Erik's Gardening Tips

flowering fruit trees

This past winter cold has been of great benefit to plants needing a winter dormancy period. Among these plants are the spectacular flowering fruit trees. We have seen an outstanding display this year of flowering purple leaf plums (blossoms still going on) and the beginnings of the flowering cherry season. Magnolias are just wonderful this year, much better than the past few years (warmer winters). The crabapples have begun with early varieties and then we shall enjoy the later bloomers and the doubles very much pretty soon! The flowering peaches and apricots, as well as Prunus mume(Japanese flowering apricot/plum) have been wonderful as well and with some, the season has only just started. Also, the fruiting trees have been especially showy this year. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums and pluots, cherries, apples, pears have presented us with a nice floral display.
I would like to draw your attention to the flowering cherries, a personal favorite. My season began with the hybrid Prunus 'incamp. 'Okame' with strong neon pink bell shaped flowers in profusion. Then came others like Prunus subhirtella in the many varied forms (best known in the weeping forms (weeping flowering cherry). P. 'Pink Cloud was next with bright pink single flowers en masse. Following this are the Yoshino cherry (P. x yedoensis and forms) and P. serrulata spontanea (Hill cherry of Japan) This one is most spectacular with single flowers on a potentially very large tree to 45 ft+ and displayed with ruby brown new leaves, that classic combination of red and white!
Some early doubles like P/ 'Accolade' with medium pink semidouble flowers on a rounded tree to 20 ft+ and P. subhirtella 'Autumnalis' with profuse double pink flowers now. (and small little flowers throughout fall and winter.
One persoanl favorite is P. serrulata 'Tai Haku' with the largest flowers of any cherry...2-4" wide and displayed with coppery new growth. This is a vigorous grower to 25-30 tall and wide.
All cherries (and most flowering fruit trees in general, like well drained fertile soil in a sunny location (many will tolerate up to about half shade(although slightly less flowers).
Regular watering and light fertilizing will promote good growth. structural pruning should be done as a young tree and then not much is needed as the tree matures in many types of flowering fruit trees. (peaches, plums, apricots being the esception, they need regular pruning to keep vigor and produce long flowering sprays.)
Plant some of these wonderful trees and enjoy spring for many years to come!

old fruit trees

Many people will have an old fruit tree(s). If they wish to have the tree improve in health and promote cropping, there are several ways to approach bringing that tree back into bearing. First of all, peaches, nectarines, and apricots sometimes do not respond well to pruning in old trees, just to let you know. It may be better to cut out the old veteran and replace with a young sapling.
But for most other fruits, try this. First cut out any dead, broken branches. Then trim out thickly dense branches or overly long ones. Remember, you do not have to do all the trimming in one season, it can be done over several years time. You want to take a keen look at the tree structure and branching in what you have left. You want branches spaced far apart and not above one another, you also want wide branch angles(they are stronger than narrow ones,which can split under the weight of a heavy crop)
overly long branches can be tipped back to a side branch.
Dense branch areas can be opened up to allow more light and air into the tree interior.
An application of all purpose fertilizer will assist in promoting growth and perhaps fruiting. (use sparingly and cut amount recommended in half and feed twice as often)
Now may be a good time to spray if there is insect or disease on the tree.
Do pruning during the dormant season since branches are easy to see without leaves.
prune conservatively, trying to keep fruiting wood(spurs, those stubby little fat branches loaded with buds)
The basic objective is to open the tree canopy to allow light/air into the center of the tree and conserve fruiting wood to allow for harvest.
If the tree is too tall, you can cut back the leader/high branches to lower side branches. This will bring the canopy down to a more manageable level.
You may never get your tree down to a really short level, but you will make any attention to the tree far easier. (remember that trees want to grow UP, so keep those lower branches, and focus pruning on the higher top branches.)
After the initial haeavy pruing, you may have many suckers/watersprouts. These vigorous branches can be kept if they are well located to form a new branch structure and prune away old tired wood allowing these young branches to take their place.
This is a basic technique for most types of fruits, each has its own special techniques to promote the best results.
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Fruit trees

Here I will begin a discussion on the rewarding aspects of growing fruit trees. This topic will be broken down into two main areas. The first is how to handle young trees, trained to come into bearing earlier(younger) and the other is how to care for older trees.
First and foremost, there is truly nothing that can equal the taste of tree ripened fruit and the satisfaction of growing your own and picking a fruit at its peak of flavor and ripeness is extremely gratifying, not to mention very tasty!
The fruit tree growers recommmend keeping fruit trees small by the technique of summer pruning. you just trim branches (or pinch buds/branch tips) while the tree is activley growing. The number one reason why fruit trees fail in the home landscape is that too often the fruit is born too high up in the canopy of the tree and you need to have a ladder, pole picker, etc. Imagine how wonderful it would be to just go out into your garden and pluck off a tree ripened fruit, just by reaching out and taking a bite. NO ladders! That is the object of summer pruning..to keep the tree small forever by light trimming. This is called E Z - Pick or BYOC/back yard orchard culture, by the producers of sapling fruit trees.
It involves cutting a new young tree to about knee high, and then trimming back all new growth every 6-8" each time the tree makes a growth spurt. Initial training focuses on tryint go build a good framework of branches to support heavy crops later on. The principle makes the tree direct growth into fruiting wood formation, not larger tree size.
For fruits such as apples and pears, instead of making structure on a large tree, you now conserve growth and are directing it to make fruiting wood (spurs) which make the tree come into bearing younger.
The same techniques of letting light in to the center of the tree and allowing good air circulation apply, but the tree is much smaller.
Now consider this, in the same space of a standard pruned tree (1 variety only unless budded with more varieties)you can now plant several trees, 3, 4 or even 5 in the same space(hole). You now have more variety/selection and have extended your fruit season. You also do not get too much fruit all at once! so there is little waste.
If you allow your trees to grow to 6 feet, then all your maintenance (if needed) is at arms reach.
This pruning technique allows you a versatile landscape opportunity as well. You can use trees pruned in this fashion to line a fence, screen a bad view, and a fruit tree listing on any property will ad value to that property!
I would recommend planting all of one type of fruit per hole/section, it makes for easier maintenance. (all cherries, or all apples, or all peaches for instance)

As for siting, a good sunny position is best for most fruit trees. Good drainage is also preferred, but if you keep trees summer pruned, you can now plant these in raised beds, or on mounds so the crown area of the tree will not be drowned in heavy rains/soggy soils. If you have sxtreme winds, a bit of buffering will assist in keeping heavy fruit from being blown down.