any fruit tree experts here?

[vash]

my backyard is divided. in the back, the yard looks like the trees vomited. i have maybe 10 medium sized fruit trees back there. they are in various stages of neglect. i plan to change all that. they are producing a feeble crop of fruit. i planted my veggie garden back there, and now i see the trees everyday. i want to make them healthy.

pruning. not this time of year, but when? after the leaves drop? how much do i take down. i want to keep them small, so i can harvest fruit without a ladder. small, is also good, i may need to net them to protect them from a fat pair of squirrels.

tree food? fertilizer; again, not when they are bearing fruit right? when?

i envision multiple raised veggie beds, surrounded by my healthy fruit trees. help

[svandamme]

pruning, i doubt you'de wanna do that in fall when the leaves drop.
you don't wanna cut em when they have to go through winter, that's one way to not have any fruit at all...

best right before spring, just before they get new leaves...

when you do cut em, you gotta treat the "wounds", there's stuff on the market for that, an oinkment so to speak... don't know any names or brands though...

don't prune em to small, trees need to grow, not sure how small you wanna keep em if you mean no ladder, also no extension tools to get to the fruit?? that's friggin tiny. like 15 apples/ tree??

doubt squirrels will be deterred by netting, they are cunning little bastards.

[tabs]

Pruning before Spring is best. You can thin them out pretty good...

Pruning Seal can be bought at any Home Depot or Lowes...it is a black tar like substance.

I had a Peach Tree in Alta Loma that produced grocery bags and bags of big peaches..
I miss that tree...I could eat 10 right off the tree...Never did much to that tree except prune and water...

The Nectraine tree right next to it never produced much. The Plum Tree was the same as the Peach..more than I could want or use...

[Tobra]

You want R Sanford Martin's book, How to prune fruit trees. If you do some looking, you could get it for less than 10 bucks. You will also want the Western Garden book. You can prune fruit trees pretty agressively. Stone fruit grows on 2nd year spurs.
Where are you? Local university's Ag dept should be able to help you out. Go to the library and take notes, photocopy sketches for trees of interest if you can't find this paperback for a reasonable price, maybe call a nursery

http://www.amazon.com/prune-fruit-Robert-Sanford-Martin/dp/B0007EDIVC

For fruit trees, be meticulous in collecting leaf litter, spraying for fungal infections, peach leaf curl, fire blight that sort of thing, with copper sulfate Water deeply and not too frequently, fertilize three times a year around drip line

Have a look at this
http://ucanr.org/repository/view.cfm?article=54129

[TimT]

I spoke with an arborist regarding pruning a pear tree that I have. She told me to prune when the tree is dormant... Here in NY that means late January to mid February.

Also you don't need to dress the wound

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/addinfo.htm#wounds

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Tobra

You want R Sanford Martin's book, How to prune fruit trees. If you do some looking, you could get it for less than 10 bucks. You will also want the Western Garden book. You can prune fruit trees pretty agressively. Stone fruit grows on 2nd year spurs.
Where are you? Local university's Ag dept should be able to help you out. Go to the library and take notes, photocopy sketches for trees of interest if you can't find this paperback for a reasonable price, maybe call a nursery

http://www.amazon.com/prune-fruit-Robert-Sanford-Martin/dp/B0007EDIVC

For fruit trees, be meticulous in collecting leaf litter, spraying for fungal infections, peach leaf curl, fire blight that sort of thing, with copper sulfate Water deeply and not too frequently, fertilize three times a year around drip line

Have a look at this
http://ucanr.org/repository/view.cfm?article=54129

+1 I always break out Martins book when people ask how to prune fruit trees. Excellent resource. Also, don't put anything on a wound. It has the potential of trapping moisture behind it. Proper pruning will promote healing and closure over the cut.

[Tobra]

also, clean your tools before and after pruning with bleach