Research and preparation will help guarantee success
Fruit trees are plentiful at local nurseries right now. This type of label offers good basic information to help a gardener choose the perfect tree. Kathy Morrison
This is another in our “Food in My Back Yard” series, dedicated to edible gardening.
The customer at the big box store was talking to a staff member in a bright orange apron. They were standing in front of the store near a collection of fruit trees in 5-gallon containers, and the customer was asking questions about peach trees. Which variety was best? What kind of irrigation should be used? Fertilizer?
The staff member, while friendly and willing to help, clearly was not up on his fruit tree information. He apologized, and explained that the staff person with more knowledge was not available. I listened for a little while longer, but when it became clear the staff member was struggling to offer more than what was on the nursery tag, I identified myself as a master gardener and asked permission to join the conversation.
With a few questions, I learned the customer moved to Carmichael about five years ago, and had planted several fruit trees in his yard. The apricot, he said, was doing great, but the peach tree already had died. (!) He wanted an Elberta or a Babcock peach -- both classics -- to replace it.
When mentions of "chill hours" and "spraying for peach leaf curl" drew blanks from both men, I suggested maybe some research would be in order before a purchase was made. The customer agreed and went on his way; the staff member thanked me for helping out.
So today's FIMBY, I decided, would summarize the information I hope he found: Choosing and planting a fruit tree. We have about a month left of winter to get trees in the ground -- some mature trees already are starting to blossom.
Choosing
1. Decide what you want: Peach or nectarine? Plum, pluot or apricot -- or aprium? White or yellow? Hybrid or old classic? Early season or late season producer? Read up on varieties of the fruit you're dreaming about, including taste tests. (Dave Wilson Nursery has useful chart here; the nursery has been testing varieties since 1993. If the little symbols are hard to see, look for the ones in the second column --- those indicate taste test winners.)
2. Now, narrow the list to varieties that will do well in our climate. "Chill hours" are important to know about, especially with the climate warming. A "chill hour" is any hour below 45 degrees, occurring between November and February. The sweet spot is between 32 and 45 degrees. Fruit trees need a certain number of chill hours to induce dormancy, which then allows them to flower and produce fruit in the spring and summer.
Central Valley chill hours traditionally have ranged from 600 to 800 hours; the current winter chill period, which ends Friday, has seen 903 hours under 45 degrees, 876 of those between 32 and 45 degrees. (That's per the UC Davis Chill Calculator, measuring at the Fair Oaks station.) But the 2023-24 winter saw just 686 hours under 45 degrees by Feb. 29. Tomato grower side note: Nine of the first 14 days of April 2024 had chill hours, including 19 hours on April 4 alone.
Also important to note, as we're enjoying "false spring" this week: Brief warm spells in winter have a negative effect on chill hours. "Temperatures above 70 degrees for four or more hours offset any chilling that happened in the previous 24 to 36 hours,” noted the nonprofit research group Climate Central in its 2023 report.
The average winter temperature in Sacramento County is 2.8 degrees F higher since 1970, the 2024 report shows. San Joaquin County's warming is even more dramatic: 3.6 degrees higher over that same time period. The 2024 Climate Central report is here.
So a fruit tree requiring 600 to 800 chill hours should do well in Carmichael, but one with a 300-hour requirement (oh, that Babcock) might actually bloom too soon and risk losing its buds to frost.
3. Look carefully at the site for the future fruit tree. How big will it be at maturity? A standard tree can be 18 feet tall or more, depending on the fruit type, while a semi-dwarf is usually 12 to15 feet tall. A dwarf is 8 to 10 feet at maturity; a miniature tree -- appropriate for a container -- tends to be 5 to 6 feet at maturity. The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center's orchard demonstrates the approach of pruning larger fruit trees to "fruit bushes," keeping them about 6 to 8 feet, which makes the fruit easier to harvest.
And how much room is there in the future growing spot? Is there a lot of shade? Fruit production will be lower. Is the tree going to have to compete for water and nutrients with lawn or many shrubs or tall ornamental trees? Is the soil compacted, requiring extensive loosening? Tree roots need to grow beyond even the mature canopy "drip line."
4. Are you buying a bare-root tree in a sleeve, a young tree in a fiber pot, or a larger one in a 5-gallon container? Each of those will affect the size hole it needs to go into. Be aware of that when selecting a site, too. Is the tree self-pollinating or does it need a second tree of another variety as a pollinator? (Many cherry trees do.) A note on "fruit cocktail" trees: Eventually one of the (usually 4) varieties will take over, and the other grafts will fail. The 11-graft tree at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is down to 5 grafts.
5. Purchase the best-looking version of the variety sought. That doesn't mean the tallest one. Look for healthy, supple limbs and a trunk without deep scars. If possible, pull it out of the container and check the roots for tangling or atrophy.
So now the fruit tree has been chosen and purchased. Move on to:
Planting (in the most simple terms*)
1. Again, if at all possible, inspect the tree's roots. That can be hard to do, with the way trees are packaged. Bare-roots are easiest, just spray with water to remove any packing material. Fiber pots also can (and should) be removed or at least sliced at the corners, and the roots cleaned of planting medium. This is why buying a larger tree in a 5-gallon or bigger container is a less-desirable choice, not to mention more expensive. If those roots are wrapped around the edge of the container, tangled and unable to be shaken loose and straightened, the tree may never grow to its full potential.
2. Dig a hole only as deep as the tree container but about twice as wide. Bare roots usually require a "pedestal" of undisturbed soil to sit on. Experts now recommend that no additional amendments be added to the loosened native soil. Check the drainage by filling the hole with water. Let it drain and fill it again. If the hole still has water after several hours, there's a drainage problem, and the tree may drown from soil saturation or die from crown rot.
3. If there is a nursery stake, remove it! This is crucial to the future health of the tree. The stake usually is tightly bound to the trunk to keep it from snapping during transportation. It's not there for the future life of the tree.
4. Plant the tree in the hole with the roots spread out and the root crown above the soil surface. A yard stick or shovel handle laid across the hole can help determine this. Then back-fill the hole with the loosened native soil. The lightly tamped soil should slope slightly away from the trunk and the top roots should be 1 to 2 inches, but no more, under the soil surface.
5. Prune the tree "leader" (tallest or central branch) by at least one-third its nursery size, and clip off any scraggly or broken branches at the trunk. That's to allow the tree to focus on root development. Bare-roots can be pruned to knee height.
6. If the tree is in a spot where it could get knocked over or otherwise disturbed, stake it with two garden stakes, on opposite sides of the tree. Gently bend the trunk and notice where the trunk refuses to bend; attach flexible ties to the trunk at that point, but no higher. Flexibility is so important to trees, and this will allow the tree to move with the wind and grow strong.
7. Paint the entire trunk with a 50-50 mix of white indoor latex paint and water. This will protect the trunk from sunscald.
8. Water the tree in well. No need for fertilizer at this point, but a thick layer of mulch or compost over the area will help improve the soil and retain soil moisture. Keep mulch several inches away from the trunk. Install irrigation or drip lines at this point.
9. On a calendar, mark reminders of future spraying for peach leaf curl (for peaches and nectarines, starting in November), future fertilizer application (first in early spring), and gardual increases in irrigation amounts and frequency as the weather warms.
Fruit trees will be mature enough to produce a crop in 2 to 5 years. A revision of the old proverb: "The best time to plant a fruit tree is five years ago; the second best time is today."
* Fruit tree planting and care can fill an entire book! This free pamphlet from UC Publications is a good start on a fruit tree-growing library. The Sacramento County master gardeners have these monthly orchard tips on their website.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of March 16
Make the most of dry breaks between showers. Your garden is in high-growth mode.
* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.
* Prepare vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.
* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.
* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.
* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit. To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.
* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).
* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch-thick under the tree (but avoid piling it up around the trunk). This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.
* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.
* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as cauliflower, broccoli, collards and kale.
* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. (To speed germination, soak beet seeds overnight in room-temperature water before planting.)
* Before the mercury starts inching upward, this is your last chance to plant such annuals as pansies, violas and primroses.
* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.
* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.
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