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7 Things to Do for Your Trees This Autumn

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Jonathon Engels, a long-time vegetarian turned vegan, is currently on a trip from Guatemala to... Read More

For the most part, budding arborists and orchardists don’t think of autumn as a time to care for trees. In the winter, we sometimes have to protect them from the cold. In the spring, we want to see those flowers come and give them a good dose of fertility for the upcoming fruit to develop. In the summer, we are inspecting and thinning fruit, keeping things hydrated, and battling pests.

But, is there to do in autumn? Of course, there is. In a garden or orchard, in this case, there is always something to do. The truth is that once established, trees are prone to survive. They are designed to do it in the wild, so our trees will likely do it, too. However, we want them to thrive, and that means we might provide some extra attention.

With that in mind, here are some constructive things to do for your trees, specifically fruit trees, in autumn.

Source: Dave Wilson Nursery/YouTube

Harvest Fall Fruits

One thing many fruit trees like apples, pears, and persimmons need in the autumn is harvesting. Late summer into autumn is the time all the care for these trees pays off in abundant food. It’s crazy how often people get too busy to pick the fruits of their labor.

Once fruits are mature and ready for picking, we want to get them off the tree so that their energy can be put elsewhere.

Clean Debris

All trees, even evergreens, drop foliage in the fall as they transition into a state of dormancy. While in most cases this makes great mulch for beneath the tree, the detritus of fruit trees can attract and provide overwintering food and shelter for potential pests.

Rather than allowing fruit tree debris to break down beneath the tree, it might be better to compost it elsewhere and use different, more fungal mulch-like wood chips beneath them.

Mulch Heavily

Mulching heavily beneath fruit trees is a great thing to do in the autumn. The basics of mulching beneath trees is to put between two and four inches of wood chips from the trunk (but not in direct contact with it), to the dripline.

This should protect the root zone of the tree and keep it from having to compete with grass and weeds. Wood also promotes fungal soils, good for trees, rather than bacterial soils, good for herbaceous plants.

Source: Greener View/YouTube

Protect Trunks

There are lots of theories about how to protect tree trunks in the winter, but the idea is that many believe this is necessary. Some growers like to wrap trunks in burlap or cloth to protect them from the sun, frost cracks, and pest damage. Others like to use four-foot hardware cloth to keep animals at bay, but not provide hiding places for insects (in those cloth wraps).

To keep it simple, it’s worth considering whether or not those fruit tree trunks need some protection, and if so, choosing the method that suits your needs. This is especially the case for younger trees.

Avoid Fertilizing

Autumn is not the time for fertilizing. The trees shouldn’t be expending energy to put on new growth just before they go dormant. They should be winding down slowly for a winter’s slumber. So, autumn is the time to avoid fertilizing.

That said, a good heavy mulch will decompose over the winter providing slow-release nutrients that’ll benefit the roots as they strengthen.

Inspect Trees

Soon after the leaves have dropped in the fall, the weather is still pleasant for being outdoors, and it’s a great time to wander around inspecting the trees. With the foliage gone, it’ll be easy to spot any diseased or dead branches, as well as any other potential trouble so that it can be addressed.

The best time to prune trees is when they are dormant. Technically, it can be done from late fall to late winter, but being outside in fall is much nicer than in frigid February.

Source: MIgardener/YouTube

Prune Dead/Diseased Branches

In other words, late fall is an ideal time to prune fruit trees. This starts by removing any dead or diseased branches. Doing this will help prevent any damage from these branches falling on other parts of the tree and/or spreading disease. Plus, the trees won’t be expending energy to Support them.

Fall works wonderfully for getting these initial branches pruned. The trees can be pruned to shape at this time or later.

With any luck, putting in a little effort with the fruit trees in the fall will mean more fruit sets in the spring, and the trees will show their appreciation. Plus, it’s always nice to spend time in the garden anyway.

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