Fruit Tree Nutrients

Question from Tom: I have planted many varieties of citrus and stone fruits in my yard within the last year. They are all low chill selections and should do well in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego where I live. I am comfortable with pruning and...

Getting Rid of Citrus Pests

Question from Jon: I have something here that I need some advice on. I have attached 3 photos of a branch on my Meyer Lemon tree. I have a steady stream of ants crawling on just 1 branch. When I inspected it much more closely, I could see something...

How to Make a Pomegranate Tree Bear Fruit

Question from Karen: I live in a coastal town in California. My house is about five blocks from the ocean in a canyon that runs east west. Two years ago my then twelve-year-old daughter asked for a pomegranate tree for Christmas. That is all she wanted....

Lime, Peach, Nectarine, and Apricot Trees for Mild Climates

Question from Rachel: Pat, your book has been a lifesaver!  But I have a specific question to ask, and I can’t find an answer anywhere. I live in zone 10, Long Beach, CA.  I have a sunny backyard that has 2 citrus trees: a lemon tree that became...

Dwarf grapefruit tree overpruned

Question from Chuck: I made the mistake of pruning my dwarf grapefruit tree 3 years ago. I haven’t had a grapefruit since. What can I do? The tree is beautiful and healthy looking, but no fruit. Answer from Pat: If you cut your grapefruit tree...

Apricot Trees

Question from Tim: Dear Pat, I live in central California, San Luis Obispo county. I have 4 trees about 20years old that dropped all their blossoms and developed sap all along the branches and of course no fruit at all? Did I prune wrong the year before?...

Do Not Dig Chipper Materials into the Ground

Question from Harry: I have heavy clay soil. When it gets wet, it sticks to my shoes. Recently I got a load of chipper materials from a local tree-pruner. I have been wheelbarrowing it around and spreading it on paths and beds and around my fruit trees....

Heavy pruning of olive trees while fruiting

Question from Kathleen: The condo complex I stay in started heavy pruning of all the fruiting olive tree today, 9-1-10. Is it healthy for the tree to be lose 80% of its leaves while developing its fruit? I do energy analysis and I thik the poor...

Espaliered Apple Pruning

Question from Robin: My espalier apple trees are just starting to drop a few brown leaves but are generally filled with green leaves, new flowers and some small apples. I believe I should still go ahead and winter spray them to force leaf drop and the...

Vegetables, Eucalyptus, Clay Soil, and Fruit Trees

Question from Christian: I live in Del Mar near Fairbanks Ranch, and I’d like to get some of your thoughts on gardening and adding some new organic fruits, herbs, and vegetables to my house to feed us!  My goal is to turn a portion of my property...

Peach Tree Problems and Solutions: Pruning, Fertilizer, and Dormant Spray

Question from Michael: My peach trees are about 7 yrs old and I have never trimmed them because I do not know how. I live in Illinois . About 4 yrs ago I had a good yeild of peaches and i canned them. Every year after when I get peaches, they seem to...

Growing Citrus Trees on Drip

Question from Michelle: I have a garden that was planted around February which includes dwarf lime, lemon and mandarine. The irrigation is all drip and our watering schedule is for 8 minutes twice a week. I think I’m overwatering the citrus as...

Citrus and Coffee Trees as Houseplants

Question from Bob: My grapefruit tree never bore fruit (I think there was something about the way commercial grapefruits are produced), but it had tough, firm, deeply green lustrous leaves that gave off the scent of citrus when rubbed, and it grew to...

Sharwil Avocado

Question from Robert: I lived in Hawaii and could buy the amazing “Sharwil” avocado there, on Oahu at the local Manoa farmers market, grown by the vendors cousin on the Big Island. Just the fruit this year. A case or more if there is a nice...