Fruit trees can start off pretty small!
Years ago we planted an Asian pear tree in the park and it was vandalized soon after, broken off at the bottom of the trunk.
The roots of the tree – called the “rootstock” continued to grow. And so last year we grafted some new Asian pear buds on it. Once those buds sprout this spring, we will have a brand new tree!
But for now that little tree is pretty small. And neighbourhood rabbits love to munch on the new sprouts. If allowed to do so, our tree will never be able to grow.
So at last week’s stewardship, Giselle and Brian used window screening to build a little rabbit fence to keep those “rascally rabbits” away!
While Giselle and Brian were working on fencing, Ellie, Rebecca, Sara and Kali were doing a beautiful job preparing the cherry trees for mulch. They removed the weeds and created a beautiful edge to prevent the grass from growing into the mulch circles.
Mulching season is coming up fast! That’s because trees store their energy in their root systems over the winter. In the spring they need all that energy to break buds, unfurl blossoms and form fruit. Once that energy is gone, the tree will struggle to support itself.
By mulching in the early spring, we are giving our fruit trees nutrition that will support their early summer growth. You can learn about mulching here.
Other participants included Naftali, Zeny and Rael, who also worked on mulch circles and Susan who tore apart the messy shed to take a stab at organizing the jumble of tools, wheelbarrows, and other stuff inside.
It was a warm and delightful day and coming up in the next two weeks, we will be mulching our trees with compost, giving them the food they need for healthy growth and fruit production.
In other updates: Blossom season has begun in the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard? Why go to overcrowded High Park to see the cherry blossoms when we have our own trees blooming?
Here you can see our old plum tree is putting on a great show. And this week we expect the cherry trees in the park to blossom. Grab your cellphone and be sure to take a selfie!
Would you like to join us as a volunteer? Send us an email at growingforgree (at) gmail.com and we’ll add you to our list!
Susan Poizner is one of the volunteers for The Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard in Toronto. She is the creator of the fruit tree care education website OrchardPeople.com. Susan is the author of four fruit tree care books including Grow Fruit Trees Fast: A Beginner’s Guide to a Healthy Harvest in Record Time. She is also the host of the Orchard People podcast and an ISA Certified Arborist.