Fruit Trees

Love Apple Farms By Annette Truong

Agenda

•  1:00-2:00 Lecture – <10 minute break>

•  2:00-2:45 Lecture + Hands-on: Pruning •  2:45-3:45 Lecture + Hands-on: Grafting •  Final 15 minutes: Q&A •  Prompt end at 4pm

My Background •  Mom: forest industry •  Dad: orchardists •  Zone 2

Your background

•  15 seconds: – Name & City – What you hope to learn in this class

Class Description •  In this class, you will learn how to graft and care for all dormant fruit

trees. Though we will be mostly focusing on many different varieties of apples (which are easy-as-pie and bountiful to boot), you will also learn about peaches, pears, cherries, plums, pomegranates, persimmons, and mulberries.

•  We will take you on a tour of all the fruit trees growing on the farm and teach you all about year-round care. Then we will retreat to the gardening classroom and get to work grafting scions onto rootstocks. Each student will take home three potted rootstocks grafted with his or her choice of scions.

•  Fruit trees are a joy in every yard and garden. Chances are that you have a perfect spot for one. Make an investment in your yard, your health, and your happiness by planting one this year!

•  Note: if you are interested in citrus trees, check out our citrus class here.

Encouragement

•  “It takes 10 years to become a master” •  This is especially true in the world of fruit

trees where a yearly cycle dominates and 10 years means 10 “tries”

•  Don’t be discouraged if your initial efforts show little success – you are learning from your mistakes and you’ll get better quickly

•  I’m on year 7 with fruit trees and I feel like I know less than I did 7 years ago!

Dormant Wood Trees

•  Pomes – Apples, pears, quince

•  Stone – Peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, plums

•  Berries – Mulberry, persimmon, pomegranate, fig

•  Except for persimmons (which are difficult to graft), these trees are rooted directly.

Pollination •  Some varieties are self fruitful •  Most fruit trees need cross-pollination for best

fruit set •  Triploids are sterile and can’t pollinate other

trees •  Make sure blossom times overlap (an “early”

variety may not have any blossoms left by the time a “late” variety starts blooming)

•  A graft is a great way to provide a pollinator when space for new trees is a concern

Pollination charts

•  You can find compatibility charts online, e.g. http://www.acnursery.com/apple_pollinizer.pdf

Chill Hours •  Many fruits need enough chill hours in a year to

produce fruit (hours 32F-45F). •  Not enough chill hours = no production •  Look for “low chill hours” trees for warmer areas •  You can find the chill hours of your area using

the Pomology Weather Service: •  http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/chillcalc/

index.cfm •  Santa Cruz (<45F/32F-45F)

–  De Laveaga 958/937; Watsonville West II 533/528

UC Davis historical chill hours

•  http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/repository/calag/fig6302p65b.jpg

•  We’re losing our chill…

Planting

Where to plant

•  Backyards have several micro climates –  The hot, sunny side –  The cool shady side –  Middle of lawn –  Against a fence –  Near the house –  Close to (or shaded by) the

neighbor’s tree –  Etc…

Planting •  “Urban pack” soil is not

ideal –  Little drainage, hard

•  Lawns are not ideal –  Grass wants frequent shallow

water –  Trees want infrequent deep

water •  Shade is not ideal •  Ideal: raised out of lawn, full

sun

Planting con’t

•  In a well drained area (slope, raised bed) dig a hole larger than the rootball and put the tree in and backfill.

•  Optional: insert a 24” or longer perforated pvc pipe for help with deep watering

•  Add a berm (wall to keep water in)

•  Mulch to 6” deep

Staking •  Temporary, permanent, or none •  Wind is key to strong trees •  Trees grown in nurseries are often tall and

spindly – they need to be cut or staked •  Dwarfing rootstocks often cannot support

themselves and need permanent stakes •  If you start out with your own self-supporting

rootstocks you don’t need staking •  Sometimes permanent stakes are used to make

the tree more fruitful, spending less energy on trunk strength

Harvesting

•  Some fruit need to be harvested ripe, while others need to be harvested unripe

•  Pick ripe: apples, apricots, cherries, plums, figs, mulberries

•  Pick unripe: pears •  Pick almost ripe: peaches (75% ripe),

hachiya persimmons

Watering

•  Always water deeply when you water •  New trees need more water as they are

still establishing deep roots, but still no more frequently than once per week

•  Some trees can be dry farmed once established, but the fruit will most certainly be better if the trees are watered while fruiting – once or twice per month, and during heat waves.

Tree Problems

Types of problems

•  Disease (fungus, bacteria, virus) •  Insects •  Deer, rabbits & rodents •  Nematodes (root worms) •  Bad growing conditions (too much or too

little light, poor soil or nutrition, drought or over watering, compact soil, heat, cold…)

•  Weak or incompatible graft

The organic mindset •  Picture-perfect fruit in the supermarket are like the

airbrushed super models in magazines. •  Perfect fruit usually means “lots of chemicals” •  Learn to live with and LOVE your partially nibbled,

slightly blemished fruit to avoid use of chemicals •  Learn to harvest your fruit for different purposes: pick the

whole harvest and separate by blemish level: –  Make the most blemished/partially decayed fruit into cider or jelly –  Jam, can, or dehydrate slightly blemished fruit –  The picture perfect fruit are your poster-children and you put

them on display for hand eating or gifting

Disease •  The sad truth is disease in fruit trees is very difficult to

treat organically. •  Standard (non-organic) care: copper spray. While your

tree is dormant (no leaves). This is a “cure all” for disease prevention: viruses, fungus, bacteria. Peach curl is especially incurable any other way.

•  Some copper products are labeled “organic”, however all copper products contribute to copper buildup in soil and should be avoided (at least regular use)

•  Favor trees that are resistent to disease so copper spray is less necessary

•  Especially tragic is peach curl. It will almost certainly affect your peach & nectarines unless sprayed, unless they happen to leaf during a warm week of sun

Insects •  Horticultural oil and

insecticide soap can be used and sprayed with little harm

•  Some trees are sensitive (as the label on the products warn) – test it out on a small branch before doing your whole tree, follow directions

•  Also pyrethrin spray •  Insect traps

Apple Coddling Moth •  One of the most common problems

with apples. •  Moths lay eggs in fruit, larvae eat

from the inside •  Fruit bagging is effective – a month

after bloom when fruits are 1” in diameter

•  Moths can’t get in •  Time intensive, but if you need a

few perfect fruit it will be worthwhile

Animals

•  Young bark is tasty to rabbits and rodents. Wrap your tree with tree wrap, or tightly fence.

•  Deer: fence

Resources

CRFG.org

•  California Rare Fruit Growers Association •  Yearly dormant wood scion exchange in

Jan(free to public; early entry for members)

•  Santa Clara Valley chapter meets at Prusch Park in San Jose (101&280)

•  Monterey chapter meets at Cabrillo college

Prusch Orchard Maintenance

•  For hands on training with orchard maintenance, join the volunteers at Prusch Park in San Jose the first Sunday of each month.

•  You will get experience pruning, collecting scions, painting trunks, spreading chips and get to inspect trees at all stages of growth in a year

•  Usually experienced members are on hand to answer questions while you work

Past CRFG Scion Exchanges Mark your calendars for January 2013 to get new free scions

•  Santa Clara Chapter - Sat, Jan 14, 2012, Prusch Park, San Jose •  Monterey Bay Chapter - Sun, Jan 15, 2012, Cabrillo College Hort,

Aptos •  Golden Gate Chapter - Sat, Jan 21, 2012, Laney College,

Oakland •  Sacramento Chapter - Sun, Jan 22, 2012, Agricultural Coop Ext.

Sacramento •  Redwood Empire Chapter - Sat, Jan 28, 2012, Veterans' Building,

Sebastopol •  Central Coast - Sat, Feb 18, 2012, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Other Links

•  Raintreenursery.com - Great source for rootstocks in small quantities.

•  http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/ - – UC Davis Agriculture

•  MasterGardeners.org – This group maintains a high-density apple

orchard at Prusch park – http://www.mastergardeners.org/projects/

prusch.html