Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Attending To Fruit Trees Within Your Garden

By Edwina Saulsbury


Fruit trees are charming in any garden and are pleasurable to observe. There's that wondrous time in spring when the dead twigs of the winter season erupt into perfumed blossoms which will become the ripe fruits of autumn.

Don't worry, there isn't anything secret and mystifying about cultivating berry trees. Maintaining the trees in good shape is a result of a few simple processes that anyone can do.

From the Autumn to the Spring

Safeguard the trees, specifically the young ones by installing a net around their base. This can put a stop to rats and rabbits gnawing at the bark in winter which they will endeavor to do when their normal food items are in short supply.

If the garden receives plenty of snow, the trunks of young fruit trees in particular should be painted with a white latex paint diluted 50% with water. This will stop the trunk heating up in the rays of reflected sun rays and resulting in damage.. The bark of fruit trees may be cracked as a result of cold air and especially cold winds. Cracks and fissures inside the bark tend to be found by harmful insects which then hole up in them and cause a threat to the health of your tree.

During the early spring, on a calm day with little wind and the temperature 4 degrees C minimum, it's a good time for you to clean up your tree. Garden shears can be used to give the tree a nice shape but make sure to keep the crown of the tree clear of growth and to give horizontal branches 10-15 cms space all round.

Precisely cut away any branches that look diseased or old and trim any shoots straight after they have appeared. The limbs that grow out horizontally really should be left uncut as you will be wanting these to bear fruit. The upright branches have to be scaled back to the same length as the horizontal branches because a symmetrical tree will produce the most fruit.

Watering your prized tree is very important. A tree plagued by not enough water is subject to diseases and insect pests during the crucial period when the buds break in spring. One of the keys to developing a large crop of fruit on your tree is to keep on watering.

Use supports to lead the branches to make sure they grow straight. The branches that expand horizontally should receive the most light, since they will produce more fruits this way. Once your tree or trees happen to be in their fourth year then you can think about improving their fruiting efficiency by opening up the branches. This can be achieved using a hand-operated spreading instrument or you could attach one tree to another using ropes.

To grow into fruit, the blossom must be pollinated by insects specifically bees. You could make your trees generate more fruit by applying a special substance that will attract them, but do this only after the sun has gone down or in the early morning.




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