Do fruit trees grow at all once they lose their leaves in Fall / Winter?

General Fruit Growing
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Do fruit trees grow at all once they lose their leaves in Fall / Winter? Or is growth only happening in Spring and Summer?

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From my understanding, depends on the tree. Some plants continue to grow their roots (like apples and pears I believe) while others (like pawpaws and some of its tropical deciduous cousins) do not.

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From what ibe read a bit temp dependant. Some will do it when its above some temp and stall below.

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@sharq just mentioned something that a lot of people don’t realize. If the ground is not frozen, most (not all) woody plants will continue growth of their roots in the winter. This is why “fall planting season” is a thing in more moderate parts of the country. They do a lot of establishment throughout the cooler months..

Another point is that buds will continue to develop if the weather is favorable. A lot of activity goes on inside those buds in late winter, even if it’s not all that obvious. Apples and pears can form callus tissue in cool weather and still appear dormant, even at temperatures below what is normally considered to be required for active growth. Apples phenology is generally measured when temperatures reach 41 degrees and above. Pears typically are measured from 50 degrees and above. They callus at lower temps, though.

Growth is still likely happening, but it depends on the growth you’re talking about.

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I’ve seen fruiting spur wood lengthen during dormancy…..well before bud swell.

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That’s an optical allusion. Wood of any kind on any deciduous tree only gets longer when it’s actively growing and pushing new leaves. A spur only grows longer if it pushes new growth and leaves every year. When it quits pushing new growth in spring the spur dies and quits fruiting.

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I was wondering if the trees grow a little taller or the branches widen a little. I never thought about the roots.

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It was probably me just not noticing the spurs until I start getting interested in looking for spring buds

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fruitnut is correct. Above ground growth on deciduous trees only occurs during active growth which does not include winter. There is still a lot of cambium activity on warm days but that is limited. Below ground, almost all deciduous species continue root growth. There are exceptions, but usually they are relocated tropicals. Pawpaw is a relocated tropical.

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