POP TIPS: Orchard Care in Octboer
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Phil Forsyth
Oct 7, 2024, 11:58:21 AM10/7/24
to Philadelphia Orchard Group
Dear Philly Orchardists,
Fall is here! October is our last big month of orchard harvests, with late apples, pears, persimmons, chestnuts, kiwiberries, and more.
Please check out our POP Monthly Orchard Task List for recommended maintenance activities to complete this month (the Sept/Oct list is also attached below).
Here is some more detail on some of the key tasks for October:
Fall is planting time!
Fall is actually the best time of year to plant most perennial plants, including trees, shrubs, vines, and perennial flowers and herbs! Planting in fall allows for two seasons of cooler weather for plants to get established before the heat of summer. Our preferred planting time is early October through mid November. Fall plantings should be watered twice a week until they go fully dormant.
The only orchard plants we generally prefer spring for planting are tender ones (like figs, pomegranates, rosemary, etc) that don't like the cold and evergreen ones (stone pines, grape hollies, etc), which can dry out in winter conditions.
Orchard Watering
New plantings (from spring or the previous fall) should be watered thoroughly once per week until they drop leaves and go dormant. In most years in our wet climate, established orchard plantings don't require much in the way of supplemental watering except in the case of extended drought conditions.
Fall Weeding
Emergency Pruning
With summer over, it becomes increasingly important to limit pruning to emergency pruning only. Fall pruning can result in new growth that doesn't have time to harden off before winter temperatures hit.
Keep an eye out for any diseased, damaged, or dead wood that should be pruned away no matter the season.
Fire blight infection on stem (above) and trunk (below)
Fall pruning should be limited to emergency removal of dead, damaged, and diseased wood. In particular, prune out diseases like Fire Blight, Black Knot, and cankers that can continue to spread and cause further damage.
Pest and Disease Monitoring & Identification
Many orchard pests and diseases are active throughout the summer months and into the fall. It is important to continue weekly monitoring of your plants to identify and manage challenges. POP has developed some new resources to help guide management of some of the most common pest and disease challenges affecting fruit trees in Philadelphia.
Here are the new videos POP created in partnership with Big Picture Alliance:
And here are POP's new Action Plans for Diseases:
And new Action Plans for Insect Pests:
Codling Moth
Keep an eye out for peach tree borer damage at the base of all stone fruit trees through early fall! Unlike most insect pests, borers can actually rapidly kill an established tree if left unchecked. Use a flexible wire to kill any active larvae and read more about preventative measures for tree borers here.
Observe your orchard regularly throughout the year for pest and disease problems, identify and respond appropriately. We've been distributing physical copies to community partners, but you can check out our POP's Scouting Guides for pest and disease management available for download on POP's website:
These guides are intended to help properly identify the insect pests and diseases that affect the following common fruit trees:
The guides include lots of photos and a description of how to identify the particular pest or disease and the damage caused by it. Proper identification is essential to treating these problems, as each has its own unique options for management! Once you have identified a pest or disease, you can then consult our website for management recommendations by using our search function:
Remove Damaged and Dropped Fruit
For fall fruits, it is advisable to continue to monitor your developing crops for insect and disease damage and remove the affected fruit. Similarly, it is best to gather any fallen fruit to avoid the further spread of pest and disease challenges. All fruit should be disposed of by adding to a hot compost system, feeding to poultry, or bagging up to remove from the site.
Distinctive damage from the Plum Curculio weevil can be found on apples and pears as well as stone fruits. Remove affected fruits and dispose of all dropped fruit to help reduce pest population levels for the following year.
October Harvests!
Enjoy the October harvests and cooler weather!
Phil Forsyth, Co-Executive Director
Philadelphia Orchard Project
Pronouns: he/him
Phil Forsyth
Oct 1, 2025, 9:51:53 AMOct 1
to Philadelphia Orchard Group
Dear Philly Orchardists,
Fall is here! October is our last big month of orchard harvests, with late apples, pears, persimmons, chestnuts, kiwiberries, and more.
Please check out our POP Monthly Orchard Task List for recommended maintenance activities to complete this month (the Sept/Oct list is also attached below).
Here is some more detail on some of the key tasks for October:
Fall is planting time!
Fall is actually the best time of year to plant most perennial plants, including trees, shrubs, vines, and perennial flowers and herbs! Planting in fall allows for two seasons of cooler weather for plants to get established before the heat of summer. Our preferred planting time is early October through mid November. Fall plantings should be watered twice a week until they go fully dormant.
The only orchard plants we generally prefer spring for planting are tender ones that don't like the cold (like figs, pomegranates, rosemary, etc) and evergreen ones (stone pines, grape hollies, etc), which can dry out in winter conditions.
Check out our newly updated lists of recommended plant sources:
Orchard Watering
Check out POP's new resource on orchard irrigation, with more info on watering established plantings! We developed this after last year's historic drought and requests for more guidance from our community orchard partners.
New plantings (from this spring or last fall) should be watered thoroughly once per week throughout the summer months. In Philadelphia’s generally humid, wet climate, we have long advised that you don’t need to water mature orchard trees unless there is drought. But extreme weather conditions have become our norm. Rainfall has become less predictable, heat more intense, and drought more of the rule than the exception. Plan on needing to irrigate your orchard at some point during the year and be prepared for longer periods of drought.
Fall Weeding
POP also created a brand new resource on Orchard Weed Management to better support our partners and Lead Orchard Volunteers in this important task. And we've recently uploaded our full POP Weed Identification Guide to our website for easy, free access!
Emergency Pruning
With summer over, it becomes increasingly important to limit pruning to emergency pruning only. Fall pruning can result in new growth that doesn't have time to harden off before winter temperatures hit.
Keep an eye out for any diseased, damaged, or dead wood that should be pruned away no matter the season.
Fire blight infection on stem (above) and trunk (below)
Fall pruning should be limited to emergency removal of dead, damaged, and diseased wood. In particular, prune out diseases like Fire Blight, Black Knot, and cankers that can continue to spread and cause further damage.
Pest and Disease Monitoring & Identification
Many orchard pests and diseases are active into the fall. It is important to continue weekly monitoring of your plants to identify and manage challenges. POP has developed some new resources to help guide management of some of the most common pest and disease challenges affecting fruit trees in Philadelphia.
Keep an eye out for peach tree borer damage at the base of all stone fruit trees through early fall! Unlike most insect pests, borers can actually rapidly kill an established tree if left unchecked. Use a flexible wire to kill any active larvae and read more about preventative measures for tree borers here.
Observe your orchard regularly throughout the year for pest and disease problems, identify and respond appropriately. We've been distributing physical copies to community partners, but you can check out our POP's Scouting Guides for pest and disease management available for download on POP's website:
These guides are intended to help properly identify the insect pests and diseases that affect the following common fruit trees:
The guides include lots of photos and a description of how to identify the particular pest or disease and the damage caused by it. Proper identification is essential to treating these problems, as each has its own unique options for management! Once you have identified a pest or disease, you can then consult our website for management recommendations by using our search function:
Remove Damaged and Dropped Fruit
For fall fruits, it is advisable to continue to monitor your developing crops for insect and disease damage and remove the affected fruit. Similarly, it is best to gather any fallen fruit to avoid the further spread of pest and disease challenges. All fruit should be disposed of by adding to a hot compost system, feeding to poultry, or bagging up to remove from the site.
Distinctive damage from the Plum Curculio weevil can be found on apples and pears as well as stone fruits. Remove affected fruits and dispose of all dropped fruit to help reduce pest population levels for the following year.
October Harvests!
Check out our brand new POP Harvest Guide with info on harvesting and preserving orchard yields, links to recipes, and more!
Enjoy the October harvests and cooler weather!
Phil Forsyth, Co-Executive Director
Philadelphia Orchard Project
Pronouns: he/him
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