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So, do you think you know everything there is to know about fruit trees and tree planting? Try out our online quiz and test your knowledge! All About Fruit Trees

Here you can learn about fruit trees and why planting them in your neighborhood is such a good idea.

Fruition: A Tree Planting

Tree Care

Now that you tree is in the ground, you need to watch carefully to make sure that it gets everything it needs to grow strong and healthy.

Copyright © 2005, Magic, Inc.
Title Image (top left):
"Apple Picking"
Winslow Homer, 1878

ApplesTree Care

Taking good care of your tree will be rewarded with many years of delicious fruit!
Apples

Caring for your Tree

Keep the area within the bermBerm

A circular ridge surrounding a freshly-planted tree. Build a berm to retain water near the tree so that the tree gains its full benefit. beneath your fruit tree fee of other plants, so that your tree can take full advantage of nutrientsNutrients

All of the substances that promote the healthy metabolism of an organism. Main plant nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, sulfur and magnesium. and moisture in the soil.

Each week poke a finger through the mulchMulch

Organic matter placed around plant to prevent water from evaporating and to insulate the roots from cold weather. and into the soil in several spots around your tree. If the soil is dry an inch below the surface, give your tree about five gallons of water, slowly, so that it has time to penetrate deeply. When the weather is particularly hot or windy, or your tree seems to be wilting, check soil moisture more frequently. Be careful; you can harm your tree by watering it too often or by giving it too much water at one time.

In the spring and summer, you can direct your tree's growth by pinching off tips of shoots that are headed in unwanted directions. Each winter after the leaves have fallen, prune your tree so that it develops a proper shape to resist disease and give a good harvest. You may want to do this yourself, or have somebody else do it.

As your tree grows, pull the berm outward to a diameter larger than that of the canopy (branches and leaves). Avoid nicking roots, or they may send up sprouts and divert energy from the fruiting part of your tree.

Consider fertilizing your tree by adding compost, rock dust, or other natural nutrients to the mulch whenever you replenish it.

Your tree may grow better if you spray it from time to time. Please remember that poisons in the environment can hurt all of us. Weigh the benefits of any spray you consider against both its money costs and the environmental damage it may do.

Be attentive to your tree. If you see signs of ill health, like deformed or discolored leaves, or insect pests like aphids or mites, consult someone who has successfully grown fruit trees in your area, or a book about fruit trees, or a local nurseryperson, or a University of California Agricultural Extension Advisor (telephone numbers listed below) for the county in which you live:

The University of California Agricultural Extension personnel publish excellent guides to growing fruit trees. Some of these are free. Most others are inexpensive.

Thank you for planting and caring for a Fruition tree. May you enjoy many, abundant, delicious harvests!

PreviousPlanting your Tree

Here's the most important step! Following these instructions closely will ensure that your tree flourishes.  HomePlanting Guide

Here you can find out how to plant your fruit tree and how to care about it so that it grows up healthy.