[wallabee4]

Hi,

Again, this is a difficult-to-decide thing for me because I grew up with a hoarder--so worthless things are harder for me to get rid of and recognize as worthless--always that 'hope' that it is somehow worth more than maybe it really is...

I have a residential rural property with several fruit trees. 2 standard Apple, 3 cherry (one yellow, 2 red sour) Bosc Pear, bartlett pear, and about 8 Italian purple Plums.

Besides bearing fruit they also provide shade. Some are arranged in a group in yard like an orchard, others are around home edges more like landscaping trees. All mature.

But the cheery trees all have a cherry fruit fly worm in them. I'm told you can eat them and they aren't harmful, but gross and also possibly commercial-type spraying would fix that. I've never bothered, just let the birds get them, as most blossoms get taken by frost anyway. There is also, then, fruit litter on the ground. And we do have deer fencing.

The pears take a LOT of watering to produce good fruit. The Bosc needs to have selective 'abortion' of the fruit clusters when they appear since they cluster 6 or 7 and you need to choose 1 or 2 to mature and get good pears. In addition, a whole tree full of fruit is a lot to pick and pears must be ripened off the tree carefully or else you get is brown mush.

The plums have good years and bad years depending on frost timing, in a good year, who ever needs this many plums? I often give to groups who come harvest and give to food banks.

We are in possession of the property with intent to rent the home and 3 acres and wonder if we ought better cut down some of these trees since maintenance/use of all of them seems unlikely a tenant will maintain spraying, watering, and pruning. (We don't have automatic watering, but do have drip hoses in place to turn on). We have also considered providing annual pruning and spraying as a landlord. (not too pricey.) Have considered installing irrigation system (pretty high cost). Of course a 'certain' type of tenant may love having the free fruit and go all out there in all the maintenance tasks. (Unlikely though, in a renter as opposed to a homeowner.) There are root cellars on the property for storage.

We will be renting because it is unsaleable in this economy for what we bought before the declines. But suppose someday we could sell and so also want to consider long-term assets or detriments.

Are all these fruit trees an asset? Will they rapidly become a detriment if left to non-care by renter? Can they cause us a liability somehow if we rent? How do we weigh the options of the pruning/spraying/irrigation as landlords?

We will use a property mgmt company to rent.

Neighborhood is large families with large gardens. House is large 8 BR 4 bath.

[Wondergirl]

As a former landlady and also tenant (and also nature lover), I would hate to think you would cut down healthy trees which provide food for the birds and also shade. As a landlady, I would carefully interview prospective tenants and also include the trees and their care as a special section in the lease agreement (and who is to do what).

Others on this site will offer legal and perhaps differing opinions.

[joypulv]

I too would keep the trees for their beauty, flowers, bird food, and shade.

I've had healthy mature fruit trees inexplicably die very suddenly, and had fruit bearing years and non. I never really did much to take care of them. If they die, take them down or let someone who sells firewood cut them at no cost to you.

For tenants, you can write a handbook about the property. Some may never care, some may love it. It will save on talking and getting information wrong too.