Preventing Diseases in Fruit Trees

If you maintain any pitted fruit trees such as plums, peaches, or cherries, I’m sure you know that those types of trees are much more susceptible to diseases than any other type. While the fruits are delicious, it can be rather hard to live with all of the maladies that can plague the life of everyone who has ever grown one of those types of fruit trees.

The main disease that you will hear about the most is known as “Brown Rot”. This is a fungus that attaches to many of the leftover fruits after the picking season is over. Not only does it look disgusting on the leftover fruits, but it also can come back on the newer fruits, rendering them inedible (unless you enjoy eating fungus). To prevent this malady, you should prune your trees often to encourage good air circulation. Buildups of moisture are the main cause of the brown rot. Also when you are done picking for the season, you should get rid of all of the leftover fruits in the tree or on the ground.

A cytospora canker is a disgusting dark, soft area on tree branches. Gum protrudes through the bark, along with a large callus. The pathogen which causes these cankers usually enters the tree through older wounds. If you prune all of the sprouts that occur in late summer, cankers will have a harder time making themselves known within your tree. When you prune, always allow the wounds to heal naturally rather than use the wound dressings that you can buy at gardening stores. I’ve found that these usually do very little to help any situation, and only serve to make the tree look unnatural.

Those planting plum trees might deal with something called Black Knot. The symptoms of black not are rough tumors or growths that can be seen on the tree’s branches. If you see any of these, you should immediately chop off the branch it has attached to. If you use branches for mulch usually, don’t for this one. This disease can easily re-enter the tree if it is within a certain distance.

Almost everyone who has ever maintained a cherry tree has dealt with the “Cherry Leaf Spot”. It usually shows itself when there are old dead leaves accumulated on the ground. Preventing this disease is fairly easy. All you have to do is be fairly diligent in raking up all of the leaves that fall from your tree. If you have already seen signs of the disease, you should destroy all of your raked leaves. If not, then you can use them as mulch.

When your fruits ripen and become ready for picking, you should always be completely finished with picking within 2 weeks. It is best to daily go outside and pick all of the new ripe fruits, along with any that have fallen off of the tree or are starting to rot on the tree. By doing this, you will prevent bees and wasps from becoming too dependent on your tree for nourishment.

Growers of fruit trees are constantly faced with diseases and pests to worry about. However, if you take the proper precautions then you can avoid most of them. You should also look for any diseases that have been affecting your local area, and try to take steps to prevent those as well.

Planting and Caring for a New Tree

When you have decided on which kind of fruit tree you would like, and

where you would like it, you can finally start to plant it. If you buy

your tree from a nursery, be especially careful when you are taking it

from the nursery to your house. I once had a friend who put the tree in

the back of his truck, but clipped a sign on the way home. The entire tree

snapped in half, and my friend was left a very sad man.

When you have gotten your tree safely back to your yard, look at the

bottom of it and see how big the clump of roots is. It may seem like a lot

of work now, but you want to dig a hole that is twice as wide as the

clump, and just a little less deep. Making the hole slightly bigger than

the clump of roots allows there to be room for the soil that you dug out

to be put back in. Otherwise you would be stuck with a giant heap of

unwanted dirt, and nowhere to put it. After you have dug the hole, line

the hole with some compost or fertilizer so that the tree will grow

better. After you have done this you should set your fruit tree into the

hole, and spread the roots out evenly so that the tree will be strong and

stable. 

When all of this business is done, take the soil that you dug up and fill

in the hole completely. Unless you want big piles of dirt everywhere, you

should be sure you use all of the dirt even is it is a couple inches

higher than the rest of your yard. This is because it will compress when

watered. Before you firm up the soil, make sure that the tree is

completely vertical and will not fall over. After you have checked that

the tree is perfectly vertical you can gently firm up the soil. 

If the tree's trunk is not yet completely sturdy and can be bent, you need

to tie the tree to a stake with a bit of rope. Be sure not to tie the rope

tightly to the tree, as you need to allow room for the trunk to grow. Once

the tree is sturdy enough to withstand all types of weather, you can take

the stakes off of it. When all of this is done you should mulch around the

base of the tree. If you live in an area where wildlife can access your

yard, then you should put a fence around your tree, because some animals

will eat the bark off of young trees.

Once you have successfully planted your fruit tree it will start to bear

fruit after it is three to five years old. Once your tree starts to carry

a lot of fruit you should periodically pick some of the fruit so that the

branches aren't weighed down too much. If the fruit gets too thick, the

branches can break off. On some years your tree might not bear as much

fruit as others, but this should not worry you. Healthy trees often take

years on “vacation” where they produce little or no fruit.

After you've planted your tree you might start to have some problems with

pests. To help keep these pests away, always rake away old leaves, brush,

or any other decaying matter that could be holding bugs that could be

harmful to your tree.

To make sure that your tree always stays healthy in the long run, you

should prune it during winter or spring. Water your tree every two weeks

during dry times, and be sure not to hit your tree with a lawn mower or a

weed eater because it could severely damage the growth process. Also just

make sure that your tree gets plenty of water and plenty of sun, and your

growing experience should be just great.