Mature fruit trees are a precious resource thanks to their abundance of fruit every season. This advantage does not only stretch to humans. Mature fruit trees offer food, and a safe place for local birds to roost. Small wildlife can also make their homes among the tree branches, providing an entertaining glimpse into their everyday habits. To provide all these benefits, mature fruit trees must have constant upkeep. Neglected fruit trees will not produce a quality harvest.
What happens when you purchase a property with mature fruit trees, only to find that they have been neglected?
Correctly rejuvenating your trees with hands-on care can help restore the tree’s health, and harvest quality. The following steps can help revive neglected mature fruit trees:
- Inspect the Trees
- Restore Lost Nutrition
- Prune the Old Branches
This blog will go over each step in further detail to help you identify and effectively start restoring mature fruit trees.
1: Inspect the Trees
Mature fruit trees are sturdy and can withstand many hardships. However, like all trees, they can become susceptible to several blights and pests in the Okanagan Valley. Both issues rob trees of their water and their nutrition. Inspect the trees by looking for signs of sickness or rot in the bark and leaves. Look for signs of borrowing in the tree’s trunk, and signs of active pests. Look for any overgrown weeds at the base that are forcing the tree to compete for resources. Identify what issues the mature tree is experiencing, and treat accordingly. In the long run treating them for mold, fungi, or pests can save your tree or trees if they are treated in time. Making sure to maintain a consistent preventative spray program will also help prevent sickness or infestation from reoccurring in the future. If the trees look healthy, it’s best to have them sprayed as soon as possible to ensure that no issues will occur.
2: Restore Lost Nutrition
Despite the belief that trees are self-sufficient, the fact is that fruit trees require good nutrition to produce a good harvest just like vegetables, flowers, and other plants. Neglected fruit trees may not have had access to the right amount or type of nutrients they need in quite some time. Signs of this include the mature fruit tree not flowering or producing any harvest. This issue can be remedied by adjusting the soil’s pH levels, and providing the right combination of fertilizers. However, this can take some time, and can be difficult to treat if you are unsure. When it comes to this step, it’s best to get a quote from a local tree company like Arcadia that provides a good soil and root-feeding program.
3: Pruning the Old Branches
Many fruit trees may never be pruned in their entire lives. Pruning is vital to restoring mature fruit trees, and it is easy to identify if your trees are suffering from neglect. Neglected fruit trees can become entirely overgrown, depending on how long they have been uncared for or if they were ever pruned at all. A lack of pruning can cause issues ranging from multiple trunks to incredibly dense canopies that do not allow sunlight or air to get to vital parts of the tree. When it comes to restoring mature fruit trees, pruning helps to open the canopy and let fresh air and sunlight penetrate deeper into the branches. They also lop off any dead branches that could become diseased and lead to the entire tree being infected. Great care needs to be taken when pruning away dead branches when you find them and shaping the healthy ones. Every fruit tree requires a different shape to help it blossom.
Conclusion
Reviving mature fruit trees that may have been neglected for many years can be a difficult process that’s worth it in the end. You will witness your mature fruit trees become healthier and stronger. Best of all, for those who want organic fruit, their harvests will be bountiful and of higher quality. Restoration allows the tree to continue to thrive for many years to come.
Ready to Revive Your Fruit Trees?
Arcadia has grown since starting as a one-man operation in the 60s, expanding to serve West Kelowna, Kelowna, Lake Country, and Vernon. Arcadia’s principles remain the same: to be proactive in diagnosing problems, work with homeowners and business owners to ensure healthy properties, and protect the planet by choosing eco-friendly solutions. Arcadia provides people and their properties peace of mind through being fully WorkSafe compliant, and using products that minimize the impact on the Okanagan microclimate that we call home. With decades of knowledge in the industry, Arcadia can help you restore and revive your mature fruit trees. Contact us today and see what Arcadia can do for you.