Growing Green: How about them pome fruits?
Apples and pears, botanically referred to as pomes, are excellent candidates for the home garden, as long as the grower is committed to the attention to detail and pest management that the crops require.
Advantages of homegrown pome fruits are numerous.
One can grow cultivars that are not readily available in grocery stores, can control the level of pesticides used, and can gain a greater understanding of the processes of nature that interact with the tree to produce wonderful fruit.
It should be remembered, however, that production of high-quality apple and pear fruit requires the careful observation of the grower, as well as the knowledge of how to respond to pest problems that might be encountered.
Because apples and pears have many insect and disease pests, it is very difficult to grow quality fruit in Pennsylvania without some pesticide use.
Home gardeners are encouraged to purchase disease-resistant cultivars, if they are available. Although these varieties are not resistant to all diseases that occur in Pennsylvania, they are resistant to the major ones.
Pesticides still might be required, particularly in wet seasons, but application rates can be reduced greatly.
Under normal conditions, a home gardener might have to apply pesticides six to 10 times to produce fruit of reasonable quality.
If scab-resistant apples are planted, a gardener might need only two to three pesticide applications to produce quality apples.
The old adage that “you get what you pay for” is an important consideration when buying fruit trees.
Bargain plants might not be healthy or might be a variety not adapted to your area. Buy only trees of recommended varieties from a reliable source.
One tree is not enough. To set fruit, the vast majority of apple trees requires a different variety grown nearby for pollination. While some apple varieties are self-pollinating, even these produce more fruit with another variety nearby.
Keep in mind the following points when purchasing fruit trees:
• A healthy one-year-old whip (a young tree without branches). approximately four- to six-feet-tall, with a one-half-inch caliper and a good root system, is preferred. A whip looks less like a tree and more like a long, upright stick. Once planted, a whip is trained through careful pruning to allow the optimal amount of sunlight into the tree’s canopy.
• A smaller tree with a good root system is more desirable than a large tree with a poor root system.
• Trees that are two-years-old or older often are not as good as one-year-old trees. The older trees frequently do not have enough buds on the lower portion of the trunk to develop a good framework.
• Trees that appear stunted, poorly-grown, diseased, or insect-injured should not be purchased.
• Check the label closely to make sure that you are getting the variety and rootstock that you desire.
Ideally, trees on dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks are suited for home fruit production. Although more expensive, the smaller trees are easier to prune, spray and harvest. They also begin to produce fruit at an earlier age than full-sized trees.
The two most dominating influences on tree size are the rootstock and the type of strain used (spur or non-spur). Other factors influencing tree size include general care, variety, soil type, earliness of fruiting and time and severity of pruning.
The soil should be prepared thoroughly before planting, by deep cultivation either by hand or with a rototiller. The soil pH should be maintained between 6.0 and 6.5. Have a soil test taken and make the recommended adjustments before planting.
In the absence of a soil test, lime a 10-by-10 foot area where each tree will be planted. Dig each planting hole wide enough to accommodate all of the root system without bending or bunching it, and deep enough so that the bud union of grafted plants will be no more than two inches above the ground line after the soil settles.
Keep root pruning to a minimum, but cut off all broken or mutilated root parts with pruning shears. Set the plants with the graft or bud union no more than two inches above the soil line. Work the soil in and around the roots.
When the hole is half-full, firm the soil with your feet before filling the rest of the hole. When the hole is full, pack the soil firmly.
Do no leave a depression around the tree. Also, do not place fertilizer in the planting hole or fertilize the soil immediately after planting. Fertilize only after the soil has been settled by a drenching rain.
After planting, apply sufficient water to thoroughly soak the soil around the tree roots. Watering will help to bring the soil into closer contact with all sides of the roots and eliminate air pockets around the roots.
Remember that approximately one quarter of the root system was removed when the tree was dug. To compensate, remove the top quarter of the plant to reestablish the plant’s previous shoot-to-root ratio.
On branched trees, remove poorly-spaced and narrow-angled branches. Leave branches that are wide-angled and arranged spirally about six- to nine-inches-apart up the leader (trunk).
Branches on the tree should be reduced by up to one-half of their length. The leader should be cut about 12 to 15 inches above the top limb. Cut the leader on the non-branched whips back to three-quarters of their original lengths.
Generally, apple trees need fertilizing each year. Nitrogen is the most important essential nutrient.
Two other nutrients, phosphorus and potassium, are needed in relatively large amounts when a tree is young. After a tree reaches maturity it usually requires only nitrogen.
“Growing Green” is contributed by Lehigh County Extension Office Staff and Master Gardeners. Information: Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-813-6613.