April in Low Desert Gardens Pt III

Posted by Robert Dailey Apr 8, 2007

If you live in the low-desert (USDA Zones 7-10, below 5,000 feet), your deciduous fruit trees are probably setting fruit now, or will be in a few weeks.

If they are setting fruit, then you’ve got to set your jaw, and do the hard but right thing…thin the fruit from the branches.

It’s especially hard if you’ve got what looks like a bumper crop. However, it's got to be done. Here’s what you do: on every limb that fruit has set, thin the fruit until you have one fruit at least six inches from the next one. If you don’t do that now, the fruit will be small, and the tree will struggle to provide water and nutrients to them. If you do thin now, the remaining fruit will be bigger, juicier and tastier. It will also reduce stress on the tree.

While the tree is setting fruit, make sure that you keep the soil moist from now, and until the fruit has filled out and grow to its proper size. Deep, but infrequent watering is better than daily sprinkles. If you don’t have a drip irrigation system on your fruit trees, use a low trickle from a hose to thoroughly wet the soil.

Pecan Trees

You might also want to note that pecan trees need nitrogen and zinc about now, and generally need more water than other shading nut trees.