FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR... EXPERT ADVICE ON PLANTING FRUIT TREES

April 12, 2020

Properly placed trees create cover for song birds, beautify landscapes, increase property value, provide screening and may reduce energy usage. The man of the mower enjoys seasonal fruit and nuts from the home orchard. That’s one reason we continue to plant evergreen and deciduous fruit trees.

Deciduous trees shed most leaves each year, usually in autumn or winter. Our part of the world receives between 400 - 500 chill units annually, based on thirty-year historical data. Chill unit is number of hours at or below 45 degree F. It is my joy to share a partial list of deciduous fruit and nut. Based on what your family likes to eat, select varieties requiring 400-500 chill units.

Apple –Anna and Dorsett Golden cross pollinate with TropicSweet.

Fig – Celeste and Brown Turkey. Roots like to be cooler, benefiting from amended soils. Stems and branches receive full sun, 8+ hours direct light. Sap may irritant skin.

Peach –  cultivar (chill unit) specific.  Gulfking (350), Flordaking (350), Flordacrest (375), Gulfprince (400), Gulfcrimson (400), Gulfcrest (525).  If you have space, plant one requiring less chill units and one requiring more.  

Pear - Flordahome and Hood varieties have fine textured flesh. Sand pear contain grit cells.  Coarse textured flesh is noticeable when fresh but less so after canning.  Ornamental value when in bloom.

Pecan – Two or more cultivars to overlap pollen shedding with female flower receptivity. Example Desirable (pollen source) and Elliott, MoneyMaker, Schley and Stuart (cultivar to be pollinated). See The Pecan Tree (EDIS HS982, rev. Jan 2019). Have a habit of alternate bearing with some years bearing heavy crop and some years not so much.

How much room do you have for planting? Most require eight hours direct light for flowering and fruiting. Planting for mature tree size prevents branch and root conflict with house, foundation and walkways.  Plant at minimum 30 feet from septic or drain field. Use smaller maturing trees to avoid overhead powerline.   

Before you dig, call 811 to locate and mark underground utilities, pipes or cables.  

This is a free service that may prevent injury, save costly repair and avoid interrupted service.

Dig a hole one to two times wider than root ball but no deeper.  Retain the soil. Roll container on side to loosen root ball. Ease the tree out of the container.  In sandy, well drained soils, place root ball slightly (1-2 inches) above grade. In clayey, compacted or wet soils, place root ball 3-4 inches above grade and back fill to top of root ball. Replace soil, add water, gently firm. Native loose soil is recommended. A 60/40 ratio of native to amended soils is acceptable, do not over pack back fill. Keep top of root ball free of mulch or soil.

Build 3-6 inch raised soil ridge outside root ball to direct water to the root ball. Apply one gallon water for trees of less than two inch caliper, daily for two weeks.  2-3 times per week for 2-3 months until established. If rainfall is sufficient, reduce supplemental irrigation.  Keeping grass and weeds two feet away from trunk reduces water and nutrient competition.  Fertilize following UF recommendations.

Insect, disease and wildlife pests vary with species. Some require more time and effort in pruning, thinning and routine care. If possible, hold off till fall or winter to purchase and plant bare root trees and shrubs. Containerized trees may be planted year-round. Best of luck with that!

UF/ Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Levy County Extension operates Monday-Friday, 8 am – 4:30 pm. No group programs are taking place. Faculty and staff are responding to email and voice messages. NOTE: new voice mailbox numbers. Questions, contact Barbara L. Edmonds, 352-486-5131, ext.105.  For speediest service, please provide name and phone number.  Until next time – Stay Safe, Remain Vigilant, Spread Joy. 

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