Adams Nurseries

 

Timing of Fruit Tree Planting:
Fruit trees may be planted in early spring, as soon as the frost in the ground has thawed. If the soil is very waterlogged, it is best to wait until it drains. Wait until the soil no longer comes up in sticky clumps that stick to the shovel.

Site Selection:
Select a site with direct sunlight. Tree size varies with different species and the rootstock that the tree is on. Adams Nurseries’ Certified Nursery and Landscape Professionals can advise you as to how much space the tree will need when full grown. Fruit trees are tolerant of a fairly wide range of soil types, but the soil should be well-drained.

Planting:
Dig a hole wide enough to allow the root system to fit without roots wrapping around the edge of the hole in a circle. Dig the hole deep enough to allow the tree to be planted with the graft union two to three inches above ground. This planting depth is critical for trees on dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstocks. If the tree is planted too deep and the graft union is below the soil line, the scion variety will form roots and the tree will become a standard-sized tree.

Plant the tree deep enough so that the graft union is two to three inches above the ground. This planting depth will keep dwarf and semi-dwarf trees from growing into standard-sized trees.

What should you put in the planting hole? If the soil is poor, you can mix in peat moss or thoroughly conditioned compost before filling the hole. A ratio of up to 50/50 peat to soil may be beneficial. Using a starter fertilizer with beneficial mycorrhizal fungi at the time of planting can help the tree get established faster. Adams Nurseries’ Certified Nursery and Landscape Professionals can recommend the appropriate fertilizer for your situation.

Trim off any broken or damaged roots before planting. Place the tree in the hole, and after making sure that the depth is correct, fill the hole with clean topsoil with the peat moss or compost added. It is helpful at this stage to have someone hold the tree straight while the hole is being filled. Pack the soil in the hole by gently stamping it with your feet. After the hole is filled, water the tree slowly enough so that the water doesn’t run off.

Staking:
All newly planted fruit trees will benefit from being staked. This will result in a straighter tree with more growth. Staking is especially important for trees planted on a wind-blown site and for dwarf fruit trees. Consider strong permanent stakes for dwarf fruit trees. Triple staking provides the best support and security for unpredictable weather. Use staking wire and hose guides to secure the tree to the stakes. Monitor the loop around the tree periodically and loosen it as the tree trunk expands.

Watering:
Watering the new tree is important to help get it started, especially in the first few weeks after planting. The soil needs to be kept evenly moist, but not soggy. Generally, trees need an inch of water per week during the growing season. You will need to water the tree if rainfall is not sufficient. Do not allow the tree to dry out completely.

Training:
Apples and pears are usually trained as central leader or cone-shaped trees. If the tree is an unbranched “whip,” prune the stem to a height of 30 to 36 inches above the soil line. This will stimulate the buds just below the cut to grow. The top bud will grow vertically and form the leader, or trunk of the tree. The next one or two buds can be rubbed off with the fingers to prevent them from competing with the leader.

The buds that grow out below the top two or three should be retained to form the scaffold branches. Remove branches that grow out below a height of 18 inches from the ground. Bend the branches that remain to an angle of 45 to 65 degrees from vertical using clothespins, toothpicks or small weights. This keeps these branches from growing so strongly that they compete with the leader, and it stimulates flower production.

Stone fruit trees (peaches, plums) are usually trained as open-center (vase-shaped) trees. Two or three side branches are selected, and the remainder of the tree is cut off just above the top branch. Contact your county Extension office for other bulletins on training and pruning fruit trees.

Weeds, Insects, Critters, and Diseases:
Weeds compete with young trees for water and nutrients. A weed-free zone should be established at the base of the tree that extends out to form a circle with a diameter of two to three feet. Mulch or cultivation may be used to prevent weeds.

Managing disease and insects usually doesn’t become a big challenge until the trees begin to fruit. Newly planted trees need to be protected against attack by leaf-feeding insects, such as gypsy moths and Japanese beetles. Inspect the trees on a regular basis to see if there is fresh damage, and contact Adams Nurseries for help in identifying and controlling any pests you find.

Apple trees can become infected with a fungus disease called apple scab, that damages both leaves and fruit. Control of scab is very important when the trees come into bearing. However, in severe cases, young, non-bearing trees can become defoliated by scab. This can stunt the trees and delay fruiting.
For the best fruiting results, you will need to utilize a Fruit Tree Spray program at different intervals throughout the growing season. There are fruit tree spray products that will minimize the negative impacts of insect and disease issues to insure a bountiful harvest. Please talk to one of our associates for help in creating your spray program.

Protect the tree trunk against girdling by rodents. Spiral mouse guards, made of white plastic, are a popular and inexpensive option. The white color helps prevent winter injury to the trunk. However, this type of mouse guard should be removed during the summer and re-fitted in the fall to prevent it from becoming a safe haven for trunk-boring insects, such as the round-headed apple borer. An alternative solution is to paint the trunk with white interior latex paint and wrap the trunk with an 18-inch tall piece of galvanized hardware cloth. This type of mouse guard doesn’t need to be removed in summer.
Deer can cause major damage to young fruit trees by feeding on the developing shoots and leaves in summer, and by browsing the fruit buds in winter. While repellents, such as small bars of hand soap, or small cloth bags of human hair, can deter hungry deer, sturdy fencing is the only long-term solution to possible deer damage.

 

Pollination Requirements for Tree and Small Fruits:
In the flower, pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma. After pollination and fertilization, fruit set occurs. There are two types of pollination. Self-pollination occurs when the pollen is transferred from the anther to the stigma on the same flower, from another flower on the same plant, or from a flower on another plant of the same variety. Self-pollinated plants are said to be self-fruitful. Many plants cannot produce fruit from their own pollen and are considered self-unfruitful. These plants require cross-pollination for fruit set. Cross-pollination is the transfer of pollen from one plant to the flower of a genetically different plant or variety. Pollination is an important factor when selecting and planting tree and small fruits. Fruit trees which require two different varieties for pollination should be planted within 50 to 100 feet of one another to insure good fruit set.  A list of pollination requirements for the various fruits is presented below.

Fruit Trees
Apples -- Apples are considered self-unfruitful. Most apple varieties will set a small crop with their own pollen. For maximum production, however, plant at least two different varieties with overlapping bloom periods to insure cross-pollination and fruit set. Apple cultivars can be classified as early, mid, and late season blooming. The bloom periods of early and mid-season bloomers overlap, permitting adequate cross-pollination and fruit set. Good pollination can also be expected with mid and late blooming varieties. However, the bloom periods of early and late blooming varieties may not overlap, resulting in poor pollination. Most flowering crabapples will pollinate nearby apple trees if they bloom at the same time.

Cherries, Sour -- Sour or pie cherries are self-fruitful.

Cherries, Sweet -- Sweet cherries are not reliably hardy in Iowa. Most varieties are self-unfruitful.

Peaches -- Most peach varieties are self-fruitful.

Pears -- Most European pears are self-unfruitful. Plant at least 2 different varieties for maximum fruit production.

Plums -- Japanese plums are not reliably hardy in Iowa. However, European and hybrid plums can be successfully grown in the state. European plums are partially to entirely self-fertile. Hybrid plum varieties (crosses between American and Japanese plums) are self-unfruitful. Plant 2 or more hybrid plum varieties to insure cross-pollination and fruit set. European plums will not pollinate the hybrid plums and vice versa.

Small Fruits
Blueberries -- Plant two or three different varieties for maximum production.
Grapes -- Grapes are self-fruitful.
Raspberries -- Raspberries are self-fruitful.
Strawberries -- Strawberries are self-fruitful.