hardy or if you are not certain of their hardiness.
l. Keep watering your fruit trees through October and November but avoid overwatering. Fruit trees need to be planted in a well drained area and not in saturated soil or in a sunken/low pocket of land which invites water saturation and cold air to sink upon them and freeze their roots and more. Cold air sinks so watch for the impact of low areas upon whatever you are planting.
2. In winter only water after a two week period of drought. The trees are dormant and are not able to absorb water readily so only water after a period of drought. Water in the morning after some
warming has occurred and on a day where there is 12 to 24 hours before the next expected frost - meaning the frost is not expected until the next day. Watch your weather forecast to prevent the trees' roots from being frozen. Just push some of the mulch aside and water deeply. Move the mulch back into place after watering.
3. In cold areas, stop fertilizing your new fruit trees by mid-August to allow them time to absorbed nutrients before a freeze. You don't want any new spurts in growth before the first freeze.
4. In late fall, remove all dead leaves and remaining fruit. Prune and remove dead and damaged branches. Prune all branches that touch the ground or that are near the ground. They are inviting insects to live in your tree. Also, prune to remove any excess leaf and flower buds so that the developing fruit next year will have more space and sunlight. The removing of excess buds will give you a healthier crop with larger individual fruits next harvest.
5. Spray the tree with an oil based, organic dormant insecticide to prevent winter infestation and to chase any insects that might be hiding in any scars, wounds or splits in the bark. Check with your local nurseries as to which is best for your area. Each insecticide targets specific pests.
6. Clean all dead leaves and debris from around the tree. Decaying matter and other objects invite mice, insects, mildew and diseases to dine upon and/or live in your tree.
7. Wrap the trunks of small fruit trees with a commercial covering, burlap, or actual sheets and blankets. Wraps can allow mildew to set in so check with your local nurseries to see what works best in your area. Wrap the young trees up to the first branch. Check with your local nursery as to how many times to wrap around your young tree also. I would do so at least 2 - 3 times. Tie the coverings on with twist ties or heavy string. The wrap will prevent the splintering of the bark which occurs from the warming of sunny days and then the rapid expansion caused by freezing nights.
8. Use chicken wire, light, narrow meshed fencing, or a commercial tree guard to again wrap the young tree's trunk until the lower branch. Secure this with twist ties or heavy string. This wire protection is needed to keep mice, rabbits, voles, and deer from striping the bark during the winter and killing the tree. It needs to be one to two feet higher than the snowline and "planted" a couple of inches or more below the soil as the predators will dig for the bark. Also, you can stake a light, narrow meshed fence about two feet away from the tree or to the full extent of the branch span to minimize damage from deer.. I would prefer to do both for saplings and young trees.
9. Loosen the soil around the root area which is the branch span around the tree plus 3 or 4 more inches. Be careful not to damage any of the roots and just gently rake the top two to three inches of soil. This aereates the soil and increases water absorption.
10. Apply 3 to 4 inches of clean mulch such as straw, pine needles, bark, compost, or newspaper mulch to protect the roots from freezing. Again, cover the area that is equivalent to the branch span plus 3 or 4 more inches. Water the mulch lightly to hold it in place during a wind.
11. Now stake the young tree to prevent it from bowing and breaking under windstorms and heavy snowfall. Use three stakes spaced around it to tie three strands of rope or another winter worthy material to tree below the lower branch to each of the three stakes. Remove these and the wraps in early spring or when the tree trunk begins to grow again which can occur as early as late winter.
12. Keep a watch for pests, drought, and damage during the winter. Use a broom handle to gently shake snow off the tree branches to prevent their breaking and bending. You never want branches touching the ground as insects and other predators will climb them. Consult your local nursery as needed.
Happy blossoms and harvest to you!
Linda Headley
HomeHobbyFarming.blogspot.com
Just a Home Gardner
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