What do you do after you remove that massive over bearing tree in your suburban backyard in the Inner West? Well, you plant a fruit tree!
There are plenty of websites available to tell you how to take care of your fruit trees. So what we’ve done is scoured the entire internet and combined the tips into one central place for your convenience.
Good things
- Keep the soil pH at a level of approximately 6. Soil pH test kits and electronic testers are really cheap and can be used multiple times. The correct pH allows for optimum growth and fruit quality.
- The hole you dig for the plant should be twice the size of the pot. This allows for the roots to grow through softer soil that comes from when you back fill. You should add calcium (dolomite and gypsum) and compost/organic matter in the planting hole. This provides quick and long term delivery of calcium which is the trucker for other nutrients.
- When you first plant your fruit tree, water the plant with a deep soaking of water 2-3 times per week until the tree is established.
- At the start of Spring and Autumn you should apply a fungicide mix. There are plenty of organic and non-organic products on the market – we suggest you thoroughly research them before application. The fungicide reduces attack of the leaves and fruit.
- To control both Citrus leaf miner and Citrus leaf curl you should spray white oil. It also can reduce sunburn.
- Mulch! This will reduce weed, increase water retention and once broken down it will provide nutrients for the tree. But make sure you keep the mulch away from the trunk as it can do some serious damage to your tree!
- Sun is a good thing! Typically, the more sun a fruit tree has the greater the yield of fruit.
Bad things
- Never allow fertiliser to touch the new roots. This may burn them.
- Never use too much fertiliser. This can be poisonous to the plant.
- Don’t allow too many flower (and fruit) on young trees. The plant must have branches thick enough to hold the weight of the fruit or otherwise you may lose a limb. Removing flowers and fruit in the first years will allow the plant to focus the energy on maturing resulting in larger crops sooner.