Most apple trees lose their leaves during fall as they prepare for the chilly winter season. However, that doesn’t mean you should stop your orchard maintenance routine. Maintaining optimal fall tree care is essential to ensure your apple trees thrive once spring temperatures arrive.
To help you maintain your orchard, Petrarca Landcare Inc. is here to explain how to care for apple trees in fall and ensure they remain healthy throughout autumn and beyond.
Petrarca Landcare Inc. is Lakewood, Ohio’s premier destination for seasonal tree care and associated services. If you need a reliable and experienced tree service in Lakewood, Ohio, look no further than Petrarca Landcare Inc.
Caring for Apple Trees During Fall: Best Practices
Many Lakewood residents underestimate the importance of autumn tree care and don’t give their orchard the attention it needs to flourish. It’s essential to maintain your apple trees’ health and durability through fall to guarantee a successful harvest later on. Below are a few efficient tips to help you care for apple trees in fall:
1. Maintain Moist Soil
Apple trees need plenty of water to adequately prepare for winter. Keeping the soil moist promotes root growth and helps your trees withstand turbulent weather and cold temperatures.
Once the apple trees lose their leaves, thoroughly water the soil every day until temperatures fall below 45 degrees. You must ensure the water penetrates at least two to three inches deep.
2. Stop Fertilizing
Although you want your apple tree’s roots to grow before fall, you don’t want to promote branch growth. It’s best to stop fertilizing apple trees after July 1st to encourage dormancy instead of generating fruits and limbs. Fertilizing during fall will reduce the tree’s hardiness, making it difficult to withstand winter weather.
3. Pick up Leaves
Fallen leaves often attract mice and other pests that can damage apple trees. They are also a haven for leaf-borne diseases that can infect your trees and adversely affect their health and fruit production. Always pick up fallen leaves underneath your apple trees to prevent diseases and pest infestations.
4. Don’t Prune Limbs
Unless the tree has a dead or diseased branch, wait until spring to prune your trees. Trimming limbs during fall hinders dormancy, leaving them susceptible to cold temperatures. Freezing temperatures can damage the tree if it isn’t hardened off correctly, leading to numerous issues ranging from reduced fruit production to death.
Contact Petrarca Landcare Inc. for First-Class Apple Tree Care in Lakewood, Ohio
If you want to heighten your apple trees’ health and resistance while improving production, contact Petrarca Landcare Inc. Our arborists understand how to properly care for apple trees in fall and will ensure your orchard reaches its full potential. Whether you need professional seasonal tree care or want to know which trees produce the most pollen, Petrarca Landcare is here to help.
Give Petrarca Landcare a call at (330) 933-0562 and see what we can do for your Lakewood, Ohio, property today!