FAQ | Fruit
Apples
Q. What are spur-type apple trees?
A. Spur-type apple trees are extremely productive semi dwarfs (12 to 15 feet tall and equally wide), which bear fruiting spurs all along their branches, rather than mostly toward the ends.
Figs
Q. Must I plant more than one fig tree for cross-pollination?
A. No. Almost all figs are self-fertile.
Peaches
Q. What are the differences between peaches and nectarines?
A. Only the smooth, fuzzless skin of the nectarine.
Pears
Q. What is the difference between European and Asian varieties of pears?
A. The most common European varieties of pears grown in North America include Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou, Seckel, and Comice. They range in color from brown, green, and red to many shades of yellow, and in form from almost oval to bell-shaped. Asian pears, on the other hand, look much like apples, with very juicy and crisp, mild-flavored, somewhat coarse-textured flesh. They are grown much like European pears, though they are slightly hardier; they need cross-pollination from European or other Asian pears.
Persimmons
Q. What is the difference between American and Oriental persimmons?
A. The American variety (Diospyros virginiana) grows in the wild from Connecticut south, and west from Kansas to Texas. It is hardy to -25°F. Its fruits are small (from 1 to 2 inches in diameter) with seeds that Native Americans used for making bread. Notably, the fruit must be fully ripe before it can be eaten; it is otherwise unbearably astringent. Oriental persimmons (Diospyros kaki) are larger and often seedless. The trees are less hardy than the trees of the American species but will withstand winter temperatures down to 0°F, once established. The non-astringent types may be eaten while still firm, while the astringent varieties, such as Hachiya, must be fully ripe to be eaten fresh.
Plums
Q. What is the difference between a plum and a prune?
A. Prunes are made from plums that, because they are small and not too juicy, dry easily. Prunes are usually made from the European-type plums.
Q. What are the differences between European, Japanese, and American plums?
A. The fruit of European plums is usually small and egg-shaped, with dry, very sweet flesh (although some varieties are juicy and unsuitable for drying); the trees are upright and need little thinning or pruning. European plum trees are hardier (Zones 5-8), later blooming, and later ripening than Japanese types. The large, soft, juicy fruits of the Japanese plums are usually born on branches that tend to hang or “weep”. Their flesh ranges from sweet to tart, some types having sweet outer flesh and tart flesh close to the pit. The trees are less hardy than European types (Zones 5-9). They blossom very early in spring, and their foliage is lighter green than that of European plums. American plum trees, usually called bush or cherry plums, are by far the hardiest of the three types (Zones 3-7). Native American plums are tart and tough-skinned, good for jellies and sauces. American hybrid plums will thrive where weather conditions are too harsh for other fruits. You can also choose from hybrid crosses of American and Japanese plums, or the native bush or tree forms.
Miscellaneous
Q. Exactly what is a chilling requirement?
A. The fruiting period must be followed by a dormant period during which the plant rests and regains strength for another fruit set the following year. The length of this dormant period is measured in hours between 32° and 45°F. Varieties with low winter chilling requirements need from 300 to 400 hours below 45°F; medium chilling needs are 400 to 700 hours; high chilling needs are 700 to 1,000 hours.
Q. How important to fruiting plants is soil drainage?
A. A well-drained site is very important. Peach and cherry trees are less tolerant of soggy soils than are apples and pears, but no fruit tree will grow in soil that is always wet.
Q. I would like to plant a peach tree in the center of my vegetable garden. Is this a wise thing to do?
A. If the tree will need to be sprayed for pest and disease control, this may not be the best place for it, as you must never allow fruit tree sprays to drift onto vegetables or fruits. Fig and persimmon trees, which need little spraying, might be appropriate for such settings. If your garden space is limited, however, even small trees may take up more room and cast more shade than would be desirable for the vegetables you are trying to grow. Additionally, the fibrous roots will compete for water and nutrients and can be damaged during soil preparation for vegetable planting.
Q. I have heard that I must plant two of each kind of fruit tree I grow. Is that true?
A. Sometimes, but not always. Before you purchase a fruit tree, you will need to know whether it will produce fruit on its own, or whether it needs to grow near a pollinator tree of a different variety. Trees that pollinate themselves are called self-fruitful; trees that cannot pollinate themselves, which include most fruit trees, are called self-sterile. Self-sterile trees not only need a pollinator tree within 100 feet of them, but that pollinator tree must blossom at approximately the same time, or it will not fertilize its neighbor. Because bees carry the pollen from one tree to another, it is important to avoid the use of any substance on your property that might kill bees.
Q. Are there any advantages to planting bare-rooted plants?
A. Bare-rooted plants are almost always considerably cheaper than potted or balled and burlapped plants and your first harvest is not likely to come any later. Bare-rooted plants should be planted in the spring.
Q. What size fruit tree should I buy?
A. Buy trees on the small side, but not tiny little whips. Small trees will establish themselves sooner than larger, older trees with larger root systems. Whether the tree you plant is simply one long stem or is lightly branched does not make a great amount of difference.
Q. Do dwarf fruit trees have any special advantages?
A. Full-sized fruit can be produced on dwarf trees that are now widely available in increasingly many different varieties. These trees produce roughly the same amount of fruit or sometimes more for the amount of space they take up as standard-sized trees, and usually at a younger age. Pruning, spraying, and harvesting dwarf trees is easier, too, as you need to have no tall ladders or special equipment. In fact, they need less pruning because they are not as vigorous growers.
Q. What are genetic dwarfs?
A. Genetic dwarfs are the smallest fruit trees of all. Though they grow well in large tubs, they can also be planted in the ground, where they will reach a larger size, some of them up to 8 or 9 feet. Genetic dwarfs bear fruit of medium size that, while generally not of as high a quality as the larger trees, are still tasty. They usually come into bearing the second year after being planted.
Q. What are five-in-one trees, and are they worth considering?
A. These curious trees consist of a rootstock with five different varieties of the same fruit, usually apples, grafted to it. These trees are rather expensive, and not as easy to grow as one might think. Often one or two of the grafted varieties will grow much more vigorously than the others and need more pruning. In addition, very careful attention must be taken to avoid entirely cutting off one of the varieties during the dormant pruning season, when it is hardest to distinguish one variety from another. On the other hand, the trees can be quite beautiful if they bloom in multicolor, and their novelty appeals to many.
Q. Should I prune my trees at planting time?
A. Container-grown trees that have been in their pots for some time should be pruned only very lightly by removing just broken or poorly placed growth. To encourage branching on whips, cut back the tops of bare-rooted or balled and burlapped trees by about one half, or slightly more if the trees are especially tall and skinny.
Q. How long does it take a fruit tree to bear after it has been planted?
A. That depends upon the fruit and its variety, whether it is a dwarf or a standard, local climate conditions, and cultivation factors. Some apples and pears require several years to reach bearing age, although many dwarf apple trees bloom after two or three years. Peaches usually bear at three years, as do sour cherry trees. Sweet cherries begin at five to seven years, and plums at six to seven years. Highly vigorous trees are slower to come into bearing than trees that grow at a normal pace. Trees low in vigor because of poor drainage, lack of nitrogen, and injury to the leaves from insect or disease can be slow to begin fruiting.
Q. What are the reasons that fruit trees may fail to bear?
A. Low winter temperatures, or spring frosts when the trees, especially early-blooming trees such as apricots, peaches, and sweet cherries are in bloom, may kill the flowers. If prolonged cold, wet weather occurs during fruit bloom, bees will not fly and cross-pollinate. If only one self-sterile tree is planted, flowers will fail to set fruit. Over fertilization can induce a tree to grow a lot of foliage at the expense of fruit bearing. Trees in shady locations won’t set fruit or will bear only lightly.
Q. Our apple tree produces a lot of fruit, but the fruit is always very small. Is there something wrong with the tree?
A. No. It is simply setting more fruit than it can grow to maturity. When the fruit is about the size of a ping pong ball, thin it, leaving one apple every 6 to 8 inches. Other types of fruit can be thinned in this way, leaving enough space between fruits to accommodate their size.