When do you know that it is time to pull the plug on your fruit tree? A fruit tree that hasn’t fruited for several years is just an ornamental tree after all, and that’s not why you planted it. If your tree has gone three years or more and not set a decent amount of fruit, you may want to consider swapping it out for another species or cultivar. There are some types of mangos that just don’t set many fruit, so you may want to move on to one that does.
Most fruit trees will behave and fruit well. Those trees deserve to be treated right and in a timely fashion. Let’s look at the best time to:
Prune
The best time to prune a fruit tree is almost always after you pick the last fruit from the tree. This ensures that you will not interfere with the blooming cycle. If you were to prune an avocado in November, you would cause it to put out new growth and disrupt the blooms that were beginning to emerge.
Fertilize
Fertilizing is typically done in the heart of the summer when the rains and humidity help the nutrients to move to the roots of your fruit trees and get absorbed. There are restrictions in place, however, for Miami-Dade County that won’t let you fertilize in the summer with nitrogen or phosphorus. Micro-elements, including iron are still okay, as well as the macro element potassium. Potassium is the element needed most by fruit trees to properly flower and set fruit, so that’s a win.
Plant
The best time to plant is when you have a pick and a fruit tree in front of you. The second-best time to plant is in May, just before the rains begin. You can plant, keep the tree watered for a few weeks and then let Mother Nature take over as the rains will help you newly planted fruit tree to grow and become established. Look out for a super dry week or two in July as this can be dangerous if you don’t step in and water.
Water
Most fruit trees are very well adapted to south Florida and don’t need much water once they are established. Definitely water new plants as they need it. Use the finger test to see if the soil is dry or not. Do not water excessively. Too much of a good thing can be a very bad thing when it comes to water. Rotting roots and disease can be caused by too much water. The amount of water your lawn needs is vastly different from the amount of water your fruit trees need.
Treat for diseases or pests
Unless you are a commercial grower, don’t proactively treat for diseases or pests. Keeping your trees 100% clean is unnecessary. If you keep your trees properly spaced so they get full sun and good air flow, you will have less disease. If you have a variety of species in your yard, this well help the natural predators congregate and find your pests. Use your morning coffee time to walk your garden to look for the beginning of disease and pest problems. Taking care of them might be as easy as cutting off the infected area.
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