Take care of your fruit trees this winter to ensure they are ready for the next growing and harvesting seasons!
Now that fall has ended and the chill of winter has set in, it’s time to prepare for the cold months ahead for your friends living outside of the house—your fruit trees! In order to ensure a good harvest next year, it’s important to not stop your work when the leaves stop falling, so here are some great ways for you to care for your fruit trees this winter.
Weed ‘Em and Feed ‘Em
Just like you should for all of your other plants and trees, you should weed and feed your fruit trees before the winter begins. Removing weeds makes sure that the roots of your tree do not need to fight for moisture or nutrients during the chill. Beyond making sure that fruit tree roots have access to nutrients, this also prevents pests from setting up a home there. Once the worst part of winter is over, use a good quality organic fertilizer to mix into the soil and add an additional layer of mulch. If you put down a layer about 2 inches thick, it will slow weed growth, keep the soil moist, and help to keep your fruit tree healthy.
Get Rid of Pesky Winter Pests
The winter is a great time for something less-than-great—overwintering insects. Everything from aphids to codling moth grubs can find shelter in tree bark or a nook of a plant and wreak havoc the second that spring begins. Take advantage of the early winter when it isn’t too cold yet and spray a winter tree wash onto your fruit trees. This can reduce the numbers of pests on your trees without having a major impact on their health and the wildlife in your yard.
Remove Old Fruit
Even though it might not seem like a big deal, remove any dead fruit from the fruit trees in your yard. Dead fruit can harbor disease and attract pests to the tree.
Tree Care Throughout the Year with Nelson Tree Specialist!
Nelson Tree Specialist provides specialty arborist services, tree crane services, tree care services, and dead tree removal services. We are well known for our top-notch skills and professionalism. We are members of the International Society of Arboriculture and we are considered certified arborists. We are also an accredited business through the Better Business Bureau and we have great reviews on Angie’s List. To find out how we can help your trees, whether they are exotic and strange or normal and plan, give us a call at (301) 854-2218 (Washington, D.C.) or (202) 909-5662 (Baltimore) or visit us online. For more interesting tree facts and tips, follow us on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.