How to grow and care for fruit trees: general fruit tree management
Are you thinking about growing fruit trees? While this is no tiny undertaking, once established, fruit trees are much more forgiving than annuals. Fruits such as apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, pears, pluots and plums can be easily grown on trees in the garden – Before you get started, you just need to learn proper management practices.
Below is an excerpt Ecological Farm By Helena Attowe. It has been adapted for operate on the Internet.
Unless otherwise noted, all photos are copyright © 2023 by Helen Atthowe.
Fruit trees have specific environmental needs that support them thrive and fight pests. Managing these complicated details may seem like a lot of mental work, but it helps you avoid all the extra overhead of managing disease, insects and fertility issues later on.
Deciding what to grow
Consult with other growers, state universities and local extension agents to find out what species and varieties of fruit trees do well in your area. Species and varieties that grow well in chilly northern climates will be very different from those that grow well in warm southern climates.
When planning the location of your plants, first do enough detective work so that you know what the basic preferences of your fruit trees are. Research the delicate, humidity and soil preferences (see below), as well as the disease susceptibility (or resistance) of the trees and rootstocks you plan to grow. Match species, varieties and rootstocks to the soil microclimate, sun and shade in your garden or field.
- Species that require full sun, such as cherries and plums, will not grow well in shady areas.
- Avoid planting species susceptible to fungal leaf diseases or bacterial cancer diseases in lawns or near regularly irrigated crops. Watering lawns or crops regularly provides the higher humidity that many disease-causing microorganisms need to infect fruit trees.
- Avoid hefty and soggy soils for plant species susceptible to root rot diseases.
Pollination
Most fruit trees need cross-pollination to bear or produce fruit well. This means that two or more varieties with compatible pollen and similar flowering times should be planted next to each other. Some fruit species are self-fertile and do not require cross-pollination.
Cherry, most apricots, European-type plums (such as Stanley and Italian plums), and peaches/nectarines are self-fertile. Apples, pears, cherries, some apricots, and Japanese and American plums are not; they require pollinator companion trees of another compatible variety to produce good yields. Companion pollination trees should be planted within a 30 m radius.
Insects pollinate fruit trees. Honey bees and native bees do most of the pollination work, but the variety of insects that visit fruit tree flowers support move pollen throughout the orchard.
Pads
Figure 12.1. This cherry tree has a naturally upright growth and is pruned to a central leader system.
For commercial production, most fruit tree varieties are grown as grafted plants. This means that the fruiting variety is “attached” to the rootstock variety in a process called budding. The rootstock variety gives the trees characteristics that the fruiting variety may have they do not possess, such as size control, immunity, and resistance to insects and diseases. Carefully selecting rootstocks for soil, climate and conditions is another way to avoid potential pest and disease problems.
Apple rootstocks
The size of an apple tree resulting from rootstocks is generally divided into three categories: standard (also called seedling), semi-dwarf and dwarf. Standard trees are budded on apple seedlings or cloned rootstocks of standard size; they produce huge trees 20 feet (6 m) or more high.
The most popular semi-dwarf apple rootstocks are M.7 or M.7a, M.26 and MM.106 or MM.111. M refers to rootstocks grown at the East Malling Research Station in England; MM pads were developed together at East Malling and Merton stations. The MM series is not hardy to colder zones than USDA hardiness zone 4.
Please note that shallow soils with low fertility and/or high pH will usually produce smaller than normal fruit trees, regardless of rootstock. If your soil is not in very good condition, choosing a dwarf rootstock may not be a good idea.
Pear rootstocks
For pears, there are rootstocks available to control size, but I recommend choosing fireblight-resistant rootstocks as a top priority! There are many rootstocks available for peaches, plums, apricots and cherries, but long-term evaluations of these rootstock varieties are still ongoing.
Spacing
The proper spacing of fruit trees depends on the rootstock and the vigor of the variety. It also depends on the breeding system. Trees on dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks can be planted closer together. Generally speaking, it is best for tree health to plan and provide more than enough space for the tree. If you plan to grow your own fertilizer in the orchard, as described in Chapter 4, be sure to leave enough space between the trees for the “fertilizer” and “habitat” cover crops to grow successfully.
When we started growing our own fertilizer in our Oregon orchard, we increased the spacing both of the trees in the row and created wider center rows. We added 3 to 5 feet (0.9–1.5 m) to the center of the rows and 1 to 3 feet (0.3–0.9 m) between trees in the crop rows. We have plenty of land and space, so now I wish we had added even more space in the middle of our rows. Tree health and fruit quality are generally better if there is more space.
Pruning
Shape fruit trees early in their lives to establish a central leader, modified central leader, or open center framework system. With a center leader system, the main trunk is encouraged to develop and side branches called scaffolds extend from the leader in three or four well-spaced layers. An open center system is a good choice for most stone fruits that want to grow naturally in a vase shape.
After retracting the central leader, allow three to five side scaffold branches to develop at a height of 2 to 3 feet (0.6–1.2 m) above ground level. (See Figure 12.2.) Another choice is a modified central leader system, which is a combination. The central leader is allowed to grow, and the side branches are also encouraged to grow in an upright, vase-shaped position around the leader.
Figure 12.2. When this peach tree was adolescent, its main leader returned to the top of the branch bundle to stimulate the open center system. Growth now continues every year along the scaffolding.
These pruning system frameworks provide delicate to all parts of the tree and support support the weight of the fruit. Choose well-placed main scaffolds that extend at a 45-degree angle from the trunk to provide a powerful framework for each tree. Then prune lightly each year to remove vertical branches, diseased branches or those that are too shaded by other branches, and encourage side branches to grow out of the tree’s inner space.
Modified trimming systems
Apples and pears prefer a central leader pruning system or a modified center leader pruning system. Stone fruit species do best with an open center or modified center pruning system. The degree of pruning depends on the species. Ranked from most to least pruned: apple, pear, peach, apricot, cherry, Japanese plum, pluot and European plum.
Fertilization and soil pH
Fruit trees typically require more nitrogen and phosphorus when they are adolescent and developing their woody skeleton (from 1 to 8 years elderly). Fruit trees require less nitrogen and more potassium, calcium and trace elements (especially boron, iron, manganese and zinc). Most fruit tree species described in this book prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.5. For more information on specific nutritional needs, see the crop entries later in this chapter. In general, peaches and nectarines operate the most nitrogen, followed by pears, while apples, apricots, plums and cherries operate the least nitrogen throughout the year.