Three Things You Need To Know About Your Backyard Fruit Trees
If you've recently purchased a property with fruit trees in the backyard, you're undoubtedly looking forward to enjoying freshly picked fruit on a regular basis. However, many modern homeowners don't possess the necessary skills to keep fruit trees thriving and producing. If you're among them, you're about to begin a rewarding journey in home horticulture practices. Following are three things you need to know to keep your newly acquired backyard fruit trees producing nutritious and delicious bounty.
Use the Appropriate Fertilizer
Resist the temptation to use a general, all-purpose fertilizer on your fruit trees -- otherwise, you could end up with abundant vegetative growth and very little, if any, fruit. Most fertilizer contains too much nitrogen for trees that produce abundant amounts of fruits and nuts. In fact, it's better to use no fertilizer on these trees than to use the wrong kind. Ask your local tree service professional to recommend a fertilizer program for your specific type of fruit trees. Pruning Matters
Trees and shrubs that are ornamental can be pruned in a variety of ways, but the most common procedure is to prune them in a way that ensures that they present a balanced, attractive shape. Pruning fruit trees, on the other hand, needs to take more than just aesthetics into consideration. The wrong type of pruning may mean that you won't enjoy a harvest of delicious fruit. Fruit trees are best pruned in winter when the trees are dormant -- this reduces risks of disease and damage. Summer pruning should be performed with caution -- if you get too ambitious when pruning a fruit tree in summer, you may cut off so much budding fruit that you're left with very little fruit. Fruit trees also need to be pruned with optimal air circulation in mind -- if branches are too thick and too close together, fruit production will suffer.
Know When It's Time to Replace the Tree
If you're buying a property with existing trees that have been neglected for several years, you may have to make the difficult decision to have them removed in order to replace them with their younger counterparts. Old trees that have been allowed to grow wild can sometimes be salvaged, but this can prove to be painstaking process that may only yield marginal results. Ask your local tree expert for advice on what to do in this situation -- they'll be able to provide you with an educated opinion on whether the tree is worth saving or whether you're better off with starting with a young tree.
Contact a service, like Souliere & Son Tree Specialists, form more help.