- Types we see
- Apple, pear, cherry, plum, apricot, peach
- Type
- Deciduous fruit trees
- Frost risk
- Late spring frosts can take the blossoms in all of our zones
- Best pruning time
- Late winter, while dormant
- Hardiness
- Zones 6b to 7b across the service area
- Where
- Valley and foothill lots from about 4,100 to 5,100 feet
Older lots often keep an apple or other fruit tree planted long ago.
How do you identify what you have?
Apple and pear carry spurs, short stubby shoots on which fruit forms, and flower in white to pink in spring. Cherries have shiny bark with horizontal lines, plums and apricots flower very early, and peaches have narrow, long leaves. If you are unsure of the type, photograph the leaves, bark and fruit and show the crew at the free estimate.
- Spurs and clustered spring blossoms on apple and pear
- Horizontal lines on cherry bark
- Very early blossoms on plum and apricot
- Narrow, long leaves on peach
Where do fruit trees do well here?
They grow on valley and foothill lots in Reno (4,500 feet), Carson City (4,700 feet), the Carson Valley (4,700 to 4,900 feet) and Washoe Valley (5,100 feet), in zones 6b to 7b. The nearest NOAA stations record about 7 to 9 inches of precipitation a year, so fruit trees live on irrigation. At Tahoe elevations (above 6,200 feet, zone 6b), the season is short and frost comes late. University of Nevada Extension notes that high-desert landscapes between 4,000 and 6,000 feet have poor, gravelly soil, and recommends deep, infrequent watering for trees.
What goes wrong with old fruit trees?
Age and neglect. Without pruning, an apple tree grows crowded with watersprouts, the fruit-bearing wood gets weaker and heavy crops snap limbs. Wounds and old cuts invite decay, and hollow trunks are common. Snow load splits branches; see storm and snow-load breakage. Dead branches in the crown, sunken bark patches and fruit that stays small can reflect drought, disease or insects, and an arborist identifies the cause. We do not offer spraying or fruit tree treatment.
Pruning timing and the right call
Dead and broken branches can be removed at any time. For regular pruning, late winter while the tree is dormant is the usual window for most deciduous trees. The goals are an open crown, no crossing or rubbing branches, and removing deadwood and watersprouts. Our fruit tree pruning guide goes into detail. Do not top the tree to make it shorter.
A very old tree can be renewed over a few seasons rather than all at once. Removal is the usual answer for a dead tree, one with a hollow or soft trunk, a split at the main union, or a tree too close to a house, a septic system or a fence. A certified arborist assesses the tree first. See tree trimming and pruning and tree removal. Fruit-tree wood and chips can be hauled; for firewood or chips, call the office.
Sources
- University of Nevada Cooperative Extension: Gardening Guide for High-Desert Urban Landscapes of Great Basin Regions in Nevada and Utah (SP-13-09) (read October 17, 2026)
- USDA Agricultural Research Service: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (PRISM, Oregon State University) (read October 17, 2026)
- NOAA NCEI: U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (read October 17, 2026)