Updated Oct 7, 2026

It’s no secret that fruit trees need a bit more care than other plants, but we promise it’s not as difficult as you might think! Fruit trees left alone will flower and produce fruit, but if you want a big fruit tree harvest, be prepared to put some effort in.

Need to skip ahead? Use the links below to jump to a specific section:

• Understanding How Fruit Trees Grow
• Mastering the Basics: Water, Light, & Fertilizer
• Pruning & Thinning
• Fruit Tree Care Through the Seasons
• Matching Your Orchard With Your Lifestyle
• Plant like a Pro
• Preventative Care
• Common Pests & Diseases and What to Do About Them

The care needed for a particular fruit tree will change depending on the season and where you’re growing it. Even two varieties of the same fruit might require different care needs. Sure, you can write down everything you know about a certain fruit tree and what it needs compared to the others, but it’s much more important that you understand how to read plants. By understanding the common signs that plants exhibit when their needs aren’t being met or what fruit trees need in general, you’re much better prepared to grow your own home orchard without the stress.

Keep scrolling to dive into fruit tree care, and check out the video below to see how @backyard_gardener_rach takes care of her fruit trees:

Understanding How Fruit Trees Grow

Most trees you purchase aren’t going to be fully mature yet, and that means you have some growing to do. Just like babies have different needs than adults do, the same goes for trees. A younger tree isn’t going to have the same needs as a mature one. Similarly, a younger tree is going to focus on establishing in the area and not so much on fruit production like an older one. So if you’re just starting out with your fruit tree and wondering where all the fruit is, it’s normal and okay! Below are some other tips on what to expect from a tree depending on the stage of life it’s in.

Saplings

Saplings are the babies of the tree world and are around 1-4 years old with limited branching. They’ll need some extra protection in the winter or other extreme weather conditions and regular watering. The fruit and flowers might be present but not fully developed since most of the energy is going to the roots to establish themselves. If your tree is under two years old, we actually recommend pinching those flowers and any small fruit off as they appear. It’s hard to do, but every bit of energy your tree isn’t spending on a handful of fruit goes into roots and branches instead, and that pays you back for decades. It’ll take around 3 years to become established in a location, so be consistent and keep a lookout to catch any issues before they get out of hand. If something already looks off, skip ahead to Common Pests & Diseases and What to Do About Them below.

Adolescent Trees

Adolescent trees are anywhere from 4-10 years old. Just like the lanky phase that a teenager might go through, trees at this stage might still be filling out. Expect some branches but not the full canopy just yet. The exciting part is that your tree will start to produce more regular and heavier harvests. Pay attention to pruning and training your tree at this stage to make sure it’s growing how you want it to. These are the years that set your tree’s permanent structure, so the shape you build now is the shape you live with. Head to the Pruning & Thinning section for how to do it.

Mature Trees

Mature trees are around 10 years old and the final height will vary depending on the kind of tree you have and the pruning you’ve done. In general, your tree is established at this point and is on a routine with the weather in your area. Besides some predictable maintenance like pruning or spraying for a recurring issue, you can enjoy the (literal) fruits of your labor!

Mastering the Basics

One of the first things you learn about plants is that they’ll need light, water and nutrients to survive. Without one, the plant will die, and with the wrong amount of any of them, the plant becomes stressed. A stressed fruit tree of any kind will give you less fruit, so try to learn how to tell what a plant needs to avoid overdoing it.

Watering

One of the most common things asked after getting a new plant is, “how much should I water it?” While you’re correct to focus on proper watering, the better question to ask is “how much moisture can the plant tolerate?” There’s no magical amount of water that your tree needs - it’s entirely subjective, which is why many home gardeners struggle. Depending on the season, soil, climate, and type of plant, there are endless combinations to have that will influence the amount of water needed. Instead, focus on knowing how to water properly and how to know when your plant needs more or less moisture. This way, you can adjust to whichever conditions you have in your yard.

That said, everyone needs a starting point. Aim for about an inch of water a week during the growing season, counting rainfall. In practice that usually means a deep soak once or twice a week for a newly planted tree in its first season, and once every week or two for an established one, adjusted up in hot, dry stretches. Treat those numbers as a place to begin and let the soil have the final say.

Overwatered plants are susceptible to root rot, fungal issues, and pests. They’ll often display droopy leaves, and in some cases, drop leaves prematurely. Under-watered plants appear dry and have crispy, browning leaf edges. The leaves in these cases might droop and fall prematurely, as well. The easiest way to tell is simply by feeling the soil. Dig down a few inches next to the tree and see if the soil is moist or dry. Dry soil means it’s time to water and wet soil means hold off.

Pro Tip: Never just look at the soil to determine if it’s wet or dry, as this could be misleading. Make sure you’re actually feeling the soil a few inches down. If you rather not get your hands dirty you can also use a moisture meter or soil probe.

How to effectively water your plants

• Water your fruit trees in the morning to limit water waste through evaporation and allow the plant to use it more efficiently over the period of the day.
• Water at the base of the plant - Fruit trees are susceptible to fungal issues, so the less water in the canopy the better. Yes, the rain will get your leaves wet, but try not to extend the wetness by watering the leaves as well - it’s the roots that need the water.
• Use lukewarm water - If you have a hose that sits in the sun all day, let the initial hot water run out before using it.
• Low water pressure is best - When watering, aim for a light rainfall sort of pressure that won’t displace soil or mulch. This also minimizes the splashing, further protecting your leaves and fruit from fungal damage.
• Slow is key! - Plants uptake water slowly, so take your time. If you use an irrigation system, use a drip rate over a period of hours. For a hose, let it sit at the base of the plant for 10-15 mins to make sure the water has saturated the soil and not just run off.
• If using containers for your fruit trees, be prepared to water more frequently - Container plants will dry faster than those planted in the ground. Don’t assume every plant needs the same amount of water on the same schedule.
• Water deeply rather than often - Short, shallow watering trains roots to stay near the surface, where they dry out fast and offer the tree very little to hold onto in a drought or a windstorm.

Light

Light is how a plant is able to produce food and sugars for itself to then convert to energy to grow its delicious fruits. No light means no energy and no fruit, so it’s important to get this part right if you want a harvest.

Too much light can result in sunburn on the leaves! Yes, it is possible for a leaf to get sunburnt and often looks like the top and outermost leaves got too close to an open flame. On the other hand, too little light will cause pale-looking leaves that are smaller than expected and might be sparse on elongated branches reaching for extra light.

While it’s possible to transplant your fruit tree, it’s best to start off in the right spot. Before planting, notice how the sun moves through your area and figure out the spots that get direct sunlight.

Helpful light information to know:

• Afternoon sun is more intense than morning sun.
• The south side of your yard will receive the most sunlight while the north side receives the least amount of sunlight.
• Full sun plants (most fruit trees fall into this category) will need around 6-8+ hrs of direct sunlight per day.
• Partial sun plants will need around 4-6 hrs of direct sunlight per day.
• Shade plants will need less than 4 hrs of sunlight per day.
• If the sun is too intense you can always invest in a shade cloth that decreases the intensity of the sun’s rays, providing some needed relief.
• If you have a fruit tree in a container we highly recommend checking out this article about grow lights.
• Give your trees room to see the sky. Most standard fruit trees want 12 to 20 feet between them, depending on variety and rootstock. Crowded trees shade each other out, and the still, humid air trapped between them is exactly what fungal problems are waiting for.

Fertilizer

If you have ever read a fertilizer label closely you might be having flashbacks to chemistry class. But no need to worry about lab partners or homework here; when it comes to plants it’s fairly simple.

Plants need a total of 16 nutrients to survive, but you’ll only have to be familiar with the main three nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). You should always fully read the label and start fertilizing at the start of the growing season.

The role of each of the three main nutrients is as follows:

• Nitrogen is responsible for foliage and leafy growth
• Phosphorus is responsible for flower development
• Potassium is responsible for water retention and fruit development

By changing the amount of each nutrient in the fertilizer you get different formulations suited for different plants. For example, grass fertilizers will have a high nitrogen content to support a lush green lawn, but a rose fertilizer will be higher in phosphorus to support the flowers. This is why fertilizers aren’t one size fits all. Using the same fertilizer for your grass on your roses will get you an abundance of leaves but few flowers.

If you’re still a bit confused, think about fertilizers the same way you think about vitamins. We take vitamins to obtain nutrients more efficiently than through diet alone, and the kind of vitamins we take are based on our specific needs. Sure, you could take a child’s vitamin and be just fine, but you’re better off taking one suited for your needs like vitamin C for your immune system or Omega 3s for your heart.

The same is true when it comes to plants and fertilizers. You can give your fruit trees a general all-purpose fertilizer, but you wouldn’t be supporting it as well as you could. Instead, look for a fruit-specific fertilizer that’s higher in phosphorus and potassium so you can support the fruiting process directly. To give your trees the exact boost they need for an abundant harvest, we highly recommend Root Rocket® Berries & Fruits Fertilizer or their specialized Citrus Fertilizer.

Start with a soil test

Before you buy anything, it helps to know what your soil already has. A basic soil test tells you your pH and which nutrients are short, so you’re feeding what your tree actually needs instead of guessing. Most county extension offices run them inexpensively, but keeping a tool like the Rapitest Digital Soil pH Meter on hand is a great way to monitor your baseline at home. Testing every three years is plenty for an established orchard.

How to read a fertilizer label

Now you know a bit about the nutrients, take a look at any fertilizer container and you should see three numbers either printed on the front in bold or maybe off to the side (example shown below). These three numbers give you the percentage of the three main nutrients that are contained in that formula. The nutrients will always be in the same order so you can tell at a glance, based on the higher number, what that particular fertilizer supports.

XX - XX - XX

% Nitrogen (N) - % Phosphorus (P) - % Potassium (K)

Where and when to apply it

Feeding a tree is not like feeding a houseplant. Fruit tree roots spread out well beyond the trunk, roughly as wide as the branches above them, so that’s where the fertilizer needs to go.

• Spread granular fertilizer evenly in a ring under the canopy, out to the drip line where rain falls off the outermost branches. Keep it a few inches off the trunk itself.
• Water it in thoroughly so the nutrients actually reach the root zone instead of sitting on the surface.
• Apply once just before new growth starts, and again in early summer if your tree is carrying a heavy crop.
• Stop feeding by midsummer. Late nitrogen pushes tender new growth that won’t harden off before cold weather arrives.

Go easy on the nitrogen in general. Too much and you get a big, beautiful, leafy tree with very little fruit on it, which is a frustrating way to learn this lesson.

This is only the basics on fertilizer, and if you want to know about the different forms of application and more about organic fertilizers, check out our blog. 

Pruning & Thinning

Water, light, and nutrients keep a fruit tree alive. Pruning and thinning are what make it productive. Both ask you to remove growth you worked hard for, which feels wrong the first few times you do it. Do it anyway. A tree that gets pruned and thinned gives you bigger fruit, stronger limbs, and fewer disease problems than one left entirely to its own devices.

When to prune

The bulk of your fruit tree pruning happens while the tree is dormant, after the leaves have dropped and before the buds start to swell. The tree isn’t actively growing, so cuts heal cleanly, and with the leaves out of the way you can finally see the structure you’re working with.

Dormant pruning is when you:

• Remove anything dead, damaged, or diseased
• Take out branches that cross, rub, or grow back toward the center
• Open up the middle of the canopy so light and air can reach the interior
• Cut off water sprouts shooting straight up and suckers coming from the base

Peaches and other stone fruits are the exception on timing. Wait until the tail end of dormancy, once the risk of a hard freeze has passed, since fresh cuts on stone fruit are vulnerable to cold injury.

A lighter round of summer pruning is worth doing too. Once the tree has leafed out, taking out a few crowded interior branches lets sunlight reach the fruit, which helps it ripen and color up.

Pro Tip: Whatever shape you’re after, don’t remove more than about a quarter of the canopy in one dormant season. Cut harder than that and the tree usually responds with a flush of leafy water sprouts instead of fruiting wood.

The shape you’re aiming for

Most fruit trees do best trained into one of two shapes, and which one depends on what you’re growing.

Open center, or vase shape. Best for peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and cherries. Rather than one central trunk, you keep three to five main branches spreading outward from a low point and leave the middle open. Sunlight reaches everything, air moves through freely, and fruit ripens evenly instead of just on the outside.

Central leader, or pyramid shape. Best for apples and pears. One main vertical trunk with tiers of branches coming off it, each tier a little shorter than the one below, so the top of the tree isn’t shading out the bottom.

Thinning fruit, on purpose

This is the step most home growers skip, and it’s the one that changes your harvest the most. A healthy tree will set far more fruit than it can actually ripen. Leave all of it on and you get a heavy crop of small, watery fruit, branches that bend or snap under the weight, and often a disappointing year afterward because the tree wore itself out.

Thin when the young fruit is about the size of a marble, usually a few weeks after the petals drop. Your tree will shed some on its own before then, so let that happen first.

• Peaches and nectarines: leave 6 to 8 inches between fruits
• Apples and pears: leave 4 to 6 inches, and reduce clusters to one or two fruits each
• Plums and apricots: leave 2 to 4 inches

The rule that covers every tree: no two fruits should be touching. Fruit pressed together traps moisture between them and invites rot, and neither one has the room it needs to size up.

Pull the undersized, scarred, and damaged fruit off first, then thin what’s left to spacing. It feels wasteful in the moment. The fruit you keep will be noticeably bigger, and your branches will thank you in August.

Fruit Tree Care Through the Seasons

Fruit tree care is less of a checklist and more of a rhythm. The tricky part is that the rhythm doesn’t run on a calendar. A peach tree in Georgia breaks dormancy weeks before one in Michigan, so “prune in February” is useful advice in exactly one part of the country.

Instead of dates, watch the tree. Bud swell, bloom, petal fall, and leaf drop happen everywhere, just at different times, and they’re the cues that tell you what your tree needs next. Here’s the full year at a glance.

 

A few notes on the trickier stages

Dormancy is your working season. It feels like the off months, but this is when the highest-value jobs happen. Structural pruning, dormant sprays, soil tests, and trunk protection all belong here, and all of them are much harder or less effective once the tree leafs out.

Bloom is hands-off. Once flowers are open, put the sprayer down, even the organic one. Your fruit depends on pollinators showing up, and almost nothing you’d apply during bloom is worth the trade.

Petal fall is the busiest week of your year. Sprays resume, thinning starts, and watering gets serious, often all within a couple of weeks. If you only mark one stage on your calendar, mark this one.

Don’t quit after harvest. It’s tempting to walk away once the fruit is picked, but your tree is busy setting next year’s buds. Fall cleanup, compost, and steady water through leaf drop are a direct investment in next summer’s crop.

Not sure where your own yard falls in this cycle? Your growing zone is the starting point, and our Plant Experts can help you line these stages up with your local conditions.

Matching Your Orchard With Your Lifestyle

Although growing fruit will always take some time out of your week, there are ways to make it a little less time consuming. Here are some tips to reduce the hours you put into your garden and to improve your fruit yield.

If efficiency is your goal…

Give composting a try. Adding compost is an effective method to enrich your soil, feed your plants, and invest in the long-term wellness of your garden (all at the same time).

The best part is that you can make free compost right at home! Collect old plant debris and kitchen scraps and start a compost pile/bin in a corner of your yard. Plus, composting helps make your gardening more sustainable!

If sustainability is your goal…

Use nature to your advantage by planting specific plants to boost fruit production and deter pests. Our favorite crop-boosting companion plants are herbs like catmint or rosemary. These will keep pests away and draw in pollinators like bees and butterflies. By planting these varieties, you’ll cut down your workload (and amp up your fruit yield). Chives and garlic planted around the base of peach and cherry trees are a good addition too, since their scent helps mask the trunk from egg-laying borers.

If easy maintenance is your goal…

Fruit plants can be arranged in a way to make their care less time consuming. Divide your yard into sections and focus your attention on one section at a time. Then, rotate your section focus to avoid work piling up everywhere.

Pro Tip: Plant your highest maintenance trees in an easy-access area with plenty of space to work. That will help make regular weeding, watering, pruning, etc. a breeze!

Plant Like a Pro

Yes, you can dig a hole and put a tree in, but let’s take it a step further. Planting is vital in setting up the tree for better establishment in your yard. After all, the goal is a good establishment, not a quick one. There isn’t much you can do to speed up nature, but avoiding errors and issues will prevent you from setbacks.

Professional Planting Tips:

• Be gentle during the whole process - Yes, trees are hardy and can withstand a lot, but why add extra stress when being planted is already stressful enough? Instead of yanking off the pot, gently roll the container on its side and slide it off to minimize root damage. When handling the tree, have a firm grip at the base right next to the roots to avoid accidental breakage.
• It’s okay if some roots rip - It might seem counterintuitive to the tip above, but there are some situations where you’ll need to purposely tear some roots. If your tree is root-bound or has circling roots, tease them apart! Circling roots are bad news for older trees because they can expand and eventually choke out the tree.
• Staking is often required for younger fruit trees when they’re getting established to prevent breakage -  When staking, pull your rope taut but leave some slack - if it’s too tight it can actually create tension and cause the tree to break. Check back from time to time as the tree grows to adjust or remove supports and make sure they’re not restricting sap flow by being too tight around the branches.
• Plant while the tree is dormant if you can - Late winter into early spring, before buds break, gives roots a head start before the tree has leaves to support. Fall works well in mild climates. Bare-root trees in particular should go in the ground during dormancy.
• Check your drainage before you dig - Fill the hole with water and see how long it takes to drain. If water is still sitting there hours later, pick a different spot or plant on a slight mound, because fruit tree roots will not tolerate standing water.
• Mulch once the tree is in - A 2 to 3 inch layer of wood chips or straw out to the drip line holds moisture, keeps weeds down, and feeds the soil as it breaks down. Pull it back a few inches from the trunk so bark stays dry and rodents have nowhere to hide.

For more, check out our comprehensive guide on fruit tree planting.

Preventative Care

Nothing in life is fool-proof and plants are no exception. Even with the most diligent care, issues can arise, so it’s best to know what to expect and how to be prepared. Below is an overview of the issues that come up most often with fruit trees, what they look like, and what’s out there to help combat them, but for a more in-depth look at diagnosing and treating common problems, check out our full guide to fruit tree troubleshooting.

Common issues that fruit trees face can be divided into the main categories of fungal, bacterial, viral, nutritional, environmental, and physical. Depending on the kind of fruit trees you’re growing, you might be more susceptible to one over the other.

Non-Chemical Actions to Help Protect Your Fruit Trees

Before you call it quits or invest in chemical sprays there’s actually a lot you can do to decrease the chances of your tree becoming sick. Below are just a few ideas of how you can best support your tree to naturally fend off problems.

• Keep your tree happy! - We know, easier said than done but there’s some truth behind this. Stressed trees are more vulnerable to illness just like our immune system is compromised in times of high stress. Prioritizing care is just a simple step you can take to minimize the severity and occurrence of issues.
• Use physical deterrents - If you’re facing pest issues or fungal issues, try to get at the source. Invest in bug deterrents like sticky paper or traps to capture them before they get to your tree. Burn or bag fungal-infested leaves that have fallen to stop the spread to healthy trees.
• Keep tidy - Not all gardens have to be in rows or picture-perfect, but there is value in raking up old leaves and weeding. These actions prevent hiding spots for pests and bacterial and fungal spores that might make their way to your tree. Dispose of leaves and weeds in a compost pile away from your fruit trees and replace them with a 2 to 3 inch mulch ring that stops a few inches short of the trunk.
• Protect the trunk - Young bark sunburns, and the cracks that follow are an open door for borers. A coat of diluted white latex paint or tree trunk paint on the lower trunk reflects the worst of it. In winter, a spiral tree wrap or a collar of window screen keeps rabbits and voles from chewing the bark while nothing else is available to them.
• Overwintering - If you’re growing tropical plants (or live in a zone too cold for your fruit trees), you’ll need to protect them from losing their progress in winter. Depending on the plants you have, here are your options:
• Move container plants into a greenhouse, near or in your house, or into a sheltered area - You can even use a temporary structure, but we recommend looking online to find a solution that works for your plant and budget.
• In-ground plants should be wrapped or covered with materials to keep the cold out - Frost blankets are great to help insulate your plants. If you’re running on a tight budget, consider using old sheets or burlap. Whatever you choose, be sure the material is breathable (you don’t want your plant to suffocate).

Common Pests & Diseases and What to Do About Them

Knowing the category a problem falls into is useful. Knowing its name is better, because that’s what tells you when to act. Most of these have a narrow window where treatment actually works, and it usually isn’t the moment you first notice the damage.

Pests you’re most likely to meet

• Aphids - Clusters of tiny soft insects on new growth, with curled or sticky leaves. A strong spray of water knocks most of them off. Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil handles the rest, and ladybugs will do it for free if you let them.
• Spider mites - Fine speckling and a dusty, bronzed look on leaves in hot, dry weather. Water-stressed trees get hit hardest, so consistent watering is half the fix. Horticultural oil helps.
• Scale - Small immobile bumps along twigs and branches that look more like bark than bugs. Dormant oil in late winter is by far the easiest way to deal with them.
• Codling moth - The classic wormy apple. The larvae tunnel to the core, so once you can see the hole it’s too late for that fruit. Traps starting at bloom tell you when the moths are flying, and spinosad timed to that flight is the follow-up.
• Peach twig borer - New shoot tips wilt and die back in spring. Bt or spinosad shortly after petal fall is the window that matters.
• Peachtree borer - Sawdust-like frass and gummy ooze at the base of the trunk on peaches and cherries. Keep the trunk clear and protected, dig out any borers you find, and treat the area with neem.
• Plum curculio - A crescent-shaped scar on young fruit, often followed by early fruit drop. Treatment starts at petal fall, and clearing dropped fruit off the ground breaks the cycle.
• Spotted wing drosophila - A small fruit fly that lays eggs in ripening soft fruit and berries rather than damaged ones. Pick frequently and completely, and refrigerate what you harvest right away.
• Japanese beetles - Leaves skeletonized down to the veins in early summer. Hand-picking into soapy water works on a few trees. Kaolin clay or neem helps on a larger scale, and milky spore or beneficial nematodes go after the grubs in the lawn.

Diseases worth knowing by name

• Peach leaf curl - Puckered, reddened, distorted leaves in spring on peaches and nectarines. There is no fixing it once leaves emerge. A copper fungicide applied during dormancy, before buds swell, is the whole strategy.
• Brown rot - Fruit that turns brown, softens, and shrivels on the branch, often with fuzzy gray spores. Remove every mummified fruit you can find, including the ones hanging on through winter, and use sulfur as needed on stone fruit.
• Fire blight - Shoot tips on apples and pears blacken and curl into a shepherd’s crook, as if scorched. Prune out infected wood well below the visible damage, and sterilize your tools between every cut so you aren’t spreading it yourself.
• • Apple scab - Olive-brown spots on leaves and corky lesions on fruit in wet springs. Rake and remove fallen leaves, since that’s where it overwinters. Choose scab-resistant varieties if it’s a recurring problem in your area.
• Cedar apple rust - Bright orange-yellow spots on apple leaves, coming from nearby junipers and cedars. Removing host junipers within a few hundred feet helps most, and resistant varieties save you the trouble.
• Powdery mildew - A white dusty coating on new growth and shoot tips. Pruning for airflow prevents most of it, and sulfur treats the rest.

The dormant spray, and why it does so much work

If you make room for one spray a year, make it the dormant one. With the leaves down and the tree resting, you can treat more thoroughly than at any other time, and you’re hitting overwintering pest eggs and fungal spores before they have a chance to get started.

• Horticultural or dormant oil smothers overwintering eggs and soft-bodied pests like scale, aphids, and mites.
• Copper fungicide targets overwintering fungal and bacterial spores, and it’s the only reliable way to get ahead of peach leaf curl.

Apply on a dry day above freezing, with no rain and no hard freeze in the forecast for the next day or two. Always read the label to confirm the product is cleared for fruit trees and check the interval between application and harvest.

Common Fruit Tree Sprays and Treatments

If you’ve ever looked at the treatment section of your garden supply store it might seem overwhelming to choose the right one or whether you should buy chemicals at all. But, rest assured that you have options and there are many ways to further protect your trees in a way that matches your lifestyle.

Types of Treatments

Insecticides, pesticides, and fungicides come in many forms depending on the application. These are targeted to a certain pest, insect, or fungus and are a great option if you know the specific issue you’re facing. As with any product, read the label fully for application instructions and to determine whether it’s fruit safe.

Broad-spectrum sprays are fantastic for general care and a bit more user friendly. They often have more than one active ingredient and mode of action to stop a variety of issues. As with other treatments, read the label fully and make sure it’s fruit safe.

Tips for Success

• We recommend that you address only the issues that you’re facing. For example, if you have no pest issue then there really is no need to waste time and money on an ant deterrent. Treat the issues that you have, and if you’re experiencing the same issues year to year, stay on top of the application.
• If you’re hesitant about spraying or applying certain chemicals, try looking into other methods or organic sprays. There’s a lot out there and with some searching, you’re bound to find the solution that works for you.
• Remember, trees are living and so, from time to time, an issue might pop up. This is normal and unfortunately just part of life. Do your best to catch it early and provide your tree with the care it needs and time to heal.
• Never spray while blossoms are open. Whatever the problem is, it can wait until petal fall, and your fruit tree pollinators cannot.

Yes, fruit tree care is more hands-on compared to other plants, but it’s not impossible and doesn’t have to be a hassle. Next time you water, take a moment to see how you’re watering and how to adjust. When reading a fertilizer label, see what the plant is actually receiving and if it supports the fruiting and flowering or just adding growth. Look at the age of your fruit trees and adjust your expectations to determine what stage of life it’s in. And when the buds start to swell next spring, you’ll know exactly what your tree is asking for. And be sure to implement the tips and tricks in this article to refine your gardening skills and get a better harvest.