I need help caring for my fruit trees (lemon, apple, pear, fig)...?

I have just starting renting a house that has fruit trees out the back. I have a lemon tree, a fig tree, two apple trees and two pear trees. I have no idea what I'm doing with any of them. Please help??? Also, 1 of my apple trees is FULL of fruit while the other has next to none... why is this???

I need help caring for my fruit trees (lemon, apple, pear, fig)...?
You need to go to the library and take out a few books. One on Pruning these trees is a good idea and one one spraying these types of trees is another. The pear and the apple trees require a dormant spray in the winter and need to be sprayed every 2 weeks till harvest to keep fruit from being wormy. There are many reasons a apple tree does not have any fruit on it but I would only be guessing from where I'm sitting. Citrus and fig trees don't need to be pruned. Over pruning may cause the tree to go into shock and not produce fruit that year.
Reply:i have a lemon and an orange tree that i don't do nothing with and it always has full of fruit but in your case just water it everyday near the roots not the leaves or the fruit ok. If it seems like it is dieing than go buy some compost and mix it with dirt half and half and it should be all good. To your last question maybe it is not the right season for the fruit to come out yet.
Reply:Well how big are they? If they are small still then you need to go get some compost and mix it with the dirt and water it everyday. About the apple tree. I all depends on how they were taken care of before. Normally they don't grow a lot of fruit because sometimes when they are seedlings or just sprouting they don't get enough sunlight or water.
Reply:Hello,

Go over to this site: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/



I go over there daily and have learned ever so much from the folks over there.

There is forums for all your trees, fruits, tree care, and etc.



Have Fun!

Hope this helps,

Dave
Reply:not sure about the others, but i have a lemon tree and i dont do anything to it at all. the dog even pee's all over it and i still get tonnes of lemons on it. I think it is pretty hardy.
Reply:How long do you plan on renting the house, and what season (month) are you in now? I don't need the answer, but you do.

I'm assuming you plan to live there for some years and that you're somewhere in the Aug-Nov date range. In Canada I've never had the luck of having lemon or fig trees, but here's what I would do with them: I would prune off about 1/4 of the branches now so that the remaining would be evenly spaced and allow light in through the tree. Fertilize well around under the canopy (composted horse manure, etc.) Then, after flowering, I would prune off about another 1/4 so that more energy would go into the fruit. Read some gardening books so that you learn how to recognize a "spur".

After you have picked the fruit off the apple, do the same with that tree.

Is the non-producing apple in more shade? Prune so that it gets more sun. Check the soil underneath. Is it loose and not waterlogged? Drain by digging a trench outside the canopy perimeter. Add fertilizer. Check for fungus infection in the bark (hope not). If there is fungus, then you can spray; but I might consider removing the sick tree in order to protect the healthy one.
Reply:My house has a whole grove of fruit trees that we planted back in 2000.



I did NOTHING, absolutely nothing, and they grew perfectly. You'll get fruit at varying times in the spring and summer. If you live in a dry area, try to water them whenever you remember to.



The empty apple tree was probably planted a year or two later than the other one. That's what I've noticed with mine.