Common Fruit Tree Problems
Fruit trees can live for decades, which means problems often build slowly.
Some issues are caused by pests or disease.
Others begin with planting depth, poor drainage, or the wrong variety.
No Fruit
Possible causes include:
- Tree is too young
- Wrong pollination partner
- No compatible pollinizer
- Late frost
- Excessive pruning
- Excess nitrogen
- Poor chill accumulation
- Biennial bearing
Flowers but No Fruit
This often points toward:
- Frost damage
- Pollination failure
- Poor weather during bloom
- Incompatible varieties
Yellow Leaves
Possible causes include:
- Overwatering
- Poor drainage
- Nutrient deficiency
- High soil pH
- Root damage
- Disease
Do not fertilize automatically.
Inspect the whole situation.
Wilting
Possible causes:
- Drought
- Root rot
- Vascular disease
- Borer damage
- Newly planted root stress
Check soil moisture before adding more water.
Fruit Drops Early
Some natural fruit drop is normal.
Heavy drop can result from:
- Poor pollination
- Drought
- Excess crop load
- Insect damage
- Disease
Small Fruit
Common causes include:
- Too many fruit
- Lack of thinning
- Drought
- Poor fertility
- Excess shade
Broken Limbs
Heavy crop loads can break branches.
Thin fruit and develop strong scaffold structure while trees are young.
Bark Damage
Causes include:
- Deer rubbing
- Rodents
- String trimmers
- Mowers
- Sunscald
- Borers
Protect trunks.
Suckers
Shoots emerging below the graft should usually be removed.
They come from the rootstock and can eventually dominate the desired cultivar.
Water Sprouts
Vertical vigorous shoots inside the canopy often appear after heavy pruning.
Remove selectively.
Disease
Common Southern fruit-tree diseases include:
- Fire blight
- Brown rot
- Apple scab
- Cedar-apple rust
- Bacterial spot
- Black knot
Correct identification matters.
Insect Pests
Possible pests include:
- Plum curculio
- Borers
- Scale insects
- Aphids
- Mites
- Stink bugs
Start With the Basics
Before reaching for a spray, check:
- Variety
- Pollination
- Soil drainage
- Planting depth
- Watering
- Sunlight
- Pest symptoms
- Disease symptoms
GardenGrowz Tip
The most effective fruit-tree “treatment” often happened years earlier when the right variety was planted in the right place.