In March, nature awakens and garden work resumes. To ensure your fruit trees are ready to face the spring and offer a good harvest, it is important to provide them with certain care. Here are the five essential tasks to complete at the start of this season.
1. Pruning of fruit trees
The pruning is a crucial step to ensure the good development of your fruit trees. In March, you need to implement the formation pruning, which aims to give a harmonious shape to the tree to promote its fruit production. For each type of trees, a specific method should be applied:
- Apple trees and pear trees: opt for pruning in palmette or goblet shape.
- Apricot and peach trees: prioritize fan or cup-shaped pruning.
- Cherry and plum trees: adapt pruning based on the variety (in U or goblet shape for cherry trees, in rod shape for plum trees).
General rules for good pruning
To successfully prune your trees, don’t forget to:
- Use a sharp and disinfected pruning shears or lopper.
- Prune the sick, dead, broken, or intersecting branches.
- Thin out the branches to allow light to reach the heart of the tree.
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2. Preventive Spraying
In the month of March, it is important to spray your fruit trees to prevent the appearance of diseases and pests. Here are some natural treatments that you can apply:
- Bordeaux mixture: effective against canker, scab, or peach leaf curl. Spray before the start of flowering then after the fall of the petals.
- Nettle manure: used as a prevention against aphids and certain foliar diseases. Spray once a week from the first leaves.
- Black soap: ideal for fighting against mealybugs and other harmful insects. Dilute in water and spray regularly.
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Respect the weather conditions
For your sprays to be effective, it is recommended to:
- Choose a day without wind to prevent the product from drifting.
- Wait for a period without rain for at least 24 hours after application.
- Carry out treatments in the early morning or late afternoon, when temperatures are milder.
3. Mulching and Composting
To promote the growth of your fruit trees, consider enriching the soil with an input of organic materials such as compost and mulch. These practices notably allow:
- To improve the structure and fertility of the soil.
- To promote beneficial microbial life at the roots.
- To limit the evaporation of water and therefore the need for watering.
How to conduct a good mulching
To do this, spread a layer of 5 to 10 cm of mulch (wood chips, straw, lawn clippings…) around the base of your fruit trees, taking care not to touch their trunks. Repeat this operation every year in spring and autumn.
4. Watering and hydration tracking of fruit trees
Watering is a key element to ensure good harvests and preserve the health of your fruit trees. Duration, frequency and amount of water: here are our tips for optimal watering:
- Prefer deep watering rather than superficial.
- Space out the watering to encourage root development.
- Measure the soil’s moisture with a tensiometer or by inserting a finger up to the first knuckle.
- Collect rainwater to save this precious resource and limit the ecological impact.
Adapt your watering to each type of fruit tree
To ensure the proper growth of your fruit trees, take into account their specific needs:
- Apricot tree: requires little water; however, don’t forget to water regularly during the fruiting period.
- Cherry tree: requires a moist but drained soil; be careful not to leave stagnant water at the base of the tree.
- Apple and pear trees: appreciate cool and well-irrigated soils, especially during flowering and fruit production periods.
5. Fruit Thinning
Finally, once the fruit trees are in full production, do not hesitate to carry out a fruit thinning to improve their quality and size. This operation consists of:
- Remove damaged, misshapen, or overly small fruits.
- Select the most beautiful specimens to promote their development.
- Distribute the remaining fruits evenly on the branch to avoid competition between them.
Thanks to these simple and essential actions, you will give your fruit trees all the chances to start spring well and ensure a generous and tasty harvest. So, get your pruning shears and sprayers, and let nature flourish!