Planting and Pruning
Fruit Trees - Renovating a neglected fruit tree

PLANTING AND PRUNING FRUIT TREES

RENOVATING A NEGLECTED FRUIT TREE

An old, gnarled fruit tree is, potentially, a lovely focal point in a garden and gives even a fairly new garden a feeling of maturity. It makes sense to save this sort of tree, unless it is unsafe or severely diseased. Usually all that is needed is a program of renovation which can be carried out over a couple of years.

For apples and pears the best time to prune is in late winter, but for plus, cherries, and other tree fruits most of the renovative pruning should be done in summer. Renovation consists of pruning away all overcrowded, diseased, dead, or crossing shoots and branches and removing any unwanted sideshoots that are growing from the trunk . Pix Weak, Unproductive Wood Any branches that are weak or spindly, with bare, unproductive areas, should be removed to concentrate vigor into the remaining growth. Either cut them out altogether or trim them back to a vigorous shoot.

Pix Crossing Branches Prune out crossing branches since they crowd the center of the tree and may rub. Prune back to the point of origin or to a strong sideshoot.

Pix Overcrowded Branches. Overcrowding makes the crown congested, providing ideal conditions for many diseases to develop. Prune to open up the center of the tree.

Pix Dead Wood Dead branches can be dangerous as well as unfruitful. They are more likely to snap than healthy ones and, if left on the tree, they may allow dieback to spread to other parts. Cut right back to areas of vigorous growth.

Pix Diseased Wood Remove any diseased, canker-infected wood. Prune out any small or weak branches or take them back to completely healthy wood. If in doubt trip away too much rather than risk leaving any diseased wood behind.

RECOMMENDED FRUIT TREES

Apples:

• “McIntosh” bears its large, slightly tart fruits in September. The tree is very cold-and drought resistant.
• “Jonathan” has big, tasty fruits good for cooking. It ripens in late September and the plant resists disease.
• “Lodi” is famous for its yellow-green –fruits, excellent for cooking, which ripen in August.

Pears

Plant two kinds for cross-pollination

• “Kieffer” begins bearing when young and resists fire blight. The golden fruits ripen in September.
• “Clapp’s Favorite” is good for eating fresh and for canning. The re-blushed fruits ripen in early August.

Plums

Japanese plums need a pollinator; Europeans do not.

• “Green Gage”, a European cultivar, ripens in September.
• “Stanley Prune” is a dark purple-black European prune plum with a bluish cast. It ripens in early September.
• “Santa Rosa” bears purple-red fruits in mid-August. Japanese.

Sweet Cherries

Sweet cherries need a pollinator, except “Stella”.

• “Black Tartarian” is popular for its flavor and for its usefulness as a pollinator. Its big, dark fruits ripen in mid-June.
• “Stella” bears juicy, red-black fruits good for both fresh eating and canning in June. It is self-fertile and a good pollinator.

Sour Cherries

These do not need a pollinator.

• “Monterey” crops heavily in July. The scarlet fruits hold up well when cooked.
• “Early Richmond” bears a week or more ahead of most sour cherries. Its juicy fruits are borne when the tree is young.

Peaches and Nectarines

Most peaches do not need a pollinator; nectarines are self-pollinating but bear more heavily if cross-pollinated.

• “Reliance” hardier than most, bears its freestone fruits in late August.
• “Belle of Georgia” produces very sweet, white fleshed peaches in August.
• “Mericrest” nectarine bears its freestone fruits heavily and when young, in July.

Apricots

Apricots bear more heavily when cross-pollinated.

• “Sungold” and “Moongold” are among the hardiest apricots and are among the hardiest apricots and are good pollinators for each other, ripe in August.

Citrus Fruits

Most citrus are self-fertile.

• “Ponderosa” lemon bears huge fruits at an early age, and grows well in containers.
• “Valencia” orange, the world’s most popular juice orange, produces its fruit in summer.