This month is all about harvesting nuts, preparing deciduous fruit trees for winter, caring for citrus and planning new fruit/shelter/ nut trees.
Citrus Care
Young developing fruits alert you to pay attention. The adult crop relies on actions taken now: good moisture, thinning, mulching and at this time of year – rat control too!
Moisture check
Young developing fruits need perfect soil moisture to turn into beaudacious adults. A worthy check in at this time of year when soil may be really dry. Check soil moisture, and if need be, give a lovely soak.
Liquid feed + mulch
Yellowing leaves may be nothing more mysterious than a sign that the soil is thirsty – nutrient exchange can’t occur in a dry environ. Feeding now isn’t a good idea, it’ll spur new growth to arrive in cold weather. Instead, once the moisture’s right, pour a lovely biological feed over the tree and soil beneath. This’ll get soil life hopping and coat the foliage in beneficial fungi/ bacteria.
Top up the mulch with whatever you can rustle up – a slightly rotted, mixed, woody mulch is the best bet. Failing that, make a mixture of whatever woody debris you have – soil loves a diverse brew!
Recycling bigger chunks of wood or larger pruning’s beneath citrus is a cool way to boost diversity. This is where I tuck any big knotty lumps of wood I don’t have the energy to split for firewood.
Remove fruits from new trees + Thin fruits on established trees
What a difference to young trees when you remove all the fruits! Raising babies requires huge amounts of energy, energy that new trees are better served using to build a strong frame and root system. Let years 1 + 2 be child free.
From year 3 onwards, thin excess fruits. Each fruit needs about 7 leaves to support it – let 7 be a fluid number, not a rule. Where canopy is strong and lush leave more fruits, where it’s not leave less, and don’t be shy to remove all fruits in year 3, if your tree is still tender and small. Less fruits is better than more at this early stage especially if you live somewhere cooler where growth is slower.
Rat protection
Oh how rats love citrus. Possums too. Get traps up and running now.
Deciduous Fruit Trees + Nuts
Falling leaves mark the end of one cycle of growth + the beginning of another, as the leaf donates its goodness back to earth.
An autumn biological spray
All those tiny openings left by detached leaves make it a prime time to get a biological spray on. My favourite mix of EM + slow brewed NZ seaweed or hydrolysed fish coats fruit trees and the surrounding ground in a crew of beneficial organisms that out-manoeuvre and out-compete detrimental fungi and bacteria. This life, also helps speed decomposition of infected leaf litter and fruit mummies and boosts ‘good’ fungi for balanced nutrition. Too good!
Mulch
Autumn is natures mulching season: the bigger trees coat the ground with mineral rich leaves, between that and the comfrey I don’t have any mulching to do.
- If young trees are being outcompeted with weeds and grasses, slash or stomp the competition down, lay cardboard and spread a mixed woody/ arborist type mulch. All the better if the mulch is slightly broken down and beginning to infuse with fungal threads.
- Established trees don’t need card and mulch, simply sprinkle your woodsy mulch around and about the dripline – all over really – about the comfrey/ herbal ley/ grass. I used to pile it on but now I know that all nature needs is a sprinkle. The goal isn’t to kill off the grass but rather to inoculate the ground with beneficial fungi.
- Check ties on fruit trees. Remove any that were training branches to the horizontal – the wood will now be insistent, set in place.
- Remove stakes and ties on 2 + 3 year old trees that are now strong enough to go it alone. Its important not to molly coddle them, they need to stand up for themselves and blow about a little in order to grow stronger roots.
Nut Harvest
Gather up walnuts and hazelnuts as they fall. Dry them in single layers in baskets or racks before storing away in onion bags in a dry rodent free place. Such a good value food crop!
Tree Research
Yay! Tree planting season is upon us! In the excitement, be sure to choose ‘future proofed trees’ – ie: ones that grow to just the right height + wont overshadow your future life/ grow over the drive/ onto the road/ push the fence…. If I can save you the huge effort and expense of removal, I’ll be so very happy.
Read through my checklist, before you order or shop. What a difference when you take the time! If you need help working it all out, I’m here for you.
PS: Plant labels most often refer to the 10 year height, not the full grown one. Karaka for example, I’ve seen labelled as 6m at 10 years. Yes, tis true, but when grown in ideal conditions, she’ll easily grow another 6m, ending at 12m. Do your own research.