Lesson 4: Starting your Orchard
Even if you already have mature trees, It is important to understand how trees are grown, what trees need in order to be productive, and why starting out right will save you ton's of time and money in all of your fruit tree growing endeavors.
This is the 4th part of a 9 lesson fruit pruning course. To start at the beginning of this course, follow this link:
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What Makes Fruit Trees Different?
Fruit trees are not grown like most plants. They are actually clones of their mother tree. For example, If you take a Gala apple from the grocery store, remove the seed and plant it, you will not grow a gala apple tree. Bees are mixing the pollen from trees in a large geographical area and there is no way of knowing what genetics are contained in an apple seed. You could be growing the next best apple hybrid or a small bitter crab apple-gala mix that's not worth eating. It's just too risky to invest several years for a seedling to mature enough to produce fruit, and then find out that your fruit is no good.
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| Apple Seeds Have Unknown Genetics |
Fruit trees are a combination of two trees. The fruiting structure, or scion, is cut from a known fruit variety and grafted to a root stock. This is the only way to guarantee that a gala apple tree is a gala apple tree. To make sure it starts off on the right foot it is grafted to a compatible, vigorous root stock, known for it's ability to feed the scion and resist disease.
Where the scion and the root stock meet you will find the graft union. It is important to plant you fruit tree so that the root stock is in the ground and the scion is above the ground. Don't plant a new fruit tree too deep. Make sure the graft union is exposed.
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| Suckers are From the Root Stock |
Pruning does not guarantee a healthy productive tree, it is just one important part. As mentioned in previous lessons, fruit trees need lots of sunlight, air flow, water, and nutrients from the soil. If all of these elements are being met, your tree will be more likely to produce fruit, but there is one more important ingredient.
All fruit trees need to be planted in the right environment to be productive. For example mango trees will not grow in cold climates and apricots will not grow in tropical climates. Some fruit trees will grow in a wide variety of climates, but they have preferences that, if met, will make your fruit growing experience easier.
Cold hardiness
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has divided the US into growing zones. These zones chart the average cold temperatures of specific regions across the country. When purchasing new plants, you will need to know what its cold hardiness is. If you plant a tree that can only withstand cold temperatures above 32 degrees and the average low temperature is 0 degrees, then you will likely lose your tree in the winter. Some plants will survive several years in the wrong growing zone if you have a few unusually warm winters, but it would be heart breaking to invest several years on a new fruit tree and then lose it in a cold snap in the winter.
Chilling hours
Some fruit trees will not survive cold winter temperatures, but most still need cold temperatures in order to put them into a dormant state of rest. Without enough rest, fruit trees will not have the energy to produce fruit. Apples will survive in some parts of Florida, but only those apple varieties with low chilling hour requirements will produce fruit.
Growing season
If a fruit tree survives the cold and gets enough chilling hours, it may produce fruit, but it needs to have a long enough growing season for the fruit to mature and fully ripen.
Other Considerations
If you plant the right tree for your environment, give it all of the light, air, water, and nutrients that it needs, and make sure it is planted correctly, you will be able to start pruning your tree with it's long term structure in mind, but there are a few other considerations. There may be two areas in the country with the same growing zone, chilling hours, and growing season, but one could be extremely humid and another could be extremely arid. The tree in a humid climate may struggle with fungal disease, the one in the arid climate may struggle getting the water it needs from the roots to the tips of the canopy. Every area has unique challenges from pests, to acts of God. One way to help you grow what will thrive in your environment is to connect with other growers in your area and find out what they are growing and what their challenges are.
Micro-climates
Just because your neighbor can grow something well, doesn't mean that you will be able to grow the same thing equally as well, especially if you take into account micro climates. Micro climates are small geographical areas that have different characteristics from the surrounding area. A green house, for example, is a micro climate within a bigger climate. Things like large bodies of water, topography, canyon winds, walls, fences, and even leaking faucets can all create micro climates. If you have a peach tree in the middle of a wide open field it will respond differently, for example, from one that is growing next to a south facing brick wall.
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| A Greenhouse is a Micro Climate |
Conclusion
As you can see, planting the right tree, the right way, in the right environment is an important part of making sure your trees are able to grow, mature, and eventually produce fruit. Starting your fruit trees out right will save you tons of time and money. Because fruit trees require more work than ornamental trees, it's important to get it right from the beginning. Luckily, fruit trees provide more than ornamental trees and if you do your part, you will be able to enjoy a bountiful harvest.
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I've been enjoying your blogs, I inherited my parents property that have several fruit trees, so I'm learning. I would like to add some plum trees and was wondering who do you recommend as a supplier?
ReplyDeleteI don't have any affiliates with specific fruit tree suppliers, so I would steer you to a local nursery that employs knowledgeable local gardeners.
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