How to care for your fruit trees in winter

Autumn and winter are key times for the preparations for growing fruit such as apples, pears, and nectarines plus other fruits the following summer.

Start with a general feed of Growmore fertilizer around the base of the fruit trees one handful sprinkled over a square metre under the tree.
If your fruit trees are in a lawn or grassy area it’s worth removing some of the grass around the base of the tree carefully without damaging the tree’s stem or trunk. Then sow some calendula seed as this is a companion plant which will help to support helpful insects. The seed will not germinate until the spring and can also be used under other fruit shrubs and trees in your border.

In September and October apply a grease band on the main stem to stop winter months from crawling up the stem into the tree. Here is a link to some more information
https://www.rhs.org.uk/prevention-protection/grease-bands-and-tree-barrier-glues

Once the leaves have fallen from the tree and on a frost-free day apply a winter wash. Apply with a small sprayer as a jet so the winter wash runs down the stems killing all the over-wintering pest eggs and fungal spores.
Vitax winter wash is organic however if the tree is heavily infected with pests from the summer two applications might be need through the winter months. We often use Jeyes fluid but now thus is no longer used due to

With the long summer shoots, these can be pruned back at the same time as applying the winter wash. Prune back to 3 to 4 buds.