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  1. How to Plant and Care for Fruit Trees at Home

    Posted on October 16, 2024 by Andrew

    Imagine a sunny afternoon where you wander outside and get a ripe apple right from your tree.

    Growing your own fruit has a wonderful and fulfilling quality. For novices, though, tending to and establishing fruit trees can seem a little intimidating.

    Choosing the correct tree, preparing the soil, and maintaining the tree’s health could cause you concern. Let us guide you into growing your own fruit.

    Choosing the Right Fruit Tree

    This is your first step. You need to make a choice that aligns with your garden’s conditions. Remember, not every tree adjusts to the same soil and weather.

    Citrus trees such as lemons and oranges thrive in sunny areas, for example. Apple or pear trees are a better fit in colder climates though.

    Furthermore, the tree’s scale is equally important. Dwarf or semi-dwarf forms of many fruit trees are ideal for smaller gardens or big containers.

    Though they are not as tall as typical trees, these kinds yield lots of fruit nonetheless. They are also way easier to prune and harvest.

    Furthermore, consider the pollination requirements of your tree. Some trees need a partner to cross-pollinate, while others self-pollinate. That means they can generate fruit on their own. Thus, make sure the one tree you have space for is self-pollinating!

    Preparing the Soil and Site

    Growing fruit involves so much more than merely digging a hole and installing a sapling. The soil’s quality matters, too.

    They require well-drained soil with balanced nutrients. If your soil shows water retention, you’ll have to enhance drainage by including organic matter such as compost or creating a raised garden.

    The soil’s pH will help identify any changes you need to make as most trees prefer more acidic to neutral soil. Buy an easy testing kit from a garden centre and follow its instructions.

    Additionally, you need to choose a site that gets lots of sunlight, ideally six to eight hours a day.

    Planting them in low regions where frost could settle should be avoided as this can harm the fruit and blossoms of the tree.

    You should also grow them on a minor slope or a higher ground to allow chilly air to move away from your tree.

    How to Plant Fruit Trees

    Dig a hole twice the width and exactly the depth of the tree’s root ball. This will provide the roots lots of space to proliferate and expand. If the surrounding ground is compacted, gently soften it with a spade to promote root development.

    Check the depth before dropping the tree into the hole. You need to position it as if it’s in a nursery pot. Bury the trunk too deep and you could end up with decay or other similar problems.

    Once you’re pleased with the location, carefully distribute the roots in the hole and backfill it with soil, firming it down as you go to prevent air pockets.

    Water it afterwards to allow the soil surrounding the roots to settle.

    You should also add a mulch coat at the base of the tree to control soil temperature, prevent weeds, and retain moisture. Just don’t let your mulch too close to the tree’s trunk to prevent root rot.

    Watering and Fertilising

    Once your tree is in the ground, especially in the first year, water consistently its root system. The irrigation schedule is highly dependent on your soil’s type and temperature, but newly planted trees usually need deep watering once a week.

    You should also aim for less frequent deep watering than regular light watering to help the roots grow deep into the ground.

    Moreover, change the schedule as needed as your tree grows. As time passes, you can reduce the frequency, especially in colder months. On hot dry days, your tree will require some additional care though. Always keep track of the soil and water properly if the top few inches seem dry.

    In addition, a balanced fertiliser will enhance your tree’s produce and allow for healthy development. You need to use one that is rich in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.

    However, hold off on fertilising until the tree exhibits fresh growth in the first year. Then, choose one that works for your tree and soil’s requirements. Always follow advised directions, since over-fertilising can damage your tree.

    Pruning and Training for Healthy Growth

    This serves to enhance fruit output, increase air circulation, and encourage good development. It also makes harvesting simpler and helps the tree maintain a reasonable form.

    In the first few years of the tree, building a sturdy framework should take front stage. This entails trimming back any shoots crossing over one another and removing any dead or broken limbs.

    Do your annual pruning in late winter or early spring, just before fresh development starts after the tree is established.

    Train your tree as well. You need to prune in a way that directs your branches in a certain way. For espaliered fruit trees are taught to grow flat against a wall or trellis, for example, this is extremely useful. It not only serves a useful purpose, but also gives your landscape a more appealing character.

    Common Issues and How to Address Them

    Fruit trees can occasionally suffer, even with the finest care. Diseases like powdery mildew or root rot can destroy the tree and its fruit, while pests such aphids, mites, and caterpillars will munch it. Don’t panic though, as most issues can be avoided with some thought and attention.

    Proper irrigation, fertilising, and pruning can keep your trees healthy and strong, preventing these problems altogether. Remember, a well-cared-for tree is less susceptible to pest and disease problems.

    Eradicate any infestation using an insecticidal spray or by introducing useful insects like ladybirds.

    Additionally, you should look out for disease indicators, including fruit spots or discoloured foliage. Preventing the spread of disease depends on early intervention. When you find a sick section, you need to remove it right away, enhance airflow, and add an organic fungicide.

    If you can’t fight the infestation on your own, call a professional gardener right away.

    Harvesting the Fruits of Your Labour

    After months of patience and care, the reward finally shows up.

    Picking your fruit at the right time is the key to an enjoyable yield. Different trees have different harvest periods, and fruit tastes better when they completely ripen on the tree.

    Before gathering stone fruits such as plums and peaches, make sure they have a soft texture. Citrus trees, on the other hand, look ripe through their colour and aroma.

    Always make sure you don’t pluck your fruit prematurely, otherwise it won’t be as yummy!

    Conclusion About Planting Fruit Trees At Home

    Although this isn’t always an easy job, it’s quite well worth it.

    From the delight of seeing your tree flourish to the gratification of gathering fresh fruit from your own garden, this is an ethereal and delicious experience.

    So, why wait? Grab a shovel, choose your tree, and start gardening!

  2. How to improve your tomato crop in the greenhouse

    Posted on May 18, 2018 by Andrew

    When tomatoes are grown properly in a greenhouse, the crop is multiplied. But, the right techniques must be followed including using related resources like Pro-Tect Plastics for help with growth. Even with the best will in the world, sometimes our tomato plants can fail to deliver the results we’re looking for. Read more…

  3. The journey of the Christmas tree

    Posted on November 21, 2017 by Andrew

    Christmas is fast approaching – this means decorating, gift buying and choosing the perfect tree. But have you ever stopped to think where your tree has been before it sits amongst the others, awaiting its Christmas fate? Together with Compost Direct, gardening experts and retailers of compost, we look at where Christmas trees originate from and compare real and artificial trees. Read more…

  4. Upgrade Your Cottage with a Hot Tub

    Posted on July 10, 2017 by Andrew

    If you happen to have one of those older houses with a bigger garden and a detached cottage perhaps, you should count yourself lucky because houses these days are built rather small and in addition to the house itself being small, there’s not much space for anything else. The typical modern day home these days doesn’t even have space for a decent garden, let alone something like a shed or a cottage, so you should definitely count yourself lucky if you have one.

    Truth be told though, your cottage is probably outdated and might need a bit of an upgrade, particularly since the traditional cottage was perhaps designed and built with the idea of housing live-in domestic staff in mind. Not that everybody whose house has a cottage had live-in domestic staff or even had a need for them, but design-wise that’s exactly what a cottage comes across as.

    So what are the upgrades you can add to your cottage to make it a bit more modern?

    One of these upgrades is the addition of a hot tub, whether you want to use the hot tub yourself or indeed if you perhaps plan to rent the cottage out over a long-term agreement or you want to have guests over occasionally, like tourists who are in town for a bit. Even if you do plan to rent the cottage out in this way, nothing should be stopping you from enjoying the hot tub yourself whenever the cottage is vacant.

    By the way, renting the cottage out for short stay tourists or even over a longer term is a great way to pay yourself back for what you’ll inevitably spend to purchase the hot tub, have it installed and maintain it alongside its running costs. You’ll undoubtedly have to save a bit to have some running capital though, quite simply because it’s not really such a good idea to take out financing for something like a hot tub unless of course, you’re absolutely sure the money is going to come back via something like renting the cottage out.

    A lot of the cottages for rent on iKnow-UK have benefited greatly from adding a hot tub. People tend to pay a higher price for a short stay or holiday if the cottage or lodge has a hot tub. The site is great for cheap hot tub holidays too. If you’re thinking of renting your cottage out as holiday accommodation, look into iknow to boost your profile.

    So if you do decide to add in a hot tub as part of the upgrades to your cottage, you’ll inevitably have to redecorate as well to perhaps modernise the interiors just a little bit. When you search for different kinds of Hot Tubs For Sale, you can also look up various design inspirations on the internet as well! This should ensure that your decor matches the hot-tub which will definitely amp up the ambiance of the place.

    It doesn’t have to be an indoor hot tub either and in fact, an outdoor one may perhaps make more sense if you have space outside since it’ll allow anyone to enjoy it instead of being limited to the occupants of the cottage itself. If the cottage has more than one room which you want to rent out, making it an outdoor hot tub makes even more sense since you can always add the hot tub as an amenity which people will surprisingly be willing to pay that little extra for, even if they only end up using it just once or twice or not at all in some cases.

  5. Gardening Hotspots in the UK

    Posted on February 21, 2017 by Andrew

    One of the best ways through which to go green is perhaps growing your very own fresh produce, with beneficial implications for yourself to enjoy as well, health wise. Goodness knows the environment will be just as grateful as your body will be, but you can’t just throw some seeds into the ground and hope for the best. You can make use of this infographic put together by compost and grow bag retailer, Compost Direct, exploring some of the best gardening spots in the UK to get a better idea of which vegetables would grow best in your locale: Read more…

Tip of the Day

If It Doesn’t Smell, Don’t Wash It

According to Real Simple, if every American made an effort to launder less — cutting out just one load of laundry a week per household — we’d save enough water to fill seven million swimming pools each year.

So if it looks clean, and it smells clean, call it clean and wear it again. Consider hanging worn clothes out on your clothesline to freshen them up between wearings

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