A:   While spring and summer are hectic seasons for fruit and nut trees, fall and winter months give them a much needed holiday from growth and production.

       Hours of daylight shorten, and temperatures cool. This means their need for supplemental nutrients and water change, as well.

       As trees hunker down for their slow-growth time, it is best to discontinue fertilizing. This helps prevent fresh new growth just before a possible cold snap. Young buds are particularly susceptible to frost damage whereas older leaves and branches can better tolerate a drop in temperature.

       Lower temperatures and shorter daylight hours also mean we need to water the trees much less than we did during those toasty summer days. Assuming we get a typical rainy winter, nature may not only water our fruit trees, but also wash away salts that accumulate around root systems from summer feeding and watering. If drought conditions force supplemental watering in winter, keep in mind that, oddly enough, the biggest killer of trees is over-watering.