Jun 28 2018

Caring for Your Fruit Trees During Winter

Gardening enthusiasts not only enjoy having a nice garden, there is also a sense of pride and achievement when ones fruit trees produces great fruit. While we’ve all been preparing for winter, it’s also important to remember that there are things that we should not neglect during the winter period. Since winter is right on our doorstep, we thought it be the best time to share some pointers for this time of year.

Pest Control - Winter Tree Care

During the winter period it might appear that there are less bugs or pests around our gardens but the reality is that bugs, spiders and other pests may simply hibernate or slow down and hide in the trees during this period until weather conditions improve where they can become active again.

Applying pesticides during the beginning and towards the end of winter are great times to minimise pests. Don’t be worried when you hear the word pesticide. There are natural and organic options available which will not only reduce the pest population but also do not cause any harm to the garden.

There are different forms of pest control and you can easily pick up product or more recommendations from your local nursery or hardware store in the gardening section and there are plenty of home recipes too which can be as easy as mixing lime and water to form a spray.

We’re not recommending any brand in particular but even going into your local Bunnings you’ll see there’s a huge range of product available. (https://www.bunnings.com.au/our-range/garden/gardening/garden-pest-weed-control)

Wiki How has some pointers on how you can make your own Organic Pesticides. You could turn this into a winter project with kids.https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Organic-Pesticide

Whether you’re making your own or using store bought products, don’t forget to always be safe, have protective gear and clothing where necessary and avoid getting product in the face or eyes.

winter tree care - important tips - williams tree pro services

Protect Your Plants & Trees During Winter

Some gardening enthusiasts have a greenhouse in their back yard. For those that do, work out which plants could use the extra protection and if they are already potted, it makes it much easier to temporarily relocate.

For those without, a greenhouse it does not mean that your trees will perish over winter. However, there are actions that can be taken such as wrapping trees that may be at risk of wind damage or even wind burn. Burlap is a common and generally cheap option to wrap trees or even to build wind breakers. If you are going to install your own windbreaker, make sure your installation is sturdy and your stakes are not weak. There is nothing worse than a windbreaker snapping during a storm.

Some other best practices that we recommend include:

Pruning & Maintenance

If you haven’t been pruning and performing regular maintenance during the year, there is still scope in winter to prune when the weather permits. Pruning greatly reduces the risk of further damage to trees and their surroundings from breakage during strong winds or rain. Especially for those taller trees. If you are unsure of what to do or do not have the right tools or experience, there is always the option of contacting a professional tree care service like our team at Williams Tree Pro Services.

Remove Dead Fruit

There is a good chance that there will be a few fruits left hanging on the tree and while it’s common to just let them drop naturally, they can be carriers of disease which could potentially infect the tree down the track. Most of the time it doesn’t take much effort so it makes sense to remove these.

Nutrition & Mulch

We spoke about nutrition in our previous blog when preparing for Winter but like us humans, trees will benefit from good nutrition. After most of the rains have passed, it would be a great excuse to get into the garden and apply some fertiliser and some fresh mulch to keep our plants healthy and slow the growth of weeds.

Rather than finding winter a drab especially when it comes to your garden, there is plenty of opportunity to still enjoy with activities that can be done around the place to keep your fruit trees and garden healthy.

Ask Williams Tree Pro about our Professional Tree Services and any of your Tree Care Needs. Winter tree care is just a part of our service offering and our friendly team of experienced and qualified arborists have the years of experience and knowledge already providing our clients with tree services including:

Just to name a few. If you are in Australia and need any tree pruning services in Perth or have any other tree removal or tree specialist needs, jump on the phone or email us and our experienced and fully qualified team will be happy to help or point you in the right direction.

We also supply mulch so contact us for a price or a no-obligation free quote.