Care of your fruit tree

You will reap the benefits of ongoing maintenance and care of your fruit tree.

Site

• Plant in a warm and sheltered position.

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Soil

• Good fertile loam with good drainage.
• To improve poorer soil, add organic matter and fertilisers.  Mulch may be used in summer to assist in the retention of moisture in the soil.
• Keep the area around your tree weed free.

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Fertilisers

• Granular compound fertilisers are available for fruit trees; use sparingly.
• Top feed in early spring and through to November applying around the drip line of the tree.
• Apply lime as a soil conditioner every few seasons at a rate of 100-150 grams per square metre.

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Watering

• It is important that trees are well watered in the first year.
• Also, under dry conditions, when the fruit is developing, water at least once a week.

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Pruning

• To establish a strong framework, leaders are encouraged to grow – fruiting arms will develop from these.  At planting, select well spaced shoots as leaders and remove any unwanted leaders.
• If the tree is un-branched at the time of planting, cut it back to where branching is required.
• Pruning cuts should be above a bud or against a main leader or trunk; to prevent die back, do not leave a stub.

 Fig 1.            Fig 2.  

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Loam – Soil composed of sand, silt and clay, relatively even in concentration, containing more nutrients and organic matter than other soil types; retains water easily and allows water to flow easily.

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SPRAY PROGRAMMES

Apple and Pear Varieties
Time	Problem	Treatment
Late Winter	Over-wintering pests	Winter Oil, Conqueror Oil
Bud movement	Fungus diseases	Copper oxy-chloride
Pre-blossom	Fungus diseases	Copper oxy-chloride
Month after petal fall	Blackspot Insect pests Fungus diseases	Captan, Guardall, Mavrick
Leaf fall	Fungus diseases	Copper oxy-chloride, Bravo
Peach, Plum and Nectarine Varieties
Time	Problem	Treatment
Late winter	Over-wintering pests	Winter oil, Conqueror oil
Bud movement	Leaf curl	Copper oxy-chloride
Pre-blossom	Bacterial diseases	Copper oxy-chloride
Early bloom through to harvest	Brown rot	Captan, Bravo, Guardall, Mavrick
Leaf fall	Clean up	Copper oxy-chloride, Bravo

 

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Please Note 

• Prune peaches and plums in the summer after harvest to reduce the chance of silver leaf disease infection.
• The only winter pruning should be done at the time of planting.