus trees, jujube trees, banana trees, and loquat trees probably originated from Oriental origins such as China and India. It is also probable that the stone-fruits, such as peach trees, cherry trees, apricot trees, nectarine trees (smooth skin peach), and plum trees containing a large seed in the center, originated in the Orient.

Many botanists speculate that the fruits of mulberry trees, fig trees, pomegranate trees, and crabapples may have originated in the mid-East territories.There is little doubt that Oriental persimmons originated in China and was spread to the Japanese mainland.Several fruits are native to America and after the discovery of mayhaw trees, red mulberry trees, guava trees, pawpaw trees, Chickasaw plum trees, and Ogeechee lime trees, considerable efforts have been made to improve these fruits by the selection of superior cultivars and grafting them onto various cold hardy rootstocks.To those interested in the natural history of fruit trees, it is clear that many fruits exist today, because those ancient gardeners selected the seed of favorable fruits and planted the seed gradually resulting in fruit improvements. Some of these fruit trees could be increased by vegetative rooting of twigs and branches or by increasing multiple trunked plants by division and replanting them in gardens for cultivation. Some fruit trees could not be increased by rooting or division and the planting of the seed gave unpredictable results.

Some delicious sweet peaches with large juicy fruits might produce seed that when planted, the trees would produce a wide assortment of flavors, shapes, and sizes; some bitter or sour, some irregularly shaped, some large or small. This unpredictable outcome of planting seed of superior fruit trees was finally overcome by the art of grafting, which was well known and practiced as evidenced by the ancient Romans' historical accounts.By examining the historical record of fruit trees in the Hebrew Bible, we discover that fruit trees fed the first earthly man and woman in a fruitful garden of paradise at the site and birthplace of civilization--the Tigris and Euphrates Valleys near the modern nation of Iraq. For an extended period of history, man was expelled from his earthly paradise, but today a gardener can buy his own wish list of fruit trees, and experience his own man-made heaven beneath the ageless, ancient, delightful sky.

Picking the Ideal Spot for your Fruit Tree

When growing a fruit tree, choosing the right place to plant it is very important. One thing that you have to consider is its proximity to a building, electric line, side walk, or any other thing that might disrupt its growing. Once you have planted a fruit tree, the chances of unearthing it and changing its spot without killing it are very slim. Therefore you must always be sure you know which size fruit tree you have (dwarf, semi dwarf, or standard) and how big it will end up being once it is an adult. Dwarf trees need an area with an eight-foot diameter to grow. Semi-dwarf fruit trees can grow up to fifteen feet wide. Standard fruit trees can grow as wide as thirty feet. To keep the size of your fruit tree(s) at whatever level is best for you, be sure to prune them at least once a year.Another thing that you have to consider when planting a fruit tree it whether or not it is getting all of the sunlight it needs to survive.

You also have to be sure it doesn't get too much sunlight. If your tree doesn't get just the right amount of sun, it will die. Be sure that you do not plant it where the sunlight will be blocked by something. Also be sure that it isn't being constantly hit be the sun at every moment of the day. Either of these can be fatal to the tree.An important thing to keep in mind when choosing a spot for your tree is whether your spot will be convenient for watering, harvesting, and pruning. A place that would not be good to plant a fruit tree is close to your house or your fence. Any of these things could get in the way of you harvesting and pruning. If your tree grows over your fence the fruit could drop into your neighbor's yard, which might seem like a nice thing but would probably offend some people. You should also be sure to plant your tree where it will be easy to water; if you already have a sprinkler system in your yard you could put your tree where the sprinkler could reach it. If you do not have a sprinkler system installed, you should put the tree within reach of your hose.

One of the most important things of all to keep in mind when planting a fruit tree is whether or not your soil in your yard is suitable for your tree. You have to make sure that is has enough nutrients, it has enough moisture, there is proper water drainage so your tree doesn't drown, and it is the right texture. If your soil doesn't have these traits then your tree won't grow very well or produce good fruit. You can always alter your soil to be more suitable for your tree.

One way that you can find out what kind of soil you have is by taking a sample of it and taking it to a lab. It may be expensive, but they can test it for what nutrients it has the most of. You'll have the results back in a couple of days. If your soil is low in nutrients, you can go to your local nursery, or any other store with gardening supplies, and get fertilizer according to what your soil is most lacking in.After you have checked on all of these things, you are finally ready to go choose what kind of fruit tree you want and get ready to plant it. When you are choosing your tree keep in mind the spot you picked, and buy the tree that would do best in that spot. The worst thing that can possibly happen is devoting time and money to growing a tree, only to end up having to remove it because of poor planning.

Fruit Trees

Fruit TreesFruit trees are a great addition to your landscape, if you like to eat the fruit. The most important point about fruit trees is that most people like the idea of a fruit tree more than the reality of having one.Fruit trees take work. The fruit gets full of worms unless it is sprayed at the right time. The tree must be trimmed properly to get the right size of fruit. Fruit tree limbs can break because of the heavy fruit. Finally, how many bushels can you eat at harvest time? To make it work, you need to be someone that either has a gardener or likes to spend time outside working on it. If this fits you, than a fruit tree can bring be a great addition to your home.

Apple

There are many varieties to choose from. You should consider your geographic area and apple preferences before choosing a variety. The most common mistake in planting apple trees is that most people don't take into account pollination.Apple trees are not self pollinate. They need a secondary tree. For this reason, it's better to plant two different apple varieties that bloom together. In this way, you will get the best fruit. Some apple tree blooms produce sterile pollen and some non apple trees can pollinate. One, non apple pollinator, is the Crabapple. You may wish to get a Spring Snow Crabapple with your apple tree.Don't spray the tree with insecticide around blooming time. It will kill the bees.

Cherry

Cherry trees have some of the most beautiful blossoms of any tree. The Japanese Kamikaze Warriors considered that if they died in battle at least they would go out in a beautiful way; like a cherry tree blossom.Cherries are loved by birds. If you want to save the fruit, you may need to get a net and cover the tree.Cherry trees grow from seeds. If you are eating cherries and spit out the seeds, some of them may actually take root. Most people prefer to buy a larger tree from the store, but you can actually plant them from seed.Like apples, most cherry tree varieties need cross pollination. For this reason, it's better to get two to three different cherry tree varieties.Cherry trees are either sweet or sour. Make sure you are getting the variety you want. A lot of people accidentally plant the sour cherries that are used for baking when they really wanted sweet cherries to eat off the tree.

Plum

Plums are of three different types belonging to the European, Damson and Japanese groups. Plums rate just behind apples as the most popular homegrown fruit around.The Damson is very tart. The plums are used chiefly for cooking.Japanese plums are soft and juicy, with flesh that ranges from tart to sweet. These large, round plums are best eaten fresh, and not for drying.European plums have a more compact growth habit and can be grown in an open vase form (the middle of the tree has no central leader), in an informal fan-trained shape, or in pyramidal shapes. European plums are self-fruitful, but even these will set a better crop if there is another variety planted nearby. Most Japanese plums are not self-fertile and will require a cross-pollinator.

Citrus

Oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, and grapefruit are all citrus. Citrus trees can grow from seed, but most are taken from root stock. They need to be watered well when they are young. After they are established, they only need watered in drought. Many homeowners over water their citrus trees and this will produce dry fruit and promote root rot and disease.The most known places for growing citrus fruit are Florida, California, Arizona, and Texas. Brazil is the second highest producer of citrus fruit; the U.S. is the first.Citrus plants are not tropical, but are more inclined to grow in Mediterranean weather. They need some cool nights to make the fruit sweet. Tropical plants need more water than citrus plants.For ideal pollination, plant two or more varieties.

Pear - BartlettYellow

Bartlett Pears are the nations leading pear variety. They tend to bear fruit for up to 75 years.Bartlett Pear trees are self-pollinating, but a pollinator tree will help produce better fruit. Pear trees are not asexual and so require bees to help pollinate. Bartlett Pears do not ripen properly on the tree. Growers pick the fruit when it is green.Peaches, Nectarines, and ApricotsPeaches, nectarines and apricots bear fruit on wood that is one year old or older.Peaches and nectarines and apricots always have to be picked ripe. They do not ripe well after they have been picked.Peaches, nectarines, and apricots taste best fresh off the tree. Often jam or marmalade is made out of them because they can't be stored fresh. They are very sensitive to bruising and spoil easily.They should be planted in the winter.Stones or pits can be planted, but most people choose rootstock from the nursery.For pollination, plant two or three varieties.

Some Myths About Indoor Fruit Trees

In case you're a nature lover, the idea of indoor trees must have surely caught your fancy. After all, such trees give you a chance to bring in the feel and attractiveness of the garden right into your living room. However, the idea of indoor trees is still very alien to majority of folks. No wonder, there are a number of myths that are clouding minds of countless.One of the most common misconceptions regarding indoor fruit trees is that they provide smaller fruits in comparison to the regular trees.

However, this is just not true. Just because indoor trees are dwarf, does not imply that the fruit has to be smaller too. The fruit of these indoor trees is just as big as you'd find in an ordinary grocery store. And what's more, the fruits of these trees are sweeter in comparison to the fruits yielded by usual trees. However, don't worry, they're not too sweet either to boost your blood sugar levels.Another myth about such trees is that they come at quite a price. While the price range of indoor trees may vary from tree to tree and can go as high as $40, they are available at pocket friendly rates as well. For this, all you must do is to pick a reasonable variety that comes in the affordable price range of $20.

The money saved may be used to buy skin care products such as Exposed Skincare System.Yet another myth regarding indoor fruit trees is that they produce immediate fruits. Many individuals buy indoor fruit trees in the wake of getting fast fruits and then end up getting unhappy. When you buy an indoor fruit tree, it will take some time before it adapts to its new environment. After the plant gets comfortable in the new environment, it begins to mature and then yields fruits. This complete process could take a year or even longer.Indoor fruit trees require a lot of care and maintenance. This is just not true. As a matter of fact, these trees require very low maintenance.

All they need is three to 6 hours of sun everyday and they will be able to thrive well. Additionally, you need to keep a regular watering plan by watering them simultaneously. This is all that is required for these plants to make it through well.Like many acne misconceptions are doing the rounds these days, myths about indoor fruit trees too are aplenty. However, with the given information, hopefully majority of your myths are busted. You need not think twice before bringing an indoor fruit tree in your home at all.

Tips on Caring for Fruit Trees

Caring for fruit trees is a continual process. For most gardeners, winter months provide opportunities for composting and pruning, while spring, summer and fall are times for nurturing fruit trees. The basics of fruit tree care include proper hydration, feeding, and pruning.

Hydrating Your Fruit Trees

Proper hydration is essential for high-yielding fruit trees. When watering fruit trees, it is necessary to calculate the drip line. The drip line is determined by estimating the distance of the farthest-reaching leaves of the fruit tree. If the branches extend six feet from the trunk of the tree, the drip line is calculated by drawing a circle in the soil around the trunk of the tree with a diameter of twelve feet. The drip line is the outer limit that the tree would protect you from getting wet if you were standing underneath the branches during a light rain shower.The drip line is where your fruit tree draws most of its nutrients and moisture. This is where most of the tree's feeder roots are located. When watering your fruit trees, direct the spray at the drip line of each fruit tree to provide optimal hydration.

Mulching Your Fruit Trees

Mulching the soil surrounding your fruit trees provides a constant source of nutrients. A thick layer of organic mulch should be applied to the ground surrounding each fruit tree every spring after feeding the tree with minerals and plant food along the drip line. This provides fresh nutrients for the tree that are used throughout the growing season. A depth of three to six inches of mulch is ideal. The mulch ring should extend beyond the drip line of each tree by one to three feet to provide optimal nutrition. It is not necessary to mulch up to the base of tree trunk since most feeder roots extend out to the drip line. Organic mulch helps provide protection from diseases and pests and the decomposing mulch releases organic nutrients into the soil on a regular basis.

Pruning Your Fruit Trees

Pruning your fruit trees is a necessary and delicate procedure. Prune too little, and your tree's energy is diverted from producing lush fruit. Prune too much, and your tree goes into shock and fails to produce fruit at all. Vigorous pruning of fruit trees should take place during the dormant winter months. Trees that bloom late in the season, like apple trees, should be pruned first, and trees that bloom early should be pruned last. Summer pruning involves carefully cutting back new growth to divert nutrients into the tree's fruit.

Types of Pruning Cuts

There are three basic types of pruning cuts for fruit trees.

The Thinning Cut- This is a non-invigorating type of pruning that removes a branch completely at the root of origin. This type of cut is also referred to as a weeding cut or thinning the tree.

The Heading Cut- The heading cut is a type of pruning cut that removes the ends of a shoot. This encourages lower growth and results in a bushy, wider tree.

The Bench Cut- This is a type of extensive pruning and should be used with caution. The bench cut opens the center of the tree by removing upright branches and can damage a fruit tree if not done properly.

Caring for your fruit trees takes time, patience, and dedication, but the rewards are spectacular. A well cared for fruit tree produces bountiful, nutritious fruit year after year. These tips and basic principles of fruit tree care will help you grow your best fruit crop ever.