| Fruit Tips
Please Note: All recommendations are for central Maryland. Time frames shift two weeks earlier in Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore and two weeks later for Western Maryland. Check publications for further information.
JANUARY
- Fall bearing raspberries can be cut down to the ground and the spent fruiting canes of June bearers can also be removed now.
- Remove and dispose of all rotted or diseased fruits and fallen leaves from trees, vines and bushes. This will help reduce the amount of disease inoculums and number of insect pests that over-winter and attack your orchard next spring.
- Fruit plants can be pruned anytime during dormancy, between November and March. However, it is best to wait until late winter so that the full affects of winter weather can be assessed. This is especially true for peach trees.
- This is a good time to spray fruit trees that were attacked during the growing season by aphids, mites and scale insects, like Lecanium and San Jose scale. Spray trees thoroughly with a dormant oil spray making sure that temperatures are expected to remain above freezing for the 24 hour period after spraying.
- Fireblight damage on apples and pears should be pruned out during the coldest periods in December or January. This will lessen the chance of spreading this bacterial infection.
- Keep mulches away from the trunks of fruit trees to prevent vole feeding.
- Maintain mulches around small fruit plantings unless vole feeding is observed. Consider covering your strawberry patch with a piece of floating row cover. This material can help prevent winter injury and promote early growth in the spring.
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FEBRUARY
- Now is a good time to select and order fruit plants from mail order companies. Select recommended, disease resistant varieties when possible and be sure you indicate a desired shipping date. For help with selecting fruit varieties refer to our fact sheets: HG 68 “Getting Started with Small Fruits” and HG 69 “Getting Started with Tree Fruits”.
- Dormant oil sprays are very effective at reducing populations of some tree fruit pests such as aphids, mites and scale insects. If you’ve had problems with these pests, spray trees thoroughly with a dormant oil spray before bud break, making sure that temperatures are expected to remain above 40 degrees F. for the 24 hour period after spraying. It is only necessary to spray dormant oil one time. Do not spray dormant oil within 10 days of using a sulfur-containing spray.
- Liquid lime sulfur is a safe and inexpensive material that can be sprayed on raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry plants prior to bud swell to prevent cane diseases. It should also be applied to peach trees when buds begin to swell but before green tissue is visible to help prevent peach leaf curl disease. Apply to plum trees at bud swell to prevent plum pockets disease. Never spray dormant oil within 10 days of using a sulfur-containing spray.
- Fireblight damage on apples and pears should be pruned out now. This will lessen the chance of spreading this bacterial infection in the spring. Bordeaux mix and copper arefungicide/bactericides that can be applied to apple and pear trees prior to bud swell to reduce the incidence of firelight.
- Prune out the dead raspberry and blackberry canes that fruited last year. Fall fruiting raspberries like ‘Heritage’ can be cut down to the ground now. Prune small fruits and tree fruits when weather permits, but wait until March or bud break to prune peach and cherries. See HG 68 “Getting Started with Small Fruits” and HG 69 “Getting Started with Tree Fruits.”
- Fruit trees and grapes can also be pruned now, but it may be better to wait until March when you can better assess the amount of winter damage that needs to be removed.
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MARCH
- If you receive bare-rooted plants and cannot get them planted right away, keep them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area where they will not freeze. Keep the roots moist by covering with moist sawdust or shredded newspaper.
- If you’re considering strawberries, try some of these June-bearing cultivars - Earliglo, Allstar, Cavendish, and Annapolis. Apache, Arapaho and Navaho are erect, thornless blackberry cultivars with good flavor that require no support and work well in backyard gardens.
- Before planting a backyard orchard, give particular attention to air and water drainage. Select fruit tree varieties that are disease resistant to minimize the spraying fungicides. Avoid low frost pockets, where cold air gathers, or year after year flower buds may freeze and drop. Peach, cherry, nectarine and apricot blooms are particularly susceptible to freeze damage. Fruit crops are very susceptible to root rot if planted in heavy, slow draining soils. Newly planted fruit trees will need careful watering and even when established they will still need regular irrigation to help the fruit develop properly. A nearby water source is helpful.
- During the growing season even young non-bearing fruit trees still need to be managed for insect pests and diseases.
- Don't rush to remove mulch from strawberries. Leave it over your plants to protect them from late cold spells. When plants start to grow, the mulch should be removed enough to allow leaves to develop in the light. Leave the mulch under the plants to help reduce weeds. If leaves develop under the mulch, they will become blanched and yellow from lack of chlorophyll, and may burn and die when exposed to the sun.
- Small fruits such as brambles can be pruned starting now through the bloom period. Remove the fruited, dead canes of brambles and any flowering canes that are weak, diseased or infested with borers. Fall bearing raspberry plants should have been mowed/cut to the ground, but if they haven’t, do so now.
- Now is the time to start routine pruning apple and pear trees. Start your pruning by removing dead, broken and crossing branches and keep younger trees trained with a central leader much like a Christmas tree shape. Peach trees should be pruned after flowering. For peach trees, maintain an open vase shape to encourage good air circulation and fruiting throughout. Shorten all the branches and thin out weak growth.
- Peach trees usually require an annual early spring application of a balanced fertilizer (i.e. 10-10-10) at bloom. Be careful not to over-fertilize apple trees with nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can lead to excessive, weak growth and promote disease and insect pest problems. If apple and pear trees are healthy, fruitful, and making 12-18 inches of new shoot growth each year, they don’t need to be fertilized at all. Bramble plants should be fertilized when blooming with a top dressing of a balanced fertilizer (i.e. 10-10-10) or 2-3 inches of compost. Blueberry plants should be fertilized with ammonium sulfate at bloom and again when fruits first appear. This fertilizer helps maintain an acidic soil pH. Apply the fertilizer in a ring 12 inches from the base of each blueberry plant.
Insects
- Dormant oil sprays are very effective at reducing populations of some tree fruit pests, including scales, spider mites, and aphids. However, dormant oil sprays will burn open leaf and flower buds. If green tissue is showing, apply horticultural oil at the less concentrated summer, 2% rate. Be sure that temperatures are expected to remain above freezing for a 24 hour period after spraying oils or else plant damage may occur.
Disease
- Liquid lime sulfur is a safe and inexpensive material that can be sprayed on raspberry and blackberry plants prior to bud swell to prevent cane diseases. It should also be applied to peach trees when buds begin to swell, but before green tissue is visible, to help prevent peach leaf curl disease. Liquid lime sulfur can burn green tissue. If green tissue is showing, use a fungicide registered for these fruit crops.
- Bordeaux mix, a fungicide/bactericide can be applied to apple and pear trees from budswell to green tip stage to reduce the incidence of firelight. Never spray dormant oil within 10 days of a sulfur-containing spray. Fixed copper products can also be used, but spray at the silver tip stage (before the tips of the buds turn green). Fireblight disease damage on apples and pears should be pruned out now prior to blooming. This will lessen the chance of spreading this bacterial infection later in the spring.
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APRIL
- This is a good time to plant tree fruits and small fruits. Fruits that require little or no spraying include figs, Asian persimmon, Asian pear, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry and currant. (HG 68, HG 69)
- Before planting a backyard orchard, give particular attention to air flow and water drainage. Avoid low areas, where cold air gathers, killing flower buds and flowers. Don’t plant in compacted, poorly drained soils. Be prepared to keep new fruit plants well-watered for the first few growing seasons.
- Before planting blueberries, be sure that your soil pH is in the 4.3-5.3 range and the area has been heavily amended with organic matter.
- Thin out the new shoots emerging from blackberry and raspberry crowns so they are spaced at least 6 inches apart.
- Fruit trees can be pruned through the bloom period. Remove dead, broken and crossing branches. Prune peach trees during the bloom period or immediately after. Peach trees require severe pruning to encourage the development of new wood on which next year’s fruit buds will form. Maintain an open vase shape to encourage good air circulation and fruiting throughout your peach trees. Shorten branches and thin out weak growth.
- The heavy sap flow that results from pruning grapes at this time is normal and no cause for alarm. Prune out black knot cankers (photo) on plum and cherry trees. (Learn more...)
- Fertilize brambles and strawberry plants with a balanced fertilizer at bloom. Pull the blooms off of newly planted strawberry plants for the first growing season. Blueberry plants should be fertilized with ammonium sulfate at bloom and again when fruits first appear. Carefully apply the fertilizer in a ring 12 inches from the base of each plant.
Pest Management
- Once leaves have unfolded, it is too late to spray a dormant oil or liquid lime sulfur.
- Apply petal fall sprays to control a wide variety of insect pests on fruit trees.
Disease
- Brown rot of stone fruits can be controlled with fungicide sprays during the bloom period. The first spray should be made when 10% of the flowers are open and the second spray when 90% of flowers are open.
- Grapevines should be sprayed with a fungicide to prevent black rot disease when shoots elongate and during the bloom period.
- Fireblight may be observed on susceptible apple and pear cultivars during and after the bloom period if the weather is warm and wet. The “ugly stub” pruning method for fireblight control should be used for cutting out all affected plant material. “Ugly Stub” means that after you prune off the fire blight affected parts, don’t cut back to the next branch, instead leave a 4 inch stub. This stub serves as a “buffer” to prevent the fireblight bacteria from invading healthy tissue. (See our fireblight page for details.)
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MAY
- Remember to keep all new fruit plants properly watered this summer. The first season is critical for their establishment.
- Pull the blooms off of newly planted strawberry plants for the first growing season. Mulch under and around strawberry plants to keep the fruits off the ground. Strawberry flowers must be cross-pollinated by bees to produce large, well-shaped fruits. Cover strawberry beds with bird netting or floating row cover before the berries become ripe to exclude birds, squirrels and other hungry critters.
- Ripening strawberries attract sap beetles. Consider placing small plastic jugs in your strawberry rows filled with water, molasses and yeast to attract and trap sap beetles.
- Peach tree borer larvae that over-wintered in the lower trunks of peach trees are actively feeding on the cambial tissue, right below the bark. You will see entrance holes with thick sap or gum at the opening. The feeding of only a few borers can girdle and kill a young tree. A vertical cut with a very sharp knife can be made around the entrance hole in an effort to locate and kill the borers. Inserting a sharp thin wire into the holes may also spear the borers. Borers are attracted to stressed trees so keep your trees healthy to prevent damage. (Read more...)
- Peach leaves infected with peach leaf curl fungus will thicken, pucker and turn red, pink or purple. Rake up and dispose of fallen leaves. The affected trees will grow new leaves and should still produce fruits this summer. Spray your peach trees with liquid lime sulfur next spring when buds begin to swell.
- Be prepared to spray fungicides during bloom on grapes that were damaged by black rot last year. Always use a fungicide labeled for the specific purpose intended and follow label directions.
- The floricanes (canes with flowers) of June-bearing raspberries should be pruned back to a height of 3-4 feet to encourage lateral growth. Thin out new bramble shoots (primocanes) so that there is at least a 6 inch space between shoots. Tip the laterals of the floricanes of bramble plants to 12-18 inches. The skinny growth at the ends of laterals will not bear good fruit and will create a dense, unproductive canopy. Remove any bramble canes that show virus symptoms- small, curled, distorted or mottled leaves. Blackberry and black raspberry plants with leaves exhibiting dusty, orange pustules are infected with rust disease and should be dug up, bagged up and thrown out.
- Remove the blooms from blueberry plants the first year after planting. New blueberry leaves that are yellow may be suffering from a lack of iron, due to soil pH above 6.0. Apply a chelated iron product to affected plants and add enough sulfur to drop the soil pH to the 4.5-5.0 range. Fertilize large blueberry plants each spring with 8 ounces of ammonium sulfate. Half should be applied during bloom and the other half when fruits begin to form. The nitrate form of nitrogen will damage blueberry roots. Keep your blueberry plants well-watered during dry periods. They are very susceptible to drought stress.
- Buy the smallest quantity of any pesticides that you anticipate needing this summer. Buy and maintain a separate sprayer for herbicides. Do not apply fungicides or insecticides with a sprayer previously used for herbicides.
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JUNE
- The leaves of some fruit trees that bloomed and leafed out nicely in the spring may wither and drop in June. This can be due to stressors such as excessive rainfall, damaged fruit, or poorly drained soil.
- “June drop” of excessive fruits is a natural thinning phenomenon and is more pronounced where no hand thinning has occurred. Hand thin the fruits on plum, peach, apple and pear trees, leaving a 5-6 inch space between remaining fruits. Disease and insect problems, environmental stress, and lack of pollination or fertilization may have caused some earlier fruit drop. Pick up and throw out all dropped fruits.
- Mature fruit trees that produce no fruit may be growing in excessive shade, require a pollenizer plant (most apples, pears, sweet cherries, and some plums), or are in a biennial bearing pattern.
- The first-year, non-flowering canes of bramble plants should be tip cut at 36 inches. Laterals coming off these primocanes should be tip cut at 18 inches. This will encourage heavy fruiting next year.
- June is strawberry time in most of Maryland. Strawberries picked early in the day keep best. To prevent rot in storage, do not wash or remove stems until ready to use. Store berries in covered containers in the refrigerator.
- Remove all blossoms and fruits from newly planted strawberries and 1 – 3 year old blueberry plants so that the plant’s energies are directed to root establishment. Keep your blueberry plants well-watered during dry periods. They are very susceptible to drought stress.
- Don’t spray herbicides around fruit plants or rototill to control weeds. Instead use a hoe or layer of mulch.
Insects
- June is the beginning of the insect damage in home fruit plantings. The early damage of the Oriental fruit moth is apparent. The moth larvae feed in the ends of succulent shoots of peach and plum causing them to wilt. Prune out and discard the wilted shoots. The second generation of this pest will bore into fruits.
- Sap beetles are small, brown to black beetles that feed on over-ripe berries. No sprays can be used against these pests during harvest. Harvesting fruit before peak ripeness will help you to minimize these problems. Place shallow plastic containers of beer, molasses and yeast mixed with water in walkways between rows to attract sap beetles and slugs away from strawberries and raspberries.
- Apple maggot, codling moth, and plum curculio damage may be observed on apples, especially if no insecticide was sprayed after bloom. Cut open fruits that drop to the ground for signs of insect feeding. Discard all fallen and infested fruits.
- Wilting and dieback of bramble canes accompanied by swellings along the canes indicates cane borers. Prune out below the visible damage.
- Peach tree borer larvae that over-wintered in the lower trunks of peach trees are actively feeding on the cambial tissue, right below the bark. You will see entrance holes with thick sap or gum at the opening. The feeding of only a few borers can girdle and kill a young tree. A vertical cut with a very sharp knife can be made around the entrance hole in an effort to locate and kill the borers. Inserting a sharp thin wire into the holes may also spear the borers. It is very difficult to deliver an insecticide past the gum. Borers are attracted to stressed trees so keep your trees healthy to prevent damage, especially to the lower trunk.
Disease
- Most plant diseases are caused by fungi or bacteria, both need moisture on the leaves to get started and to spread. June typically provides adequate rainfall and warmth for many leaf and fruit disease to get started.
- Cedar-apple rust disease on apples can be severe on susceptible varieties like Yellow Delicious and Winesap. Leaves develop yellow-orange colored pustules on leaf undersides. American Red Cedar (Juniperus) trees are the alternate host for this disease. Remove nearby red cedar trees where possible. At the least, remove the brown galls that hang from them. These swell up in early spring (March and April) into large orange spore horns which expel fungal spores that infect apple trees. Apply Immunox on apple trees at tight cluster next spring to keep the disease in check. If you plan to expand your fruit planting, select cultivars with resistance to this disease.
- Fungicide sprays for brown rot of stone fruits and black rot of grapes should be continued on a 10-14 day schedule. Infected fruit should be quickly removed and discarded.
- If your tree experienced peach leaf curl disease this spring, exhibiting puckered, purple-red leaves and some defoliation, prevent it next year by spraying trees thoroughly with labeled fungicide when buds begin to swell. It is too late to get control now.
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JULY
- Fruit plants have shallow root systems which are easily damaged by cultivation. Do not cultivate or dig into the soil around small fruits or tree fruits. Hand-pull the weeds and then apply organic mulches to control weeds.
- Strawberries need summer care. If you have your plants in hills, pick off all runners. If you planted a matted row, encourage the runners to root and grow until the row is 2 feet wide. Remove weak and diseased plants.
- Japanese beetle adults are feeding on the foliage of bramble plants, grapes, and most fruit trees. Handpick where appropriate or sweep the adults off foliage and into a bucket of soapy water. Avoid using Japanese beetle traps near your plants because they may attract large numbers of beetles to your yard.
- When harvesting blueberries, allow berries to remain on the plants for three to five days after they turn blue. Waiting several days allows berries to reach their maximum sugar content. However, many songbirds especially cat birds will eat them as they ripen. Some gardeners use a bird netting to cover the plants, unfortunately birds and snakes often get tangled in the netting and die when trapped in the hot sun. So leave them uncovered or build a large cage covered with chicken wire over the plants.
- Keep thornless blackberry laterals pruned back to 18 inches. Keep red raspberry canes supported to facilitate air circulation and harvesting.
- Brown rot of peach and plum appears later this month. Pick peaches when background color changes and before fruits become fully ripened to reduce the incidence of brown rot disease. Bring fruits indoors, submerge them in a 1:10 bleach to water solution to kill any brown rot fungus spores, and allow them to ripen in the kitchen.
- Wilting and dieback of bramble canes accompanied by swellings along the canes indicates cane borers. Prune out below the visible damage.
- This month some of the brambles such as blackberries and raspberries will be coming into harvest. Harvest them frequently to discourage Japanese beetles or sap beetles from becoming troublesome. Both insects are especially attracted to ripe and overripe fruit.
- Sap oozing from the bark, twigs or fruits of stone fruit trees is common and should not be confused with peach tree borer damage. Borers typically enter the lower trunk around the soil line and feed on the cambium. They kick out a mixture of frass (sawdust like material) and sap, which can be scraped away to expose the feeding tunnels. Many times the borers can be killed in their tunnels by poking them with a fine wire.
- Fungicide sprays for black rot of grapes should be continued on a 10-14 day schedule until grapes begin to color. The severity of black rot can be reduced somewhat by pruning out foliage around grape clusters.
- Practice good sanitation by removing and discarding all fallen leaves and fruits.
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AUGUST
- Hot, dry weather in June and July has stressed fruit plants, especially blueberry and bramble plants. Stress symptoms include, leaf browning, small fruit size and fruit drop. To help assure a good fruit crop keep all fruit plants well watered during these hot, dry periods. Most of them are also forming buds for next year’s crop. Prevent water stress now to prevent these important fruit buds from shriveling.
- If you must apply a pesticide, spray during the coolest parts of the day and follow label directions closely.
- Pears are beginning to ripen. Asian pears should be allowed to ripen on the tree. European pears ripen from the inside out and should be picked when a change in background color is observed. Store them in a refrigerator or other cool, dark location. Keeping them on the tree until they are fully ripe will result in the centers becoming rotten. Bring them to room temperature to ripen.
- Harvest figs when they are slightly soft.. They may suffer minor insect damage during the ripening process and ants may enter the small eye at the bottom of the fruit as the fig ripens. This is a small price to pay for fresh, tree-ripened figs. If you are having problems with birds or squirrels, invest in some bird netting to cover your bushes.
- Peaches will ripen this month; pick when their background color changes from pale green to yellow or white and before fruits become fully ripened. This will reduce the incidence of brown rot disease. Bring peaches indoors, submerge briefly in a 1:10 bleach to water solution to help prevent rot, and then allow them to ripen in the kitchen.
- Be sure to keep your blueberry plants properly watered. These plants will not tolerate heat and drought. Extreme drying now will kill the branches and also damage flower/fruit buds setting for next year.
- Harvesting fruit before peak ripeness helps minimize problems with yellow jackets and sap beetles. Yellow jacket bottle traps are commercially available and can help reduce their infestation of your fruit.
- Remove and dispose of all rotted or fallen fruits and foliage from trees, vines and bushes. This will help reduce the amount of disease innoculum and number of insect pests, especially apple maggot, that over-winter and attack your orchard next spring.
- Apples that have small red spots with a light colored or black center on apples may have San Jose scale. This sucking insect attacks the leaves, branches and fruits of fruit trees. If you pry open the scale cover you can observe, with a magnifying glass, the crawlers underneath. Control this pest with a dormant oil spray this fall after leaves drop and by pruning out severely infested branches now.
- Be on the lookout for peach tree borer damage. The borers typically enter the lower trunk around the soil line and feed on the cambium. They kick out a mixture of frass (saw dust) and sap which can be scraped away to expose the feeding tunnels. See HG 77, IPM Series: Stone Fruits for more information.
- Chestnut weevil adults are active laying eggs in chestnut burrs. Monitor this small grayish weevil by tapping branches while holding a white sheet of paper underneath. (Destroy weevils that fall onto the paper.) Otherwise, the larvae of the weevil will destroy the chestnut while it is in storage. Nuts should be collected daily as they fall to the ground. Store the nuts in a freezer and thaw out as you need them. This “sanitation’ technique will also help to reduce their infestation. Another technique that has worked well is to immerse infested chestnuts in hot (122°F) water for 45 minutes. This will kill any larvae before storage. Cool and dry chestnuts before storing.
- Spider mite populations are high due to the hot, dry weather. You’ll notice yellowing leaves that look dusty or dirty on the underside. Mites are pinpoint size sucking pests that can be observed on leaf undersides with the unaided eye. Keeping plants’ foliage hosed down periodically during hot dry weather can help control them. Spraying insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on mite-damaged plants during hot weather can cause serious leaf burn. If you notice spider mite damage, consider purchasing and releasing beneficial mites, which will hunt down and consume the pest mites.
- Ripening apples showing various summer rots should be picked and discarded. Apples with small, dry, brown spots under the skin may be suffering from bitter pit, caused by a lack of calcium in the fruit. To prevent this problem from re-occurring, don’t over-fertilize your trees and have your soil tested and add calcium this fall if calcium levels are low. Calcium is added by applying gypsum or lime to the soil. Apply amount based on soil test recommendation.
- Brown rot on stone fruits causes fruits to rot and mummify. Healthy looking fruits may be infected and begin to breakdown just before or after harvest. Continue a regular spray program with a labeled fungicide and remove and destroy infected fruits immediately.
- Black rot of grapes can also be a serious problem. Sanitation is very important, pick off infected grapes and rake up and discard fallen leaves. Prune grape leaves that surround fruit clusters to encourage air movement and drying.
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SEPTEMBER
- Harvest figs when they soften slightly. Ants may enter the small eye at the bottom of the fruit as the fig ripens. This is a small price to pay for fresh, tree-ripened figs. If you are having problems with birds or squirrels, you will need to invest in some bird netting to cover your plants. Some gardeners complain that their figs do not ripen before frost. This could be due to low light conditions, having a late maturing cultivar, and dieback from the previous winter.
- Avoid the temptation to buy bargain fruit trees this fall that are stressed and of poor quality. Planting fruit trees requires planning and site preparation. The soil needs to be tested and amended prior to planting. Fruit trees tend to grow off better when planted in the spring.
- Remove and dispose of all rotted or fallen fruits from trees, vines and bushes. This will help reduce the amount of disease inoculum and number of insect pests that over-winter and attack your orchard next spring.
- Pears are beginning to ripen. Most pear cultivars are picked when background color begins to lighten but fruits are still firm. Pears should be kept in the refrigerator and brought to room temperature to ripen. Asian pears should be allowed to ripen on the tree.
- Pick an apple every few days when harvest time approaches to determine the peak harvest time. Harvesting fruit before peak ripeness will help you to minimize problems with yellow jackets and sap beetles. Also, keep rotted and fallen fruit picked up to avoid problems with yellow jackets. Ripening apples may be showing signs of various summer rots and should be picked and discarded. Apples with small, dry, brown spots under the skin may be suffering from bitter pit, caused by a lack of calcium in the fruit. To prevent this problem from re-occurring, don’t over-fertilize your trees. Have your soil tested and spread limestone around the trees this fall if calcium levels are low.
- Prune out the dead raspberry and blackberry canes that fruited this past summer. Fall fruiting raspberries like ‘Josephine, ‘Caroline’ and ‘Heritage’ can be mowed to the ground in late winter.
- Consider re-planting strawberry beds next spring if production has been greatly reduced by disease and weeds. Remove spent plants this fall and work in organic matter.
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OCTOBER
- Avoid the temptation to buy “bargain” fruit trees this fall that are stressed and of poor quality. Planting fruit trees requires planning and site preparation. The soil should be tested and amended prior to planting.
- Figs are ripening quickly this year because of the heat and dryness. Pick figs when they turn color and the skin becomes wrinkled or droopy. The small eye on the bottom of the fig will usually begin to open during ripening. This eye may allow ants to enter but they will quickly depart when disturbed. Harvest all the figs before the first hard frost which for central Maryland is around October 25th. If your fig tree did not fruit this summer, try pruning the roots next spring by inserting a shovel into the ground at several points around the tree – 2 ft. out from the trunk. Once fig trees have dropped their leaves they should be insulated from freezing temperatures with leaves, straw or tarps. Temperatures below 20° F will kill any unprotected parts of the plant.
- Harvesting fruit before peak ripeness will help to minimize problems with yellow jackets and sap beetles. Yellow jacket bottle traps are commercially available. Apples can be fully ripened by placing them in a paper bag at room temperature. European pears are ready to harvest when the background color changes from solid green to a greenish yellow. The breathing pores on the fruits, called lenticels, will also turn from white to brown. European pears ripen from the core out. They will be over-ripe if allowed to soften on the tree. Store pears in a refrigerator or other cool, dark location. Bring them to room temperature to ripen. Asian pears should be allowed to ripen on the tree.
- Fruit plants can be pruned anytime during dormancy after leaf drop. However, it is best to wait until late winter or very early spring so that the full affects of winter weather can be assessed. Peach trees should be pruned prior to bloom. Prune out the dead raspberry and blackberry canes that fruited this past summer. Fall fruiting raspberries, like ‘Caroline’, should be mowed to the ground in late winter.
- If you experienced poor growth in blueberries this season have your soil tested and amend your soil accordingly. Blueberries grow best in a soil with a pH between 4.5 and 5.2 and one that is high in organic matter.
- Remove and dispose of all rotted or fallen fruits from trees, vines and bushes. This will help reduce the amount of disease inoculum and number of insect pests that over-winter and attack your orchard next spring.
- You may notice small red spots that have a light colored or black center on your apples. This is San Jose scale, a sucking insect that attacks the leaves, branches and fruits of fruit trees. If you pry open the scale cover you can observe, with a hand lens or magnifying glass, the settled crawlers. This pest can be controlled with a dormant oil spray after leaf drop and by pruning out infested branches. Scale insect problems often increase when beneficial insects are killed by the season-long use of broad-spectrum insecticides.
- Brown rot on stone fruits causes fruits to mummify. If you had this disease problem this year, reduce its chances for next year by removing all mummified fruit and fruit stems from trees and from the ground and throwing them in the trash.
- Be on the lookout for peach tree borer damage. The borers enter the lower trunk around the soil line and feed on the cambium. They kick out a mixture of frass and sap, which can be scraped away to expose the feeding tunnels.
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NOVEMBER
- If you still have European type pears on your tree, they may be rotten inside. European type pears should be ripened off of the tree, leaving them on the tree too long will cause them to rot on the inside. Asian pears need to remain on the tree until ripe. By now most Asian pears should be fully ripe and are off the trees. Store both types of pears pears in a refrigerator or other cool, dark location.
- Sanitation is a very important part of orchard disease and pest management. Now is a good time to pick up and discard all dropped fruits as they often contain damaging insects that will continue their life cycle underneath your trees. Be sure to remove all dead and diseased plant parts from tree fruit and small fruit plantings.
- Fruit plants can be pruned anytime during dormancy, between November and March. However, it is best to wait until late winter so that the full affects of winter weather can be assessed. This is especially true for peach trees. Fireblight damage on apples and pears should be pruned out during the coldest periods in December or January. This will lessen the chance of spreading this bacterial infection. Grapes can be pruned at any time this fall or winter. Prune out the dead raspberry and blackberry canes that fruited this past summer. Fall fruiting raspberries can be cut to the ground at this time.
- Maintain mulches around small fruit plantings unless field mouse feeding is observed. Mulch should be applied only 2-3 inches deep around fruit trees but kept away from crowns and trunks. Deep mulch makes a favorable home for voles. If the mulch is pulled up close to the plants, voles will feed on and damage bark and wood.
- Fruit trees should be sprayed after leaf drop with a dormant oil to help control scales, aphids and mites. Spray all wood thoroughly on a windless day when the temperature is expected to remain above freezing for 24 hours.
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DECEMBER
- Fruit plants can be pruned anytime during dormancy, between November and March. However, it is best to wait until late winter so that the full affects of winter weather can be assessed. This is especially true for peach trees. Fireblight damage on apples and pears should be pruned out during the coldest periods in December or January. This will lessen the chance of spreading this bacterial infection. Prune out the dead raspberry and blackberry canes that fruited this past summer. Fall fruiting raspberries can be mowed to the ground in late winter. Be sure to remove all dead and diseased plant parts from tree fruit and small fruit plantings.
- Protect fig trees from freezing temperatures by wrapping them with plastic or burlap filled with leaves or straw. Any exposed wood is vulnerable to winter damage.
- Be sure to pick up and discard all dropped fruits and nuts as they often contain damaging insects that will continue their life cycle underneath your trees. Also remove all mummies and un-harvested fruits hanging from plants, including the fruit stems. Use a mulching mower to shred and pick up leaves from beneath fruit trees.
- Fruit trees can be sprayed after leaf drop with a dormant oil to help control scales, aphids and mites. Spray all wood thoroughly on a windless day when the temperature is expected to remain above 40 degrees F for 24 hours.
- Mulch should be applied only 2-3 inches deep around fruit plants but kept away from crowns and trunks. Deep mulch makes a favorable habitat for voles. If the mulch is pulled up close to the plants, voles will feed on and damage bark and wood.
- Consider covering your strawberry patch with a piece of floating row cover. This material can help prevent winter injury and promote early growth in the spring.
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