How to Grow and Cultivate a Nespoli Tree

Plant your nespoli tree in an area that receives full sun at least six hours each day. Allow 25 to 35 feet between your tree and other trees or buildings. Dig a planting hole that is three or four times larger than the root ball of your plant. Set your tree into the hole, situating the top of the container's soil level with the surrounding soil. Then, fill the hole with the soil you dug out. Water your newly planted nespoli tree by running a hose at a drip for about 30 minutes.

Water your tree every other day during the first week; after that, water it once or twice a week for the next two months. Water once a week during dry periods for the tree’s first three years, but do not irrigate during rainy weather. When the tree begins to produce fruit at about 4 years old, water it only when fruit is developing and during dry periods.

Fertilize your young tree one month after planting using a plant food having an N-P-K ratio of 6-6-6, or 6 percent nitrogen, 6 percent phosphate and 6 percent potassium. Scatter 1/4 pound of granular fertilizer around the trunk every eight weeks for the tree’s first year in the ground. Increase the amount of fertilizer you give the tree as it grows larger, but feed it only four to six times a year.

Protect your nespoli fruit from fruit flies by covering developing fruit clusters with paper bags tied with string.

Prune your nespoli tree during its first two years by snipping off the tips of developing branches to encourage branching. Keeping the main central leader pruned will allow air and light to reach the crown of the tree. The tree will respond well to pruning to keep it below 12 feet tall; this practice will allow you to care for the tree more easily and will also facilitate harvesting fruit.