Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

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Home Fruit Planting Guide

David A. Hillock
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheets are also available on our website at: http://osufacts.okstate.edu

Extension Consumer Horticulturist

B. Dean McCraw

Extension Tree Fruit and Pecan Specialist

A home fruit planting carefully selected, properly located, and well managed can enhance the home landscape, provide highquality fruits and serve as a satisfying hobby. The home fruit garden requires considerable care. Thus, people not willing or able to devote some time to a fruit planting will be disappointed in its harvest. Some fruits require more care than others do. Tree fruits and grapes usually require more protection from insects and diseases than strawberries and blackberries. Generally speaking, flowers and fruits of fruit trees must be protected by pesticide sprays from before blossomtime until harvest. In addition, sprays may be required to protect leaves, the trunk, and branches. Small fruits are perhaps the most desirable of all fruits in the home garden since they come into bearing in a shorter time and usually require few or no insecticide or fungicide sprays. Fresh fruits can be available throughout the growing sea son with proper selection of types and cultivars (varieties).

Plan Your Planting

Develop a planting plan well in advance of the planting season. Determine the kinds of fruits, cultivars, and quanti ties of each needed. Locate a source of plants and make arrangements for plants to be available at the desired time of planting. Perennial weeds such as bermudagrass and johnsongrass compete heavily with young plantings and should be elimi nated before planting. This can be done by spraying with a postemergence herbicide such as glyphosate (Roundup) in late summer the year before planting or by shading out weeds by growing hybrid sudangrass for the year prior to planting. Strawberries especially should not be planted in newly turned under bermudagrass sod. Not only will the bermu dagrass regrow and cause extreme competition problems because of the short height of the strawberry plants, but the white grubs that frequently infest bermudagrass sod can destroy the strawberry roots. For best survival and production, supplemental water should be provided in the summer. Locate your plantings near a water source.

Soils and Sites

Avoid poorly drained areas. Deep, sandy loam soils, rang ing from sandy clay loams to coarse sands or gravel mixtures, are good fruit soils. On heavier soils, plant in raised beds or on soil berms to improve drainage. All fruit crops are subject to damage from late spring freezes. Hills, slopes or elevated areas provide better air drain age and reduce frost damages. Make certain that the air can move freely throughout the planting site and is not boxed in with surrounding terrain or tree borders. Heat from houses, factories, and other structures in urban areas frequently keep the temperature 4 or 5 degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas. Fruits do best in full sun. They can tolerate partial shade, but fruit quality will be lowered.

Planting
If possible, set the plants immediately after arrival. If roots are dry, completely immerse the roots in water for a few minutes or overnight before planting. Always water plants immediately after planting. Never allow the roots to dry out or freeze. When planting is delayed several days, heel in trees by forming a mound of loose soil or mulching material. Place the roots into this mound, cover them, and moisten. The trees may be vertical or horizontal as long as the roots are covered. This protects them from drying or freezing. Set trees about the same depth that they grew in the nursery row. Trim off broken and dried roots. Place topsoil around the roots and firm the soil to exclude air. Settle the soil with water and make sure the roots are left in a natural outward position. Leave a small basin one or two inches deep around the tree to aid in watering. Prune back about onethird of the tree top. Wrap the trunk from the soil line up to the first branches (or 18 inches above the ground) to protect the trunk from sunscald, rodent injury, insect damage, and drying out.

Size of Planting Area

Plan the planting to fit the area involved as well as family needs. A smaller planting, well cared for, will usually return more quality fruit and enjoyment to the grower than a larger neglected one. Onehalf acre or less planted to adapted cultivars of the best kinds of fruit is usually adequate for the average family.

Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Oklahoma State University

Cultural Practices
During the first summer, cultivate or mulch around the fruit plants to reduce competition from other plants and to conserve moisture and fertility. Irrigation is especially important in the first few years while the planting becomes established. Information on pruning, spraying, and other cultural practices is available at your local county Extension office.

not need support. Interstem trees are more costly and less available than single graft trees. Spurtype strains of apple cultivars have more spurs and fewer long branches than the nonspur strains. They are smaller growing and preferred where available. PearQuince is the standard dwarfing rootstock for pears, but will require support. Quince rootstocks are less cold hardy than pear, and are very susceptible to fireblight. Quince C is the most dwarfing, producing a 1/4 to 1/3 size tree. A new series of pear rootstocks, the OHXF series (from a cross between Old Home and Farmingdale), is entering the nursery trade, and offers a variety of tree sizes from 1/4 to 3/4 standard size. Pears are very susceptible to the bacterial disease, fire blight. Only cultivars with known resistance to this disease should be planted. Even with blight resistant cultivars, pruning out infected shoots 1218 inches below the infection as soon as they appear will be necessary to prevent disease buildup. Pruning shears should be sterilized between cuts. More infor mation on fire blight control is available at your local county Extension office. The Magness cultivar should be planted with two additional cultivars since it does not produce viable pollen. PeachThere are no satisfactory dwarfing rootstocks for peach at present; however, Halford or Lovell are good choices. Many nurseries use Prunus besseyi seedlings, but often there is delayed graft incompatibility and tree death. Tree height on peaches can be kept to 68' by judicious annual pruning. Welldrained, deep, opentype soils of reasonable fertility are preferred. A spray program for insects and diseases beginning with a dormant application and continuing through fruit growth is required to produce clean fruit. Peach tree borer control is a necessity. PlumThere are no satisfactory dwarfing rootstocks at pres ent for plums. General cultural requirements are similar to peaches. The Japanese plums bloom earlier than the Euro pean types and are more subject to late spring frost damage. European and Japanese plums should not be depended upon to pollinate each other. CherryThere are no satisfactory dwarfing rootstocks at present for cherries. Many sweet cherries are not adapted to a hot, dry climate. Cherry leaf spot, plum curculio and poorly drained soils are the major obstacles to successful cherry production in Oklahoma. The diseases and insects can be controlled successfully with a series of sprays. Sour cherries are generally better adapted than sweet cherries. Sweet cherries in general require crosspollination; but two cultivars, Stella and Lapins, are selffertile. ApricotThere are no satisfactory dwarfing rootstocks at present for apricot. Apricots bloom early and are usually killed by late spring frosts. The tree is very ornamental when in bloom, and treeripened apricots are delicious, but do not expect consistent production. StrawberryStrawberry roots are usually found in the 12 to 18 inch top layer of the soil. Most of the root system is in the first 6 to 8 inches of soil. This stresses the importance of

Pollination
Pay close attention to the pollination requirements of the different fruits to avoid disappointment. Many fruits require that the flower is pollinated with pollen from a different cultivar of the same fruit or the fruit will not develop. Planting only one cultivar of these fruits often results in masses of blooms in the spring, but few or no fruits. Different strains of the same cultivar (e.g. two spur strains of Delicious) will not provide proper cross-pollination. There are a few cultivars of apple and pear that do not produce viable pollen. If one of these cultivars is planted, two other cultivars will need to be planted (a total of 3) to provide adequate pollen for all. Sometimes some apple cultivars are listed as selffertile in nursery catalogs, but for consistent pro duction of the best quality fruit, cross-pollination with another cultivar should always be provided. Duke cherries are hybrids between sweet and sour cherries. They can be crosspollinated by either sweet or sour cherries, but Duke cherries should not be counted on to crosspollinate sweet cherries. All fruits in the accompanying table that are not marked as requiring crosspollination are self-fertile, meaning that a cultivar of those fruits can set fruit with its own pollen. Highbush blueberries will set much better crops if crosspol lination is provided. Rabbiteye blueberries require crosspol lination. Highbush and rabbiteye blueberries will not pollinate each other.

Dwarf Trees
Dwarfing rootstocks enable fruit trees to be grown in much smaller areas than standardsized trees. The term dwarfing refers to a tree smaller than when grown on seedling root stocks, even if only 10 to 15 percent smaller. The degree of dwarfing varies with the rootstock. In general, semivigorous rootstocks will produce a tree about 3/4 the size of a standard tree, semidwarf about 1/2 sized, and fully dwarfing rootstocks produce trees 1/3 of standard size or smaller. Genetic dwarf fruit trees are available but generally are not satisfactory. North Star sour cherry is an exception.

Types of Fruit
AppIesM.9 and M.27 rootstocks produce fully dwarfed trees (68' tall and 46' tall respectively). Both produce shallow, weak root systems and require staking or trellising, and regular wa tering. Dozens of other sizereducing apple rootstocks exist, but the best for Oklahoma is MM.111. MM.111 will produce a tree that is 25 percent smaller than on seedling rootstock, but very well anchored and drought resistant. Interstem trees, with a MM.111 root system, 8 to 10 inches of trunk of M.9 or M.26 and with the fruiting cultivar grafted on top combine the anchorage of the MM.111 with the dwarf ing of M.9 or M.26 to produce a tree 8 to 10 feet tall that will

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supplemental irrigation and mulching for this crop. For continued good production, strawberry plantings should be renovated each year after harvest. Purchase virustested plants only. A production of one to two quarts of berries per three foot sec tion of row should be possible each year. BlueberriesBlueberries require a soil pH of 5.0 to 5.2. Highbush blueberries are best adapted to northeastern Oklahoma. They will do best when protected from hot, drying winds. Rabbiteye blueberries are best adapted to southeastern Oklahoma. Highbush blueberries must have supplemental irrigation and mulch of woodchips, sawdust or pecan shells to survive. Rabbiteye blueberries also need irrigation and will benefit from mulch. RaspberriesRaspberries, generally, are not too productive because of the fluctuating temperatures during winter. Black raspberries, if well watered and mulched, can be success ful. BlackberriesErect thorny blackberries are the most com monly grown and do not require trellis support. Care must be

taken to maintain the rows no more than one to two feet wide to facilitate harvesting. Sucker plants that come up between the rows may be dug and moved into the row or merely removed as soon as they emerge. Trailing thornless blackberries have smooth, arching canes, and require support on a trellis. Fruit quality is improved if the fruit are allowed to ripen to a dull black rather than a glossy black color. GrapesGrapevines will require support on a trellis, arbor or fence. Planting in northsouth rows will increase produc tion. Some protection from southwestern winds is desirable. Occasional supplemental watering during the fruit ripening period will improve fruit quality. Annual pruning is necessary to maintain a balance between plant growth and fruit production. It is common to remove 95 percent of the previous seasons growth when pruning. PersimmonOriental persimmon trees will bear fruit without pollination. Oriental and American persimmon trees will not cross-pollinate. Oriental persimmons may not be winter hardy in northern parts of Oklahoma.

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OKLAHOMA HOME FRUIT PLANTING GUIDE

Season of Harvest Central Oklahoma or adapted areas Remarks Suggested Planting Distance In Feet What to Buy Fall or Spring When to Plant Standard 25 to 30 or One year old SemiStandard 18 to 25 trees or Semidwarf 15 to 20 SpurTypes 15 to 22 or

Kind

Suggested Varieties* * *

APPLES * Lodi June 25July 6 Yellow, soft, cooking only. * McLemore July 10July 25 Red, dessert and cooking * Gala Aug 1020 Orangered, dessert only. * Jonathan Aug 25Sept 10 Red, dessert & cooking. Very susceptible to fireblight and cedarapple rust. * Delicious (red) Sept 110 Red, dessert only. Liberty Sept 1 10 Red, dessert and cooking very disease tolerant Freedom Sept 1 10 Red, dessert and cooking very disease tolerant Arkansas Black Sept 1020 Purplishred with yellow flesh, dessert and cooking, tolerant to cedar apple rust * Golden Delicious Sept 1020 Yellow, dessert & cooking. Well adapted. * Braeburn Sept 1020 Orange/red blush over yellow, dessert and cooking * Fuji Sept 1020 Yellow, dessert and cooking Dwarf 8 to 14 June 1824 June 28July 3 July 27 July 49 July 813 July 1520 July 1520 July 2127 July 28Aug 3 Aug 610 Aug 1317 Aug 1317 Aug 2025 Sept 1320 July 39 July 1520 July 2127 July 27Aug 2 Aug 611 Yellow, semifreestone 20x20 White, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, semicling 20x20 Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone Yellow, freestone June bud trees from the south or dormant bud (one yr.) trees from the north

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PEACHES

Candor Sentinel Redhaven Reliance Ranger Glohaven Nectar Jayhaven Cresthaven Autumnglo Quachita Gold White Hale Starks Encore Fairtime

Fall or Spring

NECTARINES

EarliBlaze Redchief Cavalier Sunglo RedGold

June bud trees from the south or dormant bud (one yr.) trees from the north

Fall or Spring

One year old trees One year old trees One or two year old trees Fall or Spring Fall or Spring

PLUMS (European) * * (Japanese) * * Aug. 20Sept. 10 Sept 115 Sept 1020 June 1525 June 1525 Aug. 1020 The standard of sour or 20x20 pie cherry,very consistent Duke cherry (semisweet) The standard of sour or pie cherry, very consistent Sour or pie Sour or pie (resistant to leaf spot) Sweet (selffertile) Commercial production 20x20 should not be attempted Fireblight resistant 25x25 Fireblight resistant Fireblight resistant Incorporate organic matter 2x4 ahead of planting strawberries; select virus indexed plants One year old trees One year old plants One year old trees Fall or Spring Fall or Spring Fall or Spring A prune plum, selffruitful 20x20 Stanley x President cross Large, late ripening Red flesh, partly selffruitful 20x20 Very productive, selffruitful Large, yellow flesh Fall or Spring

Stanley Bluefre President Methley Bruce Ozark Premier

CHERRIES Early Richmond May 20June 1 * Kansas Sweet May 22June 5 Montmorency June 315 Northstar June 520 Meteor June 520 Stella June 520

APRICOTS Tilton June 25July 5 Aug 10Aug 25 Aug 25Sept 5 Sept 5Sept 15

PEARS

* Moonglow * Maxine ** Magness

HLAJuly 110 July 110 July 1030 July 1030 July 1030 July 1030 July 20Aug 5 July 20Aug 5 July 1030 July 120 July 20Aug 5 July 20Aug 5 Very sweet 3x8 Very sweet Large very sweet Medium large, very sweet Latest ripening, high yields Good flavor. Southern Oklahoma only. Sweet 3x8 Sweet 3x8 Trellis or other support 8x12 required Trellis or other support required6x10 Trellis or other support required

STRAWBERRIES

Earliglow Sunrise Atlas Allstar Cardinal Delite Marlate

May 5June 5 May 5June 5 May 10June 10 May 10June 10 May 10June 10 May 15June 15 May 15June 15

One year old root cuttings

Fall or early spring

One year old root cuttings Tip layers One year old plants

Fall or Spring Early Spring Fall or Spring

BLACKBERRIES (Erect) (Erect Thornless) (Trailing) (Trailing Thornless)

Choctaw Womack Cheyenne Cherokee Shawnee Brazos Navaho Arapaho Boysen Young Hull Chester

July 15 Aug 1 8x10 One or two Spring Aug 8 White, wine type

Red, tableseedless White, wine type

GRAPES Venus (Bunch) Aurora (S 5279) Seyval Blanc (SV 5276) Villard Blanc (SV 12-375) Rougeon (S 58908) Delaware Catawba Verdelet (S 9110) J.S. 16104 Romulus Himrod Fredonia Niagara Carman Saturn Reliance Mars (Muscadine) Aug 18 White, wine type Aug 10 Blue, wine and juice Aug 15 Red, wine and table Sept 1 Red, wine and table Aug 10 White, table Aug 1 Red, table Aug 20 White, tableseedless Aug 15 White, seedless Aug 8 Blue, table and juice Aug 20 White. table and juice Aug 22 Blue, juice, for southwest Okla. Aug 15 Red, table seedless Aug 15 Red, juice, jam, seedless Aug 15 Blue, table, juice, jam, wine, seedless Adapted for McCurtain and Choctaw 14x10 counties only. Variety information available upon request. One year old vines Fall or Spring June 5June 19 June 7June 21 June 12June 28 June 15July 1 July 5July 19 July 10July 30 July 20Aug 3 One or two year old trees One or two year old trees Spring Soil must be quite acid 4x6 (pH 5.0). May require sulfur to change 12' to 18' well rooted plants Early Spring

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For pollination, a male tree 15 to 18 (pollen bearing) should be included in the planting or graft a male branch into a female tree Nonastringent when fully ripe 12 to 15 Nonastringent Astringent Astringent For milder southern counties; 8 to 10 have been grown in protected areas of Tulsa and Okla. City Used as sweet pickles, preserves, 18 to 20 dried confections and fruit butter Jelly and spice 20 to 25 Jelly and spice September September August August

BLUEBERRIES * *

(highbush) Collins Spartan Blueray Bluecrop (Rabbiteye) Premier Climax Tifblue

PERSIMMON (American) Early Golden September (Oriental) Huchiya November Fuyugaki November Tamopan November Tanenashi November

Spring

FIG Ramsey (Texas July to frost Everbearing) Brown Turkey Aug. to frost

One year old trees

Spring

JUJUBE (Chinese Date) Lang Li

One or two year old trees One or two year old trees

Fall or Spring Fall or Spring

CRABAPPLES Florence Dolgo

*Needs cross pollinator. Those cultivars not marked with an asterisk are selffertile. **Pollen sterile ***Space does not permit listing of other satisfactory varieties. OSU Extension F-6210 contains additional recommended apple and peach varieties.

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