Spring is here and it's a great time to be out in the garden. Here are some tips for looking after your Fruit Salad Tree in Spring.
As your tree starts to show off its new Spring growth, it is important to remember to look at each graft of your tree. Check if there are one or more grafts that are growing much faster than others. Trim back the faster growers to maintain the balance of energy to each graft.
In the nursery, our Lemons, Oranges, Grapefruit, White & Yellow Peaches, Yellow Plums and White & Yellow Nectarines have woken up first. We know these varieties are strong growers, so we have pinched out the tops on some grafts to slow them down. Others have needed to be pruned a little more.
Tipping the grafts and balancing (pruning) the early wakers gives the varieties that like to wake up later a chance to not get left behind.
Visit our Tree care page for more tips on balancing your tree.
Don’t be alarmed if one or more grafts have not woken up from Winter dormancy!
Your stone fruit and apple Fruit Salad Trees will begin to wake up from dormancy now that the weather is warming up. Some stone fruit varieties wake up later than others (eg Apricots & Plums) and you will see flowers forming first, before they grow leaves.
Your Citrus trees will also start to grow new shoots and flowers. Citrus are evergreen, meaning they keep their leaves all year. The leaves may have gone a little yellow over Winter, but you should see them start to turn a darker green now, due to the longer daylight hours and warmth in Spring.
Did you know: Fruit is produced from the flowers of the tree? Every flower on your tree has the potential to be yummy fresh fruit.
It is also important to check your tree for any rootstock growth. This is growth coming from the main trunk, not a part of the graft, or can be growing straight up from the soil beside the main trunk (like a watershoot). Remove any rootstock as it takes the energy from the actual grafted fruit varieties on your tree.
In Citrus it is quite easy to identify as the leaves are very different (have three leaves similar to a 3 leaf clover) and the branches are very thorny.
The Stonefruit and Apple rootstock can be tricky to spot as they look so similar to the grafted varieties. If your tree is still marked with white paint where the grafts are growing from the trunk, anything else along the trunk is likely to be rootstock.
Some of our trees may also have hidden gems: Grafts that didn’t wake up before they left our nursery. These may have started when they arrived at their new home.
If you are unsure whether you have rootstock growth or a new graft growing you are welcome to send a photo through to us and we can assist with identification.
Rootstock removal needs to be done to ensure the original host tree cannot grow and take over the grafted varieties. The host tree is used for its vigorous growth and resistance to diseases, but their fruits are not edible, so we do not want them to grow.
The first fruits may grow within 6-18 months from the time you have received your tree. When we graft your Fruit Salad Tree, we use buds from mature, fruit bearing trees. This means there is not much waiting time for your tree to fruit.
If your tree is still quite young (in its first year) or small (under 1 metre), it is best to remove all the fruit when they are pea-sized. This will allow the framework (branches) of all the grafts to develop more. They will become stronger and thicker to be able to support the fruit in the following season.
If your tree is in its second or third year, thinning the number of fruits can also be beneficial to the growth of the tree. Thinning is done by removing about a third of the fruit on each graft. It is better to keep the fruit which is closer to the trunk of the tree and not the tips of the branches as this could weigh the branches down and cause breakages, unless they are supported. Read more about thinning the first fruits to allow for strong branchwork in our blog.
If you overlooked your stone fruit trees through Winter and forgot their annual May spray of Lime Sulphur or Copper Fungicide, they may have Leaf Curl. Leaf Curl is a fungus which causes blister like growths on the leaves and fruit. It mainly affects Nectarines and Peaches, however other stone fruit varieties are not immune.
If you notice the leaves on your stone fruit trees have been affected by Leaf Curl, remove these leaves and dispose of them in the bin. DO NOT place them in the compost.
Your tree will start to sprout new leaves which should be unaffected.
Put a reminder in your phone or garden diary to spray next autumn/winter because Leaf Curl, if left untreated over the years, can weaken and kill the tree.
Other pests and diseases to look for are Scale, Aphids and catterpillars.
If you have noticed ants running up and down the trunk and branches, take a closer look to see if you have tiny green/brown insects on the new growth. These could be aphids, which are sucking insects that excrete black poop that is sweet hence why there could be ants.
Ants could also be a sign of scale insects. There are various types of scale, although all look small and domed shape with a flat bottom. These are sucking insects as well and use the nutrients from the tree for their babies.
All three of these pests can be treated using Eco-Oil, Pyrethrum or Insecticidal Soaps.
All fruit trees require feeding once at the beginning of each season. Composted manures are a great source of nutrients for the trees. Some manures are better than others, but the rule of thumb is not to place fresh manure around the trees. Some of the organic matter in fresh manure can be too high and burn the roots of the tree. Manures also add good bacteria and fungus to the soil.
Slow release fertilizer is also a good all-rounder, as it supplies the tree with trace elements which it uses to grow and it breaks down into the soil gradually, so you can be rest assured that the tree is being fed throughout the season.
Tip: When applying fertilisers, mulch or compost leave a 10 cm gap from the trunk of the tree, this ensures moisture doesn’t sit against the trunk of the tree and cause collar rot.
If you would like further tips or information on caring for your Fruit Salad Tree please visit our Tree Care page.
If you are like most places on the east coast that have been drenched with a very wet winter your soil might have broken down quicker than normal and now it holds too much moisture and your tree could suffer. It's a great time to take the tree out of the pot and shake off most of the soil and either pot up to the next size or just re-pot if the roots aren't too big for that pot yet. Keep the roots moist while repotting and give it a seasol soaking when you are finished.
Use a premium potting mix, mix in slow release fertilizer and perlite for drainage and oxygen space in the soil. You don't want to put a small tree in a large pot because there is a lot more soil in a big pot therefore it will hold a lot more water than it needs. If you do, just water less often and make sure that the pot is sitting up off the saucer or ground to ensure the tree can drain away easily.
Our general rule for watering is always water as slowly as you can for more of a soak rather than a quick squirt with the hose. The quick watering tends to channel straight through and most of the soil is still dry as a bone. Once you have saturated the soil, wait until the tree starts to show signs of needing a drink and that will give you an idea of how often to water. If your tree looks much better when it gets a good rain soaking then that's telling you that your watering methods are not slow and thorough enough. Water less in the cooler months and more in the hotter months. If your tree goes dormant it wont need much water whilst dormant. If it's a citrus with fruit developing it will need more because the fruit will use a lot of water.
If you’re concerned about the roots starting to rot, apply some anti rot chemical to the soil or foliage if it's a citrus.
If you get the watering and fertilizer right there's a great chance that the tree will be healthy and that means less stress for the plant which means less bugs will attack it.
Keep up the care of your Fruit Salad Trees for bountiful fruits and enjoyment for years to come!
We stock a wide range of Fruit Salad Trees, which all boast different fruit on the same tree. Each fruit variety retains its own flavour, appearance and ripening time. We graft citrus, stonefruit and multi-apple trees.
Our fast fruiting trees can be grown in the ground, or in pots on your balcony.
Shop our wide range of trees now and check out our current specials here!
