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What's Inside
 Bare Root Fruit Trees
Deciduous Fruit Trees
Backyard Orchard Culture
Peach Leaf Curl
Scale & Mealy Bugs
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VALENTINE SPECIAL
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FEBRUARY |
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There are many benefits of proper mulching. This time of year we are mulching to protect our soil from the rain. Keep in mind that mulch also makes a great dressing for seeding your spring flowers.
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Be a Guest Gardener:
Gardeners love to learn from other gardeners "over the fence." We would love to include a tour and/or an article from one of our readers!
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Contact Information:
E-Mail:
Click to e-mail us.
Telephone:
(909) 620-0199
Address:
845 N. Garey Ave. Pomona, CA .91767
Hours:
Tuesday-Friday
10-5pm
Saturday
9-5pm
Sundays & Mondays
Closed
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RECIPE OF THE WEEK:
French Onion Soup
2 large yellow sweet onions, halved and sliced
2 large red onions, halved and sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 ounce cognac
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs thyme
4 slices bread
4 ounces gruyere or Swiss cheese
1 ounce parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Step by Step:
Peel and halve the onions, then slice.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add all of the onions, alternating with the remaining butter and a pinch of salt so the onions release their moisture.
Cover and cook the onions until they are well caramelized and reduced considerably. This will take about an hour. Stir occasionally.
Once onions have reduced, stir in white wine, beef broth and cognac and raise heat enough to bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf and thyme and reduce to a simmer.
Meanwhile, cut circles out of the bread, tracing around an ovenproof bowl or dish that you will bake the soup in.
Place the bread circles on a baking sheet and toast them directly under the oven broiler.
Grate the cheese!
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and divide the onion soup into bowls, top with a bread circle and a portion of the cheese. Put the bowls on the baking sheet and set under the broiler just until the cheese has melted.
Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings
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 Quotation of the Week:
"When gardeners garden, it is not just plants that grow, but the gardeners themselves."
-Ken Druse
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‘Tis the season for bare root fruit trees. There is really nothing better than being able to stroll out into your own backyard and pluck a ripe piece of fruit in your very own fruit orchard. Many of us have at least one citrus tree such as lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit. After all, this is Southern California know for citrus! But how many of us have other stone or pome fruit trees?
 Stone or pome? What are we talking about? Peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, pluot (plum-apricot hybrid, smooth skin), aprium (apricot-plum hybrid, fuzzy) are all stone fruits or have a central pit. Apples and pears are pomes. Now is the time to buy these trees in the bare root form. We have a wonderful selection available right now!
Bare root trees are hybrids. Growers graft together two different trees with characteristics they like to make bare root fruit trees. Rootstocks are chosen for good health, hardiness, stability, and growth. The upper part of the tree, the scion, provides the structure, form and fruit. Bare root fruit trees are deciduous trees. This means that they will have a dormant, leafless period during the coldest season of your climate zone.
There are several considerations in the selection process of your bare root fruit tree. First and foremost is determining whether or not the variety you choose is suited to your region (USDA or Sunset zone). The Southwest regions must keep in mind the chill hours and select trees with low chill requirements. Chill hours are those hours in fall and winter in which temperatures are below 45 degrees. Low chill means regions that have less than 500 chill hours/year. This consideration alone will limit your fruit tree choices. If you are uncertain which trees will do well in your growing region, be sure to consult your nurseryperson.
Ok, now you know the list of trees you can select from. The next important consideration is rootstock. There are a number of questions you will need to ask your nurseryperson about the rootstock on the tree of your choice. Here is a short list to take with you:
1. What type of soil does it tolerate best? Wet or sandy? Is it drought sensitive or drought tolerant?
2. Is it susceptible to diseases such as oak root fungus, bacterial canker, nematodes, crown gall, viruses, Phytophthora, fire blight, and so on?
3. Can it be a container tree?
4. Is it a dwarf or standard rootstock?
Almost all fruit trees, whether on standard or dwarf rootstock, are too big for a backyard orchard. To keep them a manageable size (about 8 feet or so), summer pruning is required.
So you have considered your chill hours and rootstock choices. You have selected the type(s) of fruit trees you would like to purchase. What is next? Fruiting times, size and form, pollination, and condition of the bare root trees you are selecting from.
Consider when you would like the fruits to ripen. If you are getting multiple different fruit trees, stagger them based upon the times that they will ripen. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have fresh ripe fruit from May to November?
Not all fruit trees are self-pollinating. Be sure to discuss this with your nursery person prior to selection and purchase. If you are choosing a tree that is not self-pollinating, you may need another tree to assure pollination. Remember, even if your tree flowers, without appropriate pollination of the flowers, the tree will not bear fruit.
Select a tree with a 1/2” to 5/8” diameter trunk. Make sure that the roots are in good shape and not broken. Consider the branching structure to some degree. If you select a larger tree, about 3/4” diameter, choose one where the branching begins from 1-3 feet from the top of the roots.
When planting, fruit tree growers tell you to cut the trunk back by at least two-thirds of its height. Select 3-5 branches which give the tree good form and an outward growth pattern, and remove the rest of the branches. They also recommend cutting back those remaining branches by at least 2/3 their length. This cutback will stimulate new healthy growth in the spring. It also has to do with the rootstock.
Yes, it comes back to the roots again. These trees were once growing in the ground before being selected for bare root sale. When they were removed from the ground, not all of the root system was dug up and packaged with your new young tree. So the roots that you have with this bare root tree will not support the tree. Cutting back the size of the tree will allow this reduced root system to support the tree until the roots are reestablished in your yard or container.
Bare root trees available in the nurseries are getting ready to leave their dormancy period and enter their growing period. If you cannot plant your tree immediately, store it in a cool and shady place. If the roots are not already packaged in plastic, wrap them in a plastic bag and tie it closed around the trunk to keep moisture on the roots and prevent them from drying out.
How will you incorporate your fruit tree into your garden?
You can grow fruit trees singly or in a cluster. If you choose the cluster, plant them fairly close together. This seems to break every rule about planting trees and shrubs; however, chances are each tree will produce far more fruit than you can ever use. Planting them close together not only gives your backyard more space, but also provides you with delicious fruit at staggered ripening times from spring to fall.
Perhaps you have a tiny backyard. Many of the fruit trees are on dwarf rootstock and will happily grow in a large container. Another beautiful way to grow fruit in limited space is in espalier style. Beginning with a small tree allows you to train its form from the beginning.
We have a fabulous selection of bare root trees available.
Apple: 3-in-1 espallied apple tree with Anna, Fuji and Dorset Gold on one tree.
Peach: 3-in-1 peach with Saturn, Nidpride and Red Baron on one tree.
Plum: 2-in-1 cherry plum with sprite and delight on one tree.
Cherry: Lapins cherry on miniature stock. Great for a small patio.
Pomegranite: Wonderful pomegranite, the name says it all.
Fruit Salad: 3-in-1 tree with Elberta Peach, Blenhiem Apricot, and Santa Rosa Plum.
Blueberry: 6 varieties.
When planting your bare root tree, amend your soil 50/50 with Gardner & Bloome Planting Mix. For healthy root growth, add Dr. Earth Fruit Tree Fertilizer Mix (7-4-2).
Whatever your choice of fruit tree and form of growing, fruit trees are beautiful and a wonderful addition to any garden.
Clh 1/07
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How to Plant a Bare-Root Deciduous Fruit Tree |
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Choose a spot in full
sun with good drainage and adequate space for the tree to grow. (If space is limited choose a dwarf tree, or plant as an espalier, training it on wires; on an arbor; or against a preferably east-facing wall.)
Prune off any damaged or broken roots, and plunge the remaining roots into a bucket of water to soak while you dig a hole. Dig a planting hole and check the drainage.
If the soil is heavy clay, work at least 2 pints of amendment into the soil in the bottom of the hole. It will do no harm, and it may improve drainage.
If gophers are a problem, line the hole with a basket made of poultry wire to protect the roots while the tree is young.
Hold the tree in the hole so that the bump on the bud union faces north, to shade it from the sun, and the original soil line (look for it below the bud union) is 2 inches higher than the surrounding ground. (The bud union is the location where the variety was grafted onto the rootstock; on trees it usually appears as a slight bend in the trunk or a change in its width.)
Backfill the hole by sifting the native soil you took from it back into the hold--around, through and over the roots. (Do not add soil amendment unless you're planting in pure sand.) Plant high, so that as the tree grows the area where the trunk meets the ground is high and dry.
Press down with your hands to compact soil around and over the roots
Make a watering basin. Mulch the ground around the plant and in the basin.
A great mulch to use is Shredded Redwood Bark by Kellogg. If the tree does not already have a good branching habit, prune it immediately after planting; cut the tree to a height of 30 inches to 36 inches above ground. Remove most of the side branches (if there are side branches) except those needed for main
scaffold limbs. You can produce a low
branching tree by choosing to keep three low branches that are not exactly opposite each other.
To protect the trunk from sunburn, paint it with flat white latex paint (not enamel) that you've slightly diluted with water.
Water deeply by allowing the hose to lie on the ground and trickle into the hole until it penetrates around the roots. In fast
draining sandy or decomposed granite soil, water often until the tree is established. If drainage is poor or if the soil is heavy clay, check once a week and water when the soil begins to dry out. Gradually lengthen the intervals between irrigations.
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By Dave Wilson Nursery 19701 Lake Road Hickman, California 95323
What Is Backyard Orchard Culture?
Backyard Orchard Culture is the prolonged harvest of tree-ripe fruit from a small space. This means planting close together several or many fruit varieties which ripen at different times and keeping the trees small by summer pruning. Families today have less space for fruit trees, less time to take care of them, and less time to process or preserve large crops than in the past. Accordingly, today’s family orchards should be planned and managed differently. This is the objective of Backyard Orchard Culture.
Backyard Orchard Culture is Not Commercial Orchard Culture
• For years, most of the information about growing fruit came from commercial orchard culture: methods that promoted maximum size for maximum yield but required 12-foot ladders for pruning, thinning and picking, and 400 to 600 square feet of land per tree. Tree spacings had to allow for tractors. Most people today do not need or expect commercial results from their backyard fruit trees. A commercial grower would never consider using his methods on a 90 ft. x 100 ft. parcel, so why should a homeowner?
Backyard Orchard Culture is High Density Planting & Successive Ripening
• Maximizing the length of the fruit season means planting several (or many) fruit varieties with different ripening times. Because of the limited space available to most homeowners, this means using one or more of the techniques for close-planting and training fruit trees; two, three or four trees in one hole, espalier, and hedgerow are the most common of these techniques. Four trees instead of one means ten to twelve weeks of fruit instead of only two or three.
• Close-planting offers the additional advantage of restricting a tree's vigor - a tree won't grow as big when there are competing trees close by. Close-planting works best when rootstocks of similar vigor are planted together. For example, for a four-in-one-hole planting, four trees on Citation rootstock would be easier to maintain than a combination of one tree on Lovell, one on Mazzard, one on Citation, and one on M-27.
• In many climates, planting more varieties can also mean better cross-pollenization of pears, apples, plums and cherries, which means more consistent production.
Backyard Orchard Culture means Accepting the Responsibility for Tree Size
• Small trees yield crops of manageable size and are much easier to spray, thin, prune, net, and harvest than large trees. And, if trees are kept small, it is possible to plant a greater number of trees, affording the opportunity for more kinds of fruit and a longer fruit season.
• Most semi-dwarfing rootstocks do not control fruit tree size as much as people expect. Rootstocks are for soil and climate adaptation, pest and disease resistance, precocity (heavy bearing in early years), tree longevity, and ease of propagation. To date, no rootstocks have been developed which do all these things, plus fully dwarf the scion.
• The only way to keep most fruit trees under twelve feet tall is by Pruning, and the most practical method of pruning is Summer Pruning. In Backyard Orchard Culture, tree size is the grower's responsibility. Choose a size and don't let the tree get any bigger. A good height is the height you can reach for thinning and picking while standing on the ground, or while standing on a low stool.
• Two other important influences on tree size are irrigation and fertilization practices. Fruit trees should not be grown with lots of nitrogen and lots of water. Some people grow their fruit trees the way they do their lawn, then wonder why the trees are so big and don't have any fruit!
Backyard Orchard Culture means Understanding the Reasons for Pruning
• Most kinds of deciduous fruit trees require pruning to stimulate new fruiting wood, to remove broken and diseased wood, to space the fruiting wood, and to allow good air circulation and sunlight penetration in the canopy.
• Pruning is most important in the first three years, because this is when the shape and size of a fruit tree is established. It's much easier to keep a small tree small than it is to make a large tree small.
• Pruning at the same time you thin the crop is strongly recommended. By pruning when there is fruit on the tree, the kind of wood on which the tree sets fruit (one year-old wood, two year-old wood, spurs, etc.) is apparent, which helps you to make better pruning decisions.
Backyard Orchard Culture means Summer Pruning for Size Control
There are several reasons why summer pruning is the easiest way to keep fruit trees small. Reducing the canopy by pruning in summer reduces photosynthesis (food manufacture), thereby reducing the capacity for new growth. Summer pruning also reduces the total amount of food materials and energy available to be stored in the root system in late summer and fall. This controls vigor the following spring, since spring growth is supported primarily by stored foods and energy. And, obviously, pruning is easier (and more likely to get done) in nice weather than in winter.
Backyard Orchard Culture means Not Being Intimidated by Planting or Pruning
Fruit tree pruning needn't be complicated or confusing. When planting, be aware of air circulation. This is important in cutting down disease problems. Check drainage. If poor draining soils are suspected, consider a raised bed to protect the trees from starving for oxygen in heavy soils. Up to 4 trees can be planted in a 4x4 foot bed raised up at least 12 inches. Larger beds can accommodate more trees.
In Backyard Orchard Culture, pruning is simple.
When planting a bareroot tree, cut side limbs back by at least two-thirds to promote vigorous new growth. Then, two or three times per year, cut back or remove limbs and branches to accomplish the following:
First year:
• At planting time, bareroot trees may be topped at 15 inches to force very low scaffold limbs, or higher, up to four feet, depending on existing side limbs and desired tree form. After the spring flush of growth, cut the new growth back by half (late April/early May in Central Calif.). In late summer (late August to mid-September) cut the subsequent growth back by half.
• When selecting containerized trees for planting in late spring/early summer, select trees with well-placed low scaffold limbs. These are usually trees that were cut back at planting time to force low growth. Cut back new growth by half now, and again in late summer.
• Two / three / four trees in one hole. At planting time, plant each tree 18? to 24? apart. Cut back all trees to the same height. Cut back new growth by half in spring and late summer as above. In the first two years especially, cut back vigorous varieties as often as necessary. Do not allow any variety to dominate and shade out the others. Plant each grouping of 3 or 4 trees in one hole, at least 12’ to 15’ feet apart to allow for adequate light penetration and good air circulation.
• Hedgerow plantings. Easiest to maintain when spaced at least 3 or more feet apart. Make sure that the placement of the hedgerow does not block air circulation and light from other plantings.
-To conserve water, apply at least 4 inches of mulch up to 4 feet outside of the planting -
Second year:
Second year pruning is the same as the first year; cut back new growth by half in spring and late summer. For some vigorous varieties, pruning three times may be the easiest way to manage the tree: spring, early summer and late summer.
Third year:
Choose a height and don't let the tree get any taller. Tree height is the decision of the pruner.
When there are vigorous shoots above the chosen height, cut back or remove them. In late spring/early summer, pinch back all new growth. Size control and development of low fruiting wood begins now. Repeat in late summer/early fall. Thin to an open center beginning in the second season. Prune single tree plantings to vase shape. Multi-plantings need plenty of sunlight into the interior of the group, so thin out the center. Remove broken limbs. Remove diseased limbs well below signs of disease. The smaller one, two, and three-year old branches that bear the fruit should have at least six inches of free space all around. This means that where two branches begin close together and grow in the same direction, one should be removed. When limbs cross one another, one or both should be cut back or removed.
When removing large limbs, first saw part way through the limb on the under side ahead of your intended cut. Do this so it won’t tear the trunk as it comes off, also, don't make the cut flush with the trunk or parent limb – be sure to leave a collar (a short stub).
To develop an espalier, fan, or other two-dimensional form, simply remove everything that doesn't grow flat.
Selectively thin and train what's left to space the fruiting wood.
Don't let the pruning decisions inhibit you or slow you down. There are always multiple acceptable decisions - no two people would prune a tree exactly the same. You learn to prune by pruning!
For further advice consult your local nursery professional.
Backyard Orchard Culture begins with Summer Pruning!
• Smaller trees are easier to spray, prune, thin, net, and harvest! And, with small trees, it's possible to have more varieties that ripen at different times. The easiest way to keep trees small is by summer pruning. There are lots of styles, methods, and techniques of summer pruning; most of them are valid. The important thing is to prune!
Backyard Orchard Culture means Knowing Your Nursery Professsional
• The concepts and techniques of Backyard Orchard Culture are learned and implemented year by year. An integral part of Backyard Orchard Culture is knowing your nursery professionals and consulting them when you have questions.
Backyard Orchard Culture means The Pride of Accomplishment
• There is a definite sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, a special pleasure in growing your own fruit, in growing new varieties of fruit, in producing fruit that is unusually sweet and tasty, in having fruit over a long season, and in sharing tree-ripe fruit with others. These are the rewards of learning and experimenting with new cultural practices and techniques, the rewards of becoming an accomplished backyard fruit grower.
- ULTIMUS DICTUM -
There's no excuse for neglected trees, maintenance undone, or lack of know-how.
Backyard Orchard Culture is an attitude: "just do it!"
Backyard Orchard Culture © 2005 Dave Wilson Nursery, Inc.
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Get Control of Peach Leaf Curl |
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Spray peach and apricot trees against peach leaf curl, an airborne fungus disease that impairs fruiting and can eventually kill a tree. This disease thickens and stunts new shoots, and it puckers, thickens, and curls fresh leaves from the time they first emerge in spring. Affected leaves are red or orange when they first emerge, and later they turn pale green or yellow. Later still, a grayish white powder appears on them, and finally the leaves drop prematurely from the tree. Affected trees bear poorly, and the fruit that survives is usually deformed by wrinkles, raised areas, and irregular lesions.
Be sure to spray all your peach and nectarine trees — even dwarf ones growing in containers — against this dread disease, even if they've never show symptoms. Since peach leaf curl is caused by an airborne fungus it's carried everywhere, though it's at its worst in wet years. Virtually all unsprayed peaches and nectarines fall prey to it eventually, and once the leaves have emerged there's no cure for the problem.
Before spraying your peach and apricot trees, clean them up by removing any loose leaves or mummified fruits and by raking up and destroying all debris in, under, and around each tree. Spray the entire tree, carefully going over the trunk, the branches, and the twigs; also lightly spray the ground under the tree. Spray twice during winter while the trees are dormant, once as soon as the leaves have fallen and again before the buds swell in spring. (The exact timing will differ according to your climate zone, but usually you'll need to apply the first treatment sometime between mid-November and mid-December, and the second in late January or early February.)
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Winter's Silent Prey: Scale and Mealy Bugs |
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While we sit by our toasty fires and dream of the spring to come, a little known adversary is lurking between the branches and under our trees.
Scale disguises itself as part of the bark and mealy bugs just hide, real well. Both of these critters can be eliminated by just a little care right now.
This time of year we should be finishing up with our pruning--and now it’s time for the bath! Yep, get out the Leaf Clean or mix up a batch of *Grandma’s Plant Bath and put in into your hose end sprayer. Turn the water on high to get the hardest spray available and hit every side nook and cranny on your trees. (You can use this on your citrus trees also, but we’re talking stone fruits now.) You must really drench the tree; remember you're cleaning the tree.
After the bath is done it is time for the rinse and for this you are going to use a horticultural oil spray. This oil can be added to your dormant oil spray and be done in one application, such as All Seasons Spray Oil by Bonide or Monterey’s Safe-T-side. Apply this mixture according to the directions on the product.
Oil sprays are exceptionally safe to humans (the pesticide applicator as well as others). They have little, if any, effect on wildlife and non-target insects in the environment (ladybugs, parasitic wasps, honey bees, etc.) Oil sprays are less toxic because of the method by which they kill target pests. Oils are not poisons. Instead, the thin film of oil covers the target insect or mite and plugs the spiracles or pores through which it breathes. The cause of death is primarily suffocation. Large, motile insects and animals that breathe by another method are not affected by these oils.
Grab your scarf and your rain gear, so you don’t get too wet and on a cool, rainless day bathe your trees.
*Grandma’s Plant Wash
1 cup liquid Soap (I like Ivory)
1 cup antiseptic mouth wash (like Listerine, unflavored)
Put in 20 gallon hose end sprayer and top off with water. Attach hose and wash your plants till clean.
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Edition 7.06
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