Backyard Orchardists Watching Fruit Trees Fail
Home orchard owners struggling with fruit trees: disease, transplant shock, failed pruning, pollination problems, trees declining or dying despite care.
SOURCES (60)
“My backyard apple tree was for many year pruned Espalier for decoration. In 2023 I let it go and got a reasonable amount of apples. The last couple years I have gotten very few apples. Last year I fertilized and got a fair amount to…”
“I transplanted an Anna apple tree in my backyard 2 weeks ago and not sure if it’s doing good or if it’s stressed. submitted by /u/HourLong5712 [link] [comments]”
“Loring peach, Redhaven peach, dwarf everbearing mulberry in a 15 gallon (Started as a 4 inch pot this spring), Autumn brilliance serviceberry, Loring peach, 2 pear trees returned by customers after fireblight infection that I cut off at about 18” each Kieffer and Hosui, reliance peach with Fall gold Raspberry 7 and 10 gallon alongside passionfruit in a 15 gallon, autumn brilliance serviceberry, Chicago Hardy fig, Black Mission Fig. Can’t forget about the 80 pawpaw that didn’t make the photos. &#”
“Hey y'all, my housemate got our tree trimmed by a contractor and had them replace some dead shrubs with these younger japanese boxwoods (i think, that's what they said). Problem is he hasnt been keeping up with the care, Ive been trying to water these regularly but not much of a gardener so not sure if Im not watering enough? Its been 100+ for a good stretch here in Central TX, but I dont wanna drown these. Any advice is appreciated. submitted by /u/thesharp0ne [link] [”
“We moved into our new house in October and so this is our first real apple harvest and we are just wondering if any one could tell us what kind of apple tree this is. We live in centralish North Dakota. submitted by /u/ScorBunny7 [link] [comments]”
“We moved into our new house in October and so this is our first real apple harvest and we are just wondering if any one could tell us what kind of apple tree this is. We live in centralish North Dakota. submitted by /u/ScorBunny7 [link] [comments]”
“Hey all, Manitoban here. I've got this ornamental crabapple tree in the backyard. It's phenomenal at shading our deck... But the apples. My god the apples. Every year, I'm out there every other day raking up these damn apples. And every year, I rip my grass to shreds raking them all up. Next year, I grow it back. Then in the fall, rip it out raking the damn apples. Like clockwork. What can I use to collect these apples without shredding the grass? I now own about 6 different kinds of”
“and yet, as I’ve watch the little apple tree grow, it looks unlike apple and I just spotted two little flower buds. Dr Google says pepper. I have no idea how the apple seeds from my grandson’s apple gave birth to a pepper plant, but here we are. So I should pinch my buds and possibly top off the stems? Can she go outside in Arizona though?????? submitted by /u/Familiar_Noise_4011 [link] [comments]”
“I planted these apple trees about two years ago. They all have developed these patches on them and now white fuzzy things. Help? submitted by /u/Different-Year838 [link] [comments]”
“I bought and potted multiple mulberries assuming they'd fruit well considering everyone talks about how productive hands off trees they are. But I've barely gotten much even after upping the PK. I've had most for more than one season. But whether it's frost, or simply not yielding much to begin with or dropping fruit or poor quality fruit. It's becoming a waste of space. And I'm not sure what the issue could be when I see people yield like crazy often multiple times a yea”
“I've decided to add some fruit trees to my back yard but I need a little help. I've never grown fruit before and I'm worried I'll mess it up. This is what i've done so far: I cleaned the peach pits I dried them for several days I cracked the pits to get the seeds I soaked them in water for a day I put them in my fridge with damp paper towel to winter The seeds now have little white sprouts I'm now ready to plant them but I have no idea what steps to take. I'm going to”
“I've had good experiences as well. It's a bummer OP didn't have one. Hopefully, it was a one off and not a new trend.”
“I’ve lived in my house for 4 years now. Just the last two years my tree has fruited, but only leaving one or two small dainty avocados a year (which fell to the floor, I never even realized it had Avocados on it at the time), much like the smaller ones in my pictures. Anywhoooo this year there are so many! Does anyone know fact’s about avocado trees, like why this would finally be happening our 4th year here? Also they seem to be only growing on specific branches.. weird? Any information is much”
“I know they don't grow true to seed, I don't expect to get usable fruit from the tree. It's more the sentiment of it than anything else. Thank you I'll try what you suggested.”
“I have a 6-7 year old Ume tree I started from seed that is looking very unhealthy. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated. Its always looked a bit sickly and has struggled with leaf-curl The last photo is a different Ume tree I bought from a nursery. That one is grafted onto root-stock, and seems much healthier. Maybe I just need to go with rootstock trees? submitted by /u/vote4boat [link] [comments]”
“My backyard peach has had a rough year. It started off just fine, lots of blossoms and small peaches... then the squirrel figured out the peaches were great and went to town on it. Still managed to get a couple saved by netting it. Before I netted it, I noticed that there were a few dead branches that dried out and dropped a bunch of leaves. I trimmed them off but it still doesn't look too vibrant. Any idea what could be causing half the tree to die off like that? submitted by /u”
“I just wanted to share my completed project for my backyard mini-orchard. My “backyard” is like 80% patio, so I was restricted on growing trees. But after a ton of research over the past couple of weeks, I’ve completed the set up and planting of my 5 fruit trees. From left to right the fruits are 2 Moorepark Apricots, Burgundy Plum, Honey Babe Peach, and Red Fuji Apple. I have cuttings from an Angelus Peach and Santa Rosa Plum from my mom’s house which I plan to graft onto the apricot trees. I m”
“Just for reference, that tree was probably only like 5 feet tall but could easily be 30 years old or more. Dwarf Alberta Spruce only grow like 0.5-1 inch per year. If it does "fill back in" it will take a long time to do so. That's a very drastic "trimming" for this tree. It may even die from getting chopped in half like this.”
“Do you guys think this plum tree can be revived and if so what should I do? submitted by /u/Opposite-Kiwi-8386 [link] [comments]”
“I have recently bought a house and have a garden. I have an ericaceous feed for the blueberries, but I know that won’t have the right nutrients for my other plants. I have an apple tree (the seller said it’s a pink lady, but I’m aware that’s a brand not variety and it’s actually a Cripps pink), a gooseberry bush, redcurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries, strawberries and I am getting a greengage tree (I need to look into fan training but that’s for a different problem not this one. I’m not entire”
“About 5 years ago I grew a mystery (gifted) lemon tree from a poor little sapling that only had one leaf left. It's now about 2m tall, and just had it's first proper fruiting. Unfortunately the fruit is very knobbly, hard and very low on juice. The fruit has no seeds, and seem to go bad in the centres once they're soft enough to cut. The tree is also covered in pretty serious thorns. Meanwhile, my nearby citrus, a Tahitian Lime (depicted left) and a Meyer lemon (depicted right) are a”
“Dam that is as big as the fruits on my tree but the difference is my tree grew by its self probly from animal fecees. I got 2 they grow on the top of my roof. And my tree is like 13 yo. The grafted one I bought is still still 6ft tall but it produces alot of fruit and very big ones”
“Okay, when I arrived at this house that plant wasn't being watered... I started watering it and it produced a lot of fruit, hopefully just a few oranges. I'll see how it goes this year.”
“Can I create a nice garden in my front yard with this giant 70-year old Deodar Cedar tree in my front yard? It creates a lot of shade so I would have to choose plants that don't need full sun. I want colorful plants, but can this be done with this giant tree shading the area for half the day? submitted by /u/BetPuzzleheaded8146 [link] [comments]”
“Anyone have experience doing this? There are a few trees on my property, and I would love to plant more. I assume it is basically the same process as red pine, which I did once years ago. Located in Michigan. submitted by /u/TheWoodsOfWexford [link] [comments]”
“This is a ‘Red Haven’ dwarf peach tree that I planted last week. When it arrived it already had some yellow/red leaves that were curling, so I sprayed it with a good dose of Copper fungicide. It seems to have gotten worse from what I can tell. Any tips? And will my tree make it? submitted by /u/Indifference_1 [link] [comments]”
“It can take two or three years before a grafted lemon tree is old enough to start bearing fruit.”
“Hello, I started this tree from an avocado pit from the store when I was 15 and will be..... Very sad if anything else happens to it. I evidently have no idea what Im doing. The first picture is some damage from rats that I think (?) Seems to be healing. The second one happened today when I was trying to add supports because my tree keeps trying to grow like a vine? I took everything off to keep the pressure off of it and keep the air circulating but other than that idk what else I can do / what”
“My peach tree only ever puts out these small things they never get any larger and eventually fall off the tree and rot on the ground. I thought maybe it was due to it not getting enough sun so I transplanted it last winter to a full sun spot in my yard, but it still only puts out these tiny things. submitted by /u/ElG0dDamnDorado [link] [comments]”
“My husband and I are redoing the front yard. We haven't done anything to it since we bought the place except remove bushes and install a fence. The bushes were separating ourselves and our neighbour, but they not only got out of the control, apparently a huge tree was growing in the middle of them somehow (?), we removed them and installed a 4 foot fence to separate the yards instead. Directly in front of the house was about a foot - foot and a half of just tiny rocks. The rest is grass, or”
“I see them very well, I think it's only a matter of time that they raise their old lushness. In any case, if a cleaning pruning would be useful, that is, cutting all the shoots and twigs that are born at the base (as in the photo), that would give a plus of energy to the rest of the tree. https://preview.redd.it/vn6k01vugzih1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b22679cd4fe95da2d11fdbe17d67ef82032cb812”
“Was surprised to find a 3 in 1 Pear tree at my local Lowes, i just when to buy a padlock, Just saw it was the last one, looked healthy, all 3 grafts looked even in size, impulse and panic purchase since it was the only one. Its a OHCF333 Rootstock semi-drawf, Comice, D'anjou, and Bosc Doing research i need 600-800 chill hours, my 10a climate gets half that from what i have seen on data. I do live in the foot hills so maybe i will get a bit more chill hours than the city data. I am planning o”
“I’m hoping someone can recognize this quickly by these pictures and give me some direction on what to do to save my apple and cherry trees. What is this? What can I do? These are my first fruit trees. My father in law took these pictures this weekend of some apple trees that I planted last spring and this spring; and cherry this spring. He didn’t say which trees he took pictures of, but two are clearly labeled black pearl cherry. I planted three apples last spring and two this spring, and two ch”
“Might be fireblight? The 5 other trees nearby are still healthy but this one isn't looking too hot. Trying to figure out if I should chop it down to the trunk and hope for the best or just rip it out. submitted by /u/Osagey [link] [comments]”
“For the first time ever I had to thin my persimmon tree this year. It had a really good fruit set and very few fell off, so several branches had far too many on them. I now have multiple small green persimmons. Not loads, but enough that I feel like I don't want to waste them. They are Early Fuyu, a non-astringent variety, although I suspect the green fruits may still be somewhat astringent. Does anyone know any recipes or other uses for them? Pickling them, maybe? submitted by /”
“Hi! I got this paw paw as a tiny bare root seeding this May, I was not sure where I wanted to plant it so it’s been in a pot since then. I am new to fruit trees so looking for any advice or tips, thanks! submitted by /u/No_County8426 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all! I just bought a new house, and I'm ngl, the two apple trees growing in the wildflower meadow off my deck really sold me. I LOVE these trees. One tree is really producing, they are smallish green apples, and they taste like they are almost ripe. They are kind of sweet and tart. Idk what they are (but I would love to know). The other tree a few feet away is also apple, but I only see a scant few blushy greens.... I REALLY want to give these apple trees all the TLC, my house hasn't”
“No issues with pests/vermin so far. Just the peach leaf curl fungus that I treat preventatively with copper fungicide.”
“A few years ago, an unknown stone fruit pit sprouted from compost I added to a raised garden bed. The first year the tree produced no fruit, as is typical for stone fruit trees, but it also suffered from peach leaf curl. This year I took preventative measures for the peach leaf curl fungus and saw my first flowers in February. Months later, I have my first nectarines. They are small, likely due to the tree being confined to a pot, but they taste very good. submitted by /u/homoyoudidn”
“okay! there's no flowers since they're eating the whole tree also my apples stopped growing since them, they're the same size 5 months since they're on it”
“Hi All, I naively purchased last year a few bare root trees not doing any research and only going by what I liked to eat. Honeycrisp, pink lady, Macoun, Balaton cherry and Montmorency cherry. Needless to say, some died in my zone 6B humid climate due to disease and pests. I know I am fault here as I did not proactively spray or treat. I am now considering shifting to growing berries as my raspberries and blueberries have done well this year. Would black huckleberries, honeyberries, and cornelian”
“Hello, my wife and I moved into a new house. We have a very old apple tree in the backyard that to our pleasant surprise produces fruit! The apples have all fallen unfortunately they are mostly brown. Any one have any insights if anything else can be done with them other than compost? submitted by /u/Designer_Belt5562 [link] [comments]”
“I have an apricot tree that i had to prune some damaged branches off of this year. Normally I hold onto pruned stuff for firewood, but I decided to try my hand at carving something. I also retained some long, thin branches to hopefully build a trellis for veggies next year. I also had the roots from a bay tree sitting in my yard for years (and they still smelled like bay leaves!), so I started carving those into little hearts. (Lighter heart is from apricot, darker is the bay tree roots) s”
“So my family is selling a property (near Vancouver, Canada) that been in the family for about 40 years which has a couple beloved mature apple trees. No idea what the varieties of apples are. I’m hoping to take a little piece of the place with us by bud grafting from those trees when we give up possession at the end of August. I’ve never done any grafting before so have been trying to read about it. I realize bud grafting should be done end of summer - is end of August late enough? And I’ll need”
“In your experience, does apple leaf spot leave a spiky bulbous gall on the underside of the leaf?”
“Beaver got to it and still looks pretty fresh. Can we save it by putting wire around it or sealing it with tree sealant? submitted by /u/real-clodsire [link] [comments]”
“Fruit bags. I have a similar issue with my grapes. I have to cover them every year in fruit bags, or else the wasps will get them.”
“Zone 8 South Carolina Golden Delicious apple planted almost 2 years ago still not anchored in ground completely my peach tree planted the same day is completely anchored in. submitted by /u/Upper_Local_5601 [link] [comments]”