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Winter Care For Your Indoor Fruit Tree

Author: JimHofman
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While indoor fruit trees grow more slowly in the winter than the summer, there are still some important care tips to help your tree thrive in colder months. In some ways, you'll need to watch your tree just a bit closer in winter. For the most part, these care tips are preparatory and quite simple, but there are things to be aware of to ensure the continued health of your tree.

Be Sure To Eliminate Pests

There are certain pests that can wreak havoc on your indoor fruit tree, namely spider mites and vinegar flies. Of the two, spider mites are worse, but you can typically use some preventive care to keep both away. If you thought pests were only active in summer, just remember pests like your warm home during the winter just as much as you do!

Spider mites are extremely small and can't really be seen with the naked eye. They're quite prolific and can cause quite a bit of damage, including yellowing leaves and other abnormalities. If you suspect spider mite damage, use a horticultural oil or a citrus oil based product, both of which are effective when sprayed on the leaves.

Vinegar flies are fairly common around any decaying matter, especially anything fermenting. Swarms may cause some damage to your tree, so it's best to remove any dead fallen leaves, fruit which may have split, or dead wood. Also, to prevent vinegar flies, it's best to avoid excess watering, which causes overly moist soil.

How To Water During Winter Months

While you'll need to water your indoor fruit tree somewhat less frequently during winter months, watering is still a necessity. The best time to water is when the soil is almost completely dry. Due to lack of humidity, it's best to keep a closer eye on the soil during winter. The tree itself may require less water due to a slower winter growth cycle and less evaporation. Typically you'll need to water your tree weekly. If the soil is still moist after 10 days, you'll want to check for drainage problems. Remember, lack of drainage is probably the #1 reason should your tree have problems or fail to produce fruit.

Other Important Tips

Here's a few more common sense tips to help your indoor fruit tree stay healthy. First, remove any blooms that are wilting or brown, along with dead branches or stems. The other important aspect of caring for your tree in winter is keeping the soil relatively warm, at least 65 degrees. Soil in containers is usually 10 degrees cooler than air temperature, so keep an eye on this. You may find you'll need to use slightly warm water when watering your tree to gently raise soil temperature.

Indoor fruit trees are very easy care, and just a few common sense precautions will ensure your tree is healthy and yields a productive fruit crop. It's as simple as monitoring the tree and treating any problems that may arise. Keeping an eye on your tree during winter months will pay off as your tree becomes lush and productive during the warm summer months.

About the Author

With proper winter care, Indoor Fruit Trees will give you a vibrant, productive crop of fruit. For further information, care tips, and recommendations, be sure to visit our comprehensive resource center for Indoor Fruit Trees .