Summer’s here, and every long hot day brings your fruit trees closer to reap. However, from bugs to sunshine, there are many summertime risks to a tree’s health. With some extra care now, many potential problems are often minimized or prevented altogether.
Protecting Your Tree
Trunk wraps are useful tools to stop a spread of problems including sunscald, rodent damage, insects, and mechanical damage. There are many sorts of trunk wraps available, including Spiral Tree Guards and Jobe’s Tree Wrap. Simply wrap your tree with one among these low-cost options and it’ll be protected the entire season long! If you weed eat around your trees, protect the trunk with a Tree and Plant Guard. spiral tree guardsSunscald also can be prevented with a coat of white paint. Use interior latex, and dilute with equal parts of water. For newly planted trees, paint one coat from slightly below soil level all the thanks to the highest of the trunk. If the cover has not grown enough by the second year to shade the trunk, the second coat of paint should be applied at that point. For older trees, paint any areas of the trunk or larger limbs that would be subject to sunscald. Deer and other large browsers can quickly kill a young tree and damage your harvest, either by eating it or by scratching their antlers on the trunk. Deer fencing is that the most straightforward and effective solution to keeping your tree safe from deer, elk, cows, or whatever your local wild (or not so wild) pest could also be. If fencing isn’t an appropriate option for your landscape, there are many other tools available, like motion-activated sprinklers, deer repellent sprays, and glow-in-the-dark “predator” eyes. Birds also are a threat to the harvest, and appear to understand just the proper time to fly in and eat your fruits just before you propose on harvesting them. Keep the birds off with bird netting before they become a drag. you’ll also try bird scare tools like the bird chaser balloon, but you want to be vigilant in switching these out hebdomadally or the birds will get won’t to the once-scary object.
Conserving Water
Mounding is often beneficial where the drainage is sweet, and therefore the soil is sandy or loamy because it can help keep the basis zone moist by creating a basin for water. However, the roots shouldn’t be kept in soggy soil, so avoid mounding so as to assist excess water drain off if your soil has poor drainage or is heavy clay. to form a mound, pile dirt during a donut-shaped revolve around the tree, with the “donut hole” at the first ground level. don’t pile any dirt within 6 inches of the bottom of the tree, to stop an eroding mound from covering the trunk. Pack the dirt down hamper the erosion. The mound should be removed within the wet season in order that it doesn’t hold an excessive amount of water within the root zone at that point. Mulching around your tree may be a good way to save lots of water, decrease weeds, regulate the soil temperature, and supply organic interest the soil because the mulch breaks down. you’ll mulch with wood chips, straw, cocoa hulls, or other biodegradable materials, or with pre-cut mulch mats made from coconut coir. If using loose mulch, make a layer four to 6 inches thick, and start mulching six inches from the trunk. The mulched area should extend out three or four feet from the trunk. If you’re installing drip irrigation, run the tubing underneath the mulch.
Watering Wisely
The amount and frequency of irrigation will depend upon many factors, including soil conditions, weather, and mulch. A newly planted tree will need up to 10 gallons of water per week for the primary season, however, it’s going to need much less if the weather is cool or it’s a thick mulch layer preventing evaporation and cooling the soil. Older, established trees need less water. to understand if your tree is getting the proper amount of water, dig down 6 to 12 inches and check the soil moisture together with your fingers. Checking this frequently will offer you an honest feel of what’s normal for your soil, so you’ll identify correct moisture levels as required. A soil moisture meter is often a helpful tool; use one with an extended enough probe to see at the right depth. don’t judge moisture by the soil on the surface. Drip irrigation may be a good investment for any tree. Drip irrigation conserves water and saves time. Or, if you’ve got built a mound around your tree, you’ll simply fill the well within the middle with five gallons of water once or twice every week. Give some extra care to your fruit trees this summer to enjoy a bountiful harvest for several years to come!
