What is happening to my fruit tree?

zohur.miah

Hi all

I got 5 dwarf trees for my birthday. Only one has started to show leaves. 

I believe it is the conference pear tree that has leaves. 

But recently the leafs have started to turn black and look somewhat dry. 

Can anyone pitch in and tell me what’s wrong?

Complete novice when it comes to gardening and would be really upset to see this die

Thanks in Advance!

BobTheGardener

Are they kept inside or outside?  Trees in pots need to be kept outdoors, so if they are inside, that will be the cause of the issues.  They need to be planted in the ground as soon as possible, but best wait until the current cold snap has passed, so in about a week's time is looking ok.

zohur.miah

Thanks for the reply!

This was kept inside in my conservatory. I did move it outside for about a week ago. I thought the recent cold may have been the culprit therefore bought it back inside yesterday. 

The tree variety is supposed to be hardy; and apparently they survive well in large pots. My plan was to keep it in a pot forever really. 

If I am not planting into the ground, should I take this back outside in its pot? Or wait till next week?

Will these leaves just fall and new ones grow?

Thanks again

BobTheGardener

Yes, it's likely that they got used to the warmth in the conservatory and have been affected by the hard frosts.  The damaged leaves will be replaced.  You really need to identify exactly what trees you have been given as their needs may vary, but most trees can be kept in pots (at least for a few years) as long as you use large pots - 45 to 50cm diameter.  Use a John Innes #3 (loam-based) compost as that is designed for long-term plantings (multi-purpose compost is no good for this particular use.)

I would recommend 'hardening off' the trees by placing them outside during the day and bringing back inside each night for a week, before you plant them in the larger pots.

zohur.miah

Awesome. Yes I have them in 50cm pots at the moment and already using John Innes 3. 

Will keep them inside for a bit longer then and then move outside after this weeks freeze. 

BobTheGardener

Sounds great!  Do harden them off as described though, or the same may happen again.

zohur.miah

Will do!

I have 4 others which have not had any leaves at all. They were in the conservatory as well, and I moved them outside with my pear tree last week.

When I saw the frost damage I bought the pear tree inside, but left the rest outside.
Am I ok to leave them outside as they haven't had any growth yet?

BobTheGardener

Absolutely.  In fact, some fruit trees require a cold period to develop properly, so those without leaves are best left outside.