A yard full of fruit trees is a dream for many homeowners. Fortunately, even small yards can hold a few trees. But tree care, especially for fruit trees, isn't as easy as it looks in magazines and online. If you want edible, tasty fruit at the end of the season, you need to keep those trees healthy. Finding trees that are low-maintenance is part of the strategy, but giving those trees good care is the other part.

A tree service is the right company to call for help. At the very least, they can approve of what you're doing, but you'll really want them to take over much of the tree care once you see what's involved. You're also not alone in your need for tree services. According to Arborists Near Me, tree service workers do 65% of their work at single-family homes. Trusting professionals can ensure everything is done correctly.

Proper Planting and Training

Maintaining fruit trees starts with planting and training to help the tree become established. Trees can also experience transplant shock if not cared for properly after being planted. While you have a role here, such as watering the tree, the tree service can plant it and monitor it over the next couple of years as the tree grows. The tree service can train the tree, too, including staking and canopy shaping. Both of these services are quite complex and not recommended for homeowners to perform alone.

This part is really the most important: if the tree isn't planted right, the soil isn't amended correctly, or the tree doesn't receive the water and food it needs, it's not going to thrive. You'll want a tree service to monitor the tree's health and to make adjustments to the soil or watering and fertilizing needs.

Pruning Without Trauma

Pruning and trimming seem like they should be so simple. Unfortunately, they're not. There's logic to what, when, and why to prune and trim, but it's not a matter of simply chopping things off. Pruning and trimming need to be done carefully and only at certain times during the tree's annual cycle. If you cut at the wrong time and place, you could damage the tree and put it at risk of disease. If you have a dead or damaged branch that needs to be removed, you also place yourself in danger if you try to remove it.

A tree service knows when it's okay to trim or prune a tree. They know whether trimming or pruning is appropriate, where to make each cut, and how to treat the resulting wound. Having the experience and tools to safely get to the branches at the top of the canopy makes these workers ideal professionals to trust with this kind of work.

Thinning for Better Fruit

The sight of a fruit tree covered in spring flowers is beautiful. The colors are often bright and healthy, the petals thin and delicate. That said, too many flowers can be bad for fruit production. This is because all those flowers need nutrients and water, and there's only so much available to go around in the tree. Watering and fertilizing more often doesn't necessarily help as the excess can adversely affect the rest of the tree before it reaches the flowers.

A tree service will know which flowers need to go. These are usually the smaller flowers or, if all of them look good, about one in every three flowers along a branch. With fewer flowers, there's more food and water for the remaining blossoms. That often leads to better and healthier fruit production.

Spotting and Treating Diseases and Pests

Nothing ruins a fruit tree faster than pests and diseases. Most of the work required to fend off these dangers is a tree service's responsibility. For example, thinning the interior of the canopy allows more air to flow through, which reduces humidity and stagnant air as well as the chances of fungal growth. Fruit trees can get very tall, so thinning the interior of the canopy is something you really want to leave to the arborists.

Taking care of a fruit tree can be rewarding. That said, it can take a lot of work and require time up on a ladder. Let a professional tree service handle most of the care so that you can stay safe, and your fruit trees can stay healthy. Contact J&C Tree Experts today for more information or to schedule an appointment. We look forward to helping you keep your property lush and healthy.