The ABC's of Tree Service: Tips for Everyone

Important tree care tips for fruiting trees in clay soils

14 February 2017

Roberto Palmer

If you live near a river or in an area with heavily clay based soils you can face extra challenges when trying to get your tree to produce maximum fruit. However, with the right tree maintenance, you can still get great results. Here are some tips to maximise fruiting on trees in clay soils. 

Aerate and drain

Clay soils easily retain water, which can be handy in a dry climate. However, this can also lead to problems with the root system retaining too much water in very wet times and compacting hard to form baked surfaces in drier times. The answer in both cases is to regularly aerate the soil with a specialist tool that allows the water to penetrate to the roots and then drain away once enough water has been absorbed. It is important to be careful whilst doing this to leave the delicate root structure undisturbed. A professional tree service can often take care of this during normal annual tree trimming. 

Soil chemistry

Clay based soils can often be alkaline and may need to have the soil chemistry adjusted with doses of acid in order for the trees to be able to absorb the necessary nutrients for fruiting. This is an important part of fertilising, as the fertiliser can be wasted if the tree cannot absorb the chemicals. There are some simple tests that you can perform using testing kits from the nursery. For more complex and ongoing tree chemistry issues, a tree servicing company can provide more guidance. 

Trimming

Finally, it's also important to regularly trim and prune a fruit tree in a clay soil. The tree will redirect fruit energy to new growth if it is not regularly shaped to maximise its health; in order to keep your tree healthy for as long as possible and producing the maximum fruit, it is important to trim it regularly. It can be useful to schedule an annual check with a tree servicing company to get the tree trimmed and the tree surrounds inspected so you stay on top of any potential issues.

If you have a yard with clay based soils and have struggled to maintain healthy fruiting trees, the answer may be as simple as getting a regular tree service from an arborist who is experienced in dealing with clay soils. Why not book a consultation today to see how you can improve the health of your fruit trees?

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