April Showers Bring May Flowers

April showers bring May flowers, Mayflies fly in May and June Bugs bug in June right? Not necessarily. I live in Western Wyoming and I don't start pruning Wyoming fruit trees until I'm done pruning in North Central Utah. Our May showers bring June Flowers, Mayflies fly in June and I've never seen June Bugs in my orchard.

The United States is divided into 9 growing zones from 2 - 10. The three hour drive that I make between Wyoming and Utah takes me from zone 3, over a zone 2 mountain pass and into zone 7. Even within my Utah service area I can jump between zone 5, 6 and 7. So why am I telling you all of this information? Because you can't place fruit tree pruning and maintenance tasks on a calendar. Unless that calendar is specific to a growing zone or region.

This link will take you to the closest thing we could come up with for a pruning calendar:

Fruit Tree Pruning Calendar

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Growing zones are just one of many factors that should be considered when caring for your fruit trees. Relative humidity, precipitation, and average high temperatures might affect which trees will thrive in your climate and when routine maintenance task can be done. For example, in the Southwest it is important to water trees in the winter. In parts of the Pacific Northwest pruning should be delayed as long as possible to ensure a window of dry weather.

The best way to maintain a healthy tree is to inspect it regularly and identify environmental triggers that will tell you when certain tasks should be completed. One example of an environmental trigger is the crocus bloom. These little bulbs are often the first to emerge in the spring and their flowers indicate the start of spring. "When crocus bloom it's time to prune." This environmental trigger will tell you that fruit trees are just starting to come out of dormancy even if the tree itself is not giving you any signs of life.

I might have experience growing and caring for fruit trees in zones 3 - 7, but I can't possibly garden in every climate found in the US. With that being said, I am interested in learning more about environmental triggers that you use in your growing area. Please leave a comment below and share environmental triggers that you use in your garden.

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