Fruit Tree Care
But if you follow a seasonal care plan, you're giving your fruit trees the best chance to reward you with bumper crops.
While the branches are bare on his 'Satsuma' plum tree, Josh does some pruning. He looks for branches that are crossing over or crowded – removing the congestion ensures more sun into the tree and good air flow through the plant when the leaves have grown back, so it's less prone to fungal diseases or pests.
Removing top branches that are too far above head height will also save your tree's energy; there's no point producing fruit that you can't reach.
Be aware of the flowering and fruiting habit of the tree you're pruning; plums and other stonefruit produce fruit on second-year wood so don't cut off too much or you'll get no harvest.
Josh's dwarf mulberry fruits on new wood so it's more forgiving and can be cut back harder.
He's pruned a kumquat back hard after moving it from another part of the garden; he'd hoped for 'mild' conditions but instead it was unseasonably hot and the tree suffered as a result. He has pruned back to one of the few remaining green areas and it's now reshooting.
Luckily there are no shoots growing from below the graft (which might show the grafted top section is completely dead), so the tree should re-establish and survive.
Josh also clears out groundcover plants under the trees that are prone to fruit flies, such as his tree guava. Make sure there's no old fruit on the ground, to reduce the chance of reinfestation. If you find some, bag it and bin it.
Fruit trees are reliant on pollinators so whatever you can do to attract them to the garden will help. Josh plants three low-growing flowering shrubs that are known to attract bees and other pollinators: Euryops, salvia and ageratum.
Most fruit trees, especially citrus, are heavy feeders, so fertilising ahead of spring growth is a must. Pelletised manure applied in mid-late winter will have a chance to break down and supply the nutrients to the tree by the time they emerge from dormancy.
Finally, a layer of mulch will help keep the soil cool and retain moisture in dry weather. A 50-75mm layer is perfect.
Water in well.
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ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Fruit Tree Care
Left to their own devices, some fruit trees will offer up a good harvest each year. But if you follow a seasonal care plan, you're giving your fruit trees the best chance to reward you with bumper crops. While the branches are bare on his 'Satsuma' plum tree, Josh does some pruning. He looks for branches that are crossing over or crowded – removing the congestion ensures more sun into the tree and good air flow through the plant when the leaves have grown back, so it's less prone to fungal diseases or pests. Removing top branches that are too far above head height will also save your tree's energy; there's no point producing fruit that you can't reach. Be aware of the flowering and fruiting habit of the tree you're pruning; plums and other stonefruit produce fruit on second-year wood so don't cut off too much or you'll get no harvest. Josh's dwarf mulberry fruits on new wood so it's more forgiving and can be cut back harder. He's pruned a kumquat back hard after moving it from another part of the garden; he'd hoped for 'mild' conditions but instead it was unseasonably hot and the tree suffered as a result. He has pruned back to one of the few remaining green areas and it's now reshooting. Luckily there are no shoots growing from below the graft (which might show the grafted top section is completely dead), so the tree should re-establish and survive. Josh also clears out groundcover plants under the trees that are prone to fruit flies, such as his tree guava. Make sure there's no old fruit on the ground, to reduce the chance of reinfestation. If you find some, bag it and bin it. Fruit trees are reliant on pollinators so whatever you can do to attract them to the garden will help. Josh plants three low-growing flowering shrubs that are known to attract bees and other pollinators: Euryops, salvia and ageratum. Most fruit trees, especially citrus, are heavy feeders, so fertilising ahead of spring growth is a must. Pelletised manure applied in mid-late winter will have a chance to break down and supply the nutrients to the tree by the time they emerge from dormancy. Finally, a layer of mulch will help keep the soil cool and retain moisture in dry weather. A 50-75mm layer is perfect. Water in well.
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When Elizabeth Beerworth passed away aged 80 last year, one of the last things she mentioned was 'the trees'. The long-time Manly resident was living in a home and suffering from dementia, but still preoccupied with a years-long battle with council to have some towering trees pruned. For many years Ms Beerworth had lived in a Manly apartment with a spectacular view of the harbour. 'Mum bought the apartment 20 years ago when the kids left home,' her daughter Sally Beerworth told 'It's not a huge place, but it has an amazing view. She had always wanted to live by the water. It was the happiest time of her life – she loved it.' Across the road from the apartment was a stand of tall trees, but under an agreement with the then-Manly Council they were regularly pruned so they didn't encroach on Elizabeth's view. 'Manly Council would come and trim the trees for her. I remember being on the phone with her and she'd say, 'the tree man's here,'' Sally recalled. In 2016, however, the newly-formed Northern Beaches Council refused to honour the old agreement with Ms Beerworth. That year, Elizabeth moved into a home, having been diagnosed with dementia a few years before. But she refused to give up on her battle with council. 'People with dementia, they become fixated on things, and she became obsessed with maintaining the trees,' Sally said. 'She died in 2024, and by then she was non-verbal. But she'd say, 'Sally' – I think she called everyone Sally – and she'd always talk about 'the trees, the trees, the trees,' and I knew what she meant. 'It was one of the last things I heard her say.' Almost immediately after Elizabeth died, Sally contacted the council and tried to get the trees pruned – the first of many attempts over the past year. The apartment had been left to Sally and her siblings and they were determined to pick up the fight on their mother's behalf. Northern Beaches Council, however, told them their requests didn't meet the criteria of its Tree Management Policy, which requires a 'minimum five-year ownership and evidence of view loss exceeding 75 per cent'. 'For us it's highly emotional because mum was so passionate about it. I just kind of feel like I'm letting mum down,' Sally said. She offered to pay to trim the trees and eventually got her solicitor involved, but Council wouldn't budge. 'For us it was personal, and I've kind of given up. Finally they sent a note saying they won't talk about this anymore,' she said. 'I just thought this is lousy – mum lived in the area since 1973. I'm not asking them to pave the beachfront or something.' has contacted Northern Beaches Council for comment. Highland Double Bay director Bill Malouf said having a view obscured could affect as much as 30 per cent of a property's value. 'Water views do have an effect on a property – as long as your living area's got the view. The bedroom view doesn't really make a difference,' Mr Malouf said. He knew of other cases in Sydney where councils had trimmed trees on a yearly basis, only to stop providing the service. 'There's really not a lot you can actually do about it. 'It's wrong, I disagree with it, because you should be able to protect your property's view.'
