Indoor Fruit Trees - Winter Care

If you own an indoor fruit tree, you’ll be interested in knowing that your tree actually requires more care in the colder months than warmer months. Although this preparatory care isn’t very time consuming, it’s important for the health and growth cycle of your tree come spring and summer. Indoor fruit trees almost always grow more slowly during the cold months, and while that’s nothing to worry about, there are a few tips that’ll help your tree grow and thrive through the winter cycle.

Pests - The Enemies of Your Indoor Fruit Tree

The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is especially appropriate for indoor fruit trees. Two common pests for these trees are vinegar flies and spider mites. While spider mites are the more destructive of the two, it’s best to keep both away from your tree.

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.

You’ve probably seen vinegar flies before, and most likely called them fruit flies. Vinegar flies thrive on anything that’s decaying or fermenting, particularly fruit or over moist soil. To prevent vinegar flies, be sure to eliminate any dead fallen leaves, split fruit, or dead wood. Another key factor to preventing vinegar flies is to not over water your tree, as this causes a conducive environment for breeding vinegar flies.

Watering During Winter

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

There are just a few other tips to help your indoor fruit tree survive and thrive during the winter. First, make sure to remove any blooms which are wilting or brown. Next, prune any dead branches or stems. Finally, do your absolute best to keep the container temperature at or above 65 degrees. Sometimes rooms get colder than you think, and soil tempertures in containers are usually 10 degrees lower than air temperatures. There’s nothing wrong with using slightly warm water to help raise the soil temperature, if necessary.

To make sure your tree is healthy in the summer and yields a bountiful crop of fruit, keep on eye on any possible problems during the winter. Watch for pests, be careful to water properly, and keep the soil temperature at 65 degrees or above. If you do, you can expect a happy, healthy tree for years to come.