Care of fruit trees in autumn

Plants are living beings and in each season they require certain attentions. The care of fruit trees in autumn requires, among others, less watering, pruning and treatments to prevent diseases.

Leaf fall marks the beginning of a period of recollection. It is the moment when plants begin to become dormant. Many fruit trees are completing the fruit ripening process but there are also those that require more attention to cope with the new weather conditions.

Whatever the situation of your garden, it is important to know some of the essential tasks. Putting them into practice will allow your specimens not only to withstand the conditions of the coming season and the next one, but also to reach spring in perfect condition.

The basic care of any garden makes watering a fundamental pillar. However, the arrival of autumn means a change in the way you should water your plants. Given the weather conditions typical of this time of year, in many areas the soil often remains wetter for longer.

It is important to reduce the frequency of regular watering. The key is to moisten the base well but without leaving it waterlogged, as the opposite can pose risks to the health of your trees.

Prevention is the best medicine to ensure the proper condition of your fruit trees. Autumn is usually synonymous with fungi and pests, two threats to your specimens that you can keep at bay by applying the appropriate treatments. Look for copper-based fungicides and remember to apply them at one time or another depending on the type of tree.

In the case of pome fruit trees, the optimal time to apply preventive treatments will be when they have lost 75% of the leaf, while in the case of stone fruit trees you can do it at 50%.

Although you can deliver these treatments through irrigation, spraying is the most recommended method. The reason is as simple as reducing the possibility of damaging beneficial fungi in the soil to a minimum. However, avoid spraying on windy days or in temperatures below 5º.

Slowing of plant growth is a common occurrence during autumn. This sluggishness is one of the reasons why this is also the time for pruning. The idea is to remove not only those branches that are oversized, but also weak, dry or diseased branches that compete for nutrients but contribute nothing to the tree.

Experts recommend taking the utmost care with tools (pruning shears and saws usually) to avoid endangering the health of fruit trees.

Garden care and maintenance tasks don't stop with the arrival of the last season of the year. In fact, it is a perfect time to add new specimens to the landscaping of your home. Transplanting fruit trees in the fall is, therefore, one of the most recommended tasks if you want to take advantage of this season.

There are basically two ways to have new fruit trees added or transplanted in autumn to your garden: in pots or in the ground. In the first case, just choose a more generous pot - 5 or 10 centimeters wider and about 10 centimeters deeper - and add some growing medium.

On the other hand, if you are thinking of planting your fruit tree in the ground, you should dig a hole about half a meter in diameter and mix the soil with compost or mulch.

The key to ensuring that your trees have a healthy fall and make it through the winter is to maintain them constantly. You don't need to keep an eye on them all the time, but you do need to provide them with the appropriate care at all times.

Other recommendations that you can add to the adjustment of irrigation, pruning or treatments are the elimination of weeds or the placement of a mulch around the youngest specimens.