Taking care of fruit trees

[BarkerB]

We recently bought some new land and on the land are several apple, pear and cherry trees. I really don't know a lot about these. The fruit we will get is just fruit we will eat (not sell). Is there anything we need to do right now (winter) with the trees?

 

[The Back 40]

Clean up the rotting fruit on the ground, leaves and anything else on the ground around the trees. This is a good time to prune the branches, shave off any dead wood on the trunk, etc...

You basically want to keep them clean and trimmed so pests aren't so attracted to them.

 

[Nora]

If they're already fully grown trees they should be fine, but if they're young trees they might need some protection from the wind and snow. I wouldn't start cutting on the tree now though. It could leave a wound exposed to the cold and it might encourage the tree to wake from democracy and put out new growth.

 

[TammiT]

If you aren't in an area with snow on the ground, I would definitely clean up the area. Rotting fruit can draw pests. I also wouldn't start cutting or pruning any branches. It's too cold and that could harm the new growth.