Garden University: Fruit Trees

Showing posts with label Fruit Trees. Show all posts

Friday, March 22, 2013

Selecting Fruit Trees

Often I am asked: "What fruit trees should I plant in my garden?"

Well the answer is a little more complex than this but, you should always plant the trees that produce fruit you want to eat. But you will want to take your climate into account. For instance you may love mangoes but if you live in a climate that mangoes don't grow, then planting them would be fruitless. Many Apples need what are known as chilling hours. Chilling hours are considered to be hours where the temperature is below 45 degrees. For instance a Fuji Apple needs 350 to 400 chilling hours. In the Sacramento area Fair Oaks gets on average of 803 chilling hours every year. If you need to know how many chilling hours your area gets, go to the UC Davis website: Chilling Hours for California by County

Another consideration is how much work do you want to put into your fruit. Some fruit trees need more care than others. Peaches and cherries are more susceptible to diseases than Apples and Pears, none are disease proof. It is a good idea to spray your fruit trees in the winter with a dormant spray. You will want to spray two to three times over the winter season. Easy dates to remember are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. You don't have to spray on these exact days, they are just easy days to remember and spaced about right. If you decide to spray only twice, then go with Christmas and Valentine's Day. Use a good Copper & Sulfur type spray. It's organic and the most effective I have seen.

Lastly many fruit trees, such as cherries need a pollinator. Meaning a second tree of a another cherry variety to pollinate it. Some Apples, Pears, and Peaches need pollinators. Even if your tree doesn't need a pollinator you should consider planting multiple varieties. Think of it this way, more flowers leads to more bees which equals more fruit. Pick varieties that ripen at different times so you can extend your harvest. If you want to know more about the needs of particular fruit tree, try the Fruit Trees

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Bare-root Trees and Shrubs

Winter is the time of year your begin to see bare-root plants appear in your local nurseries and big box stores. Bare-root trees are typically cheaper than in the pot trees. The lack of soil is not the only reason that bare-root trees are cheaper than their in the pot cousins. Bare-root trees tend to be much younger than potted plants. In the case of fruit trees this will lead to trees that don't produce fruit for 1 to 3 years. Even in the case of non-fruiting plants such as roses can be considerably smaller and weaker thus being more susceptible to winter die-off. But when purchasing large quantities, bare-root plants can be more affordable. When buying your bare-root plants make sure to get them early and plant them right away. Some less creditable stores will sell bare-root beyond the recommended time frame. One of the easiest ways of telling whether a plant is viable is if the plant has leaves. In this case you don't want new growth to have started on the plants. Once the leaves begin to appear planting the tree or shrub may stress the plant beyond repair. When temperatures climb above sixty degrees the plants dormancy will have ended risking the plants health in planting.