By Connie Whiting
Believed to have originated in Africa, watermelons are a delicious fruit perfect for a summer day but also good any time of year. The best watermelons are those that are homegrown. Fresh, full of flavor and juicy, nothing beats a homegrown melon compared to the store bought ones. By following some basic but important steps you can have your own bumper watermelon crop in just a few months time. ...
By Quinten Plummer
These thorny young branches are called suckers and produce inedible fruit. They rob the quality of the fruit on the main branches. Put on your gardening gloves as sucker branches can be laden with thorns. Use a vertical cutting action to remove the suckers; cut as closely as possible to the trunk. Cutting vertically discourages moisture accumulation on the cut and helps prevent rotting. ...
By Lesley Barker
of fruit every year on trees that can be as tall as 50 feet. Beginning when they are 4 to 6 years old, citrus trees have the potential to bear fruit for 50 years. Cut off the top third of a citrus tree that you are growing in a container to produce more branches. This fairly extensive pruning should be done in February. If, however, the tree starts dropping its leaves or if the twigs ...
By Geoffrey Weed
Peach trees are a beautiful flowering plant with the scientific name "Prunus persica." Peach trees grow relatively rapidly and can provide fruit in as little as 3 or 4 years given proper growing conditions and care. The seed of the peach tree is the pit that is found in the middle of the peach tree's fruit. Once you have a peach pit in hand, it's relatively easy to plant it and grow ...
By April Sanders
Apple trees that are not pruned will not produce good fruit. Wait for the right time. In the Northwest, this means January. The tree must be completely dormant and without any leaves. In addition, try to prune on a sunny day. This will allow you to see which branches may need to be removed in order to make sure sunlight is reaching even the lowest branches. Remove any sick, dead or broken branches, ...
By April Sanders
They will grow in too many directions and bear high quantities of poor quality fruit. Luckily, it is never too late to prune an apple tree, even a large, untrained one. Take a deep breath! Pruning an untrained apple tree may seem like an overwhelming task, but if you take it step by step, it can be done. In addition, apple trees handle pruning very well, even aggressive pruning. If you make ...
By Linda Emma
Just as an oak tree can sprout from a capped acorn, so will a plum tree set out its roots from the pit of the fruit. However, the plum you bought at the grocery store is probably a hybrid and its seed may never produce fruit. Even if it does, the fruit's taste may not resemble the fruit you ate. If, on the other hand, you plucked your plum from an existing tree, there's a realistic ...
By Chris Beazer
However, a potted olive may still produce fruit in other parts of the world, and in some climates an olive tree may still thrive outdoors as well. Winterize your olive tree. If you are in a climate zone that produces temperatures below freezing, you will need to pot your olive tree for easy winterization during the cold months. When doing this, place your tree near a window that receives plenty ...
By Robert Vaux
The excess growth damages their fruit-bearing potential, and the fruit that does appear can often be out of easy reach. Pruning an overgrown apple tree should be spaced out over time, and you may need to wait 2 or 3 years before it is thinned to a healthy level. If you are aware of which branches to cut and why, however, you can complete the task easily. Examine the tree and mark off the scaffold ...
By Nannette Richford
Remove the peach pit from the fruit and wash in tepid water to remove any fruit residue. Scrub lightly with a soft brush and pat dry. Set the seed aside to dry for several days to dry completely. Plant the pit in a 4-inch pot of moist soil to a depth of 2 inches. Cover the pot with a plastic storage bag and seal. Poke a few holes in the plastic to allow for air circulation. Place in ...