Garden Center Spring 2010 Opening

The Garden Center will be opening for its Spring season on Monday, March 29, 2010.  Daily hours Monday through Saturday 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, closed Sundays. 

Bare-Root Fruit Trees:

Our shipment of Fruit trees will be arriving the week of March 29, 2010.  You will be able to purchase bare-root fruit trees for a reduced cost of $36.00 - $38.00 (will be $46.00 - $48.00) through April 10, 2010.  A complete list of fruit trees is available on our website.  These and more are available:

• Cortland Apple
• Delicious Red Apple
• Honeycrisp Apple
• Royal Gala Apple
• McIntosh Apple
• Bartlett Pear
• Bosc Pear
• Red Diamond Cherry Plum
• Lapin Cherry

Why is there no Fruit on my Tree?

One of the most common questions that we receive from homeowners is "Why is there no fruit on my tree?'  R. M. Crassweller wrote an excellent article available through the Penn State Cooperative Extension Website that goes indepth about possible problems and potential solutions to the problems of why your trees may fail to bare fruit or have reduced fruiting.  Some of the main points of the article are below:
 

1. Improper tree vigor- This typically occurs for one of two reasons:  over-fertilization and over pruning. 

·   Be careful of possible over-fertilization of fruit trees through lawn fertilization. 

·   Heavy winter pruning can stimulate excessive growth.  Before pruning your trees make sure you become familiar with where the tree produces flowers and how to prune to encourage flower/fruit production.

1. Frost Damage- Late Spring frosts are the second leading cause for lack of fruit production. 

·   Frost does not have to occur during full bloom for the damage to occur; temperatures much below 29 degrees F will prevent fruit formation.

·   While we cannot control the weather, by planting zone hardy trees and planting them in the most frost free section of your yard you can reduce the risk of losing flower/fruit buds from frost.

1. Lack of or Poor Pollination- All flowers must be pollinated in order to form fruit. 

·   Bee are the main method for transfer of pollen and anything that interferes with bee activity such as insecticides, cold weather, rain or wind will reduce pollination.

·   Apples and Pears must be cross pollinated (pollinated with another variety) in order to produce fruit. 

1. Effect of last year's crop- Fruit trees form their flowers the previous growing season

·   Heavy crops the previous year can reduce flower formation for the next year.

·   By removing some of the fruit within 2-4 weeks after bloom you will help to increase the flower production for the next year. 

1. Age- Do not expect a tree to produce very much fruit until the third to fifth year after planting.

·   It is recommended to remove any fruit that forms before the tree has gone through 3 full growing season to allow for proper branch development.

·   The only solution to this is Patience.

To read the entire article available through the Penn State Cooperative Extension website please click Here.

Landscape Services:

We'll bring your property to life!  For more information on our Landscape installation and design services please visit our website.

We are now booking projects for our 2010 Summer season.  Please call 570-376-2745 to book a consultation today!

Maintenance Services:

• Spring and Fall Clean-ups
• Edging and Mulching of Landscape Beds
• Tree and Shrub Trimming in early Spring, Summer, and Fall
• Bed Maintenance (weed control)
• Lawn Care, Repair and Installation

Contact Us!

We would like to know what topics you would like to hear about in our E-newsletter so we can serve you better. 
Please feel free to email topic suggestions to:
staff@martinsgardencenter.com