2007 Year in Review

Fall Care for Fruit Trees

While fall brings harvest for many fruit trees and owner satisfaction, it is also a time to look at the health of the tree, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.

"Tree health is very important in ensuring the longevity of the trees and giving the homeowner assurance of getting fruits the following year," said Maurice Ogutu.

He outlined some recommendations to follow to make sure the trees continue to provide fruit in the future.

"Water is very important for fruit trees," he said. "Fruit trees under water stress will drop their leaves too early, the leaves will curl, and they are more vulnerable to attack by mites.

"Water the trees very well in the summer so that water moves into the root zone. This will encourage deeper root growth; hence the roots are less liable to winter injury when the soil freezes. This will also ensure that trees go into dormant season with adequate soil moisture."

Fruit trees require adequate mineral nutrients for good growth. Plants should be fertilized as early as possible in mid- to late-summer to avoid applying fertilizers in the fall. Fall application can lead to excessive growth that season and lead to a lack of winter hardiness.

"If the leaves are light green or yellowish in color and there was poor growth in the summer, then the trees may be lacking essential mineral nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients," he said. "This can be confirmed by leaf tissue analysis carried out every three to five years. The samples should be taken between mid-July and mid-August.

"Homeowners can contact their local Extension office to get sampling procedures and find where to send the samples," he said.

When harvesting fruits from trees in the fall, make sure that spurs are not damaged as they are the ones that will bloom the following year and bear fruit.

"For winter storage of fruit, particularly apples and pears, store only fruits without blemishes," he said. "Fruits with any bruise or damage can be sorted and kept for immediate use. It is important to pick all the fruits from the trees, even mummies and fruits damaged by insect pests or infected by diseases, as they will act as a source of infection the following year."

All fallen leaves, fallen fruits, and other debris under the tree should be removed. This will reduce the build-up of disease--causing organisms and insect pests by eliminating overwinter sites.

"Mow grass between the trees and at the base of trees close to the trunk since tall grass will provide a good overwintering site for rodents," he noted. "Check for rodent paths and holes where they burrow and use state-approved control methods."

Fall is the time to control insect pests that tend to overwinter on the tree or on the ground close to the tree. It is the time to control canker worms by controlling moths before they move up the tree to lay their eggs. It is also the time to remove tent caterpillar egg bands from the twigs. Adult fruit tree borers should be prevented from laying eggs in tree bark.

"The south- and southwest-facing sides of the fruit tree trunk usually get more sunlight exposure in winter, leading to thawing of the back on the sunny side while the other side is still frozen," Ogutu said. "This eventually leads to bark cracking.

"Paint the south-southwest-facing side of the trunk of the tree, including lower branches, with white latex paint to reflect solar radiation when the bark is frozen."

Protect the tree trunk from rodents by wrapping the trunk from the ground level with wire net, plastic, or other materials used as rodent guards.

"Remove this material in the spring as it can hinder growth by restricting stem enlargement," he said.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
September 20, 2007