For Pit’s Sake
Plant a fruit tree next February or March
It’s the pits if you aren’t growing at least one or two fruit trees, since there are so many that grow well in Yuma. Once mature, a fruit tree will not only provide enough fruit for eating, but also for making jams, jellies and drying for later use. You can even puree the fruit and oven-dry it to make fruit leather.
Stone fruit, such as plums, apricots, and peaches, grow well in Yuma if you plant a variety that requires low chill hours to produce fruit. Several apple varieties also grow well here. Chill hours are the number of hours between Nov. 1 and Feb. 15 where temperatures are between 32 degrees and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Chill hours are necessary for a fruit tree to flower and set fruit the following spring or summer and are cumulative hours that do not have to be continuous. Low-chill fruit trees require 300 chill hours or less.
“Trees with 250 to 300 chill hours do best in Yuma and can be planted in February or early March,” said Pat Fox, manager of Yuma Nursery. “Some varieties of apples that can tolerate Yuma’s hot summers include Anna, Golden Dorsett and Ein Sheimer. A regular watering schedule in the summer will ensure your fruit
trees get sufficient water to not stress them. Mulching will help keep weeds from growing and will also prevent excess water evaporation from the soil. To produce larger apples in spring, thin the clusters so only one or two fruit are left in each cluster. We have five-gallon fruit trees that establish well when planted.”
Apricots belong to the rose family (Rosaceae) and are native to China. Some varieties of apricots that grow in Yuma are Gold Kist (300 chill hours), Katy (400 chill hours), Castlebrite (450 chill hours) and Patterson (500 chill hours). Because they require more than 250 chill hours, they will not produce fruit if winter weather stays too warm. Gold Kist and Katy produce in late May to early June, Castlebrite produces in May, and Patterson produces in June. All varieties are self-pollinating and do not require a second tree.
Peaches are also native to China. Freestone varieties that grow in Yuma include August Pride (300 chill hours), Babcock (250 to 300 chill hours), Bonanza Miniature (250 chill hours or less) and Eva’s Pride (100 to 200 chill hours). Semi-freestone varieties include Earligrande (275 chill hours), Flordagrande (100 chill hours or less) and Flordaprince (150 chill hours). Clingstone varieties include Desert Red (200-300 chill hours) and Desert Gold (250 chill hours). All of these varieties are self-pollinating. Desert Red and Flordaprince produce late April to mid-May. Earligrande and Eva’s Pride produce in May, and Babcock produces in June. By planting several varieties, you can have a continuous supply of peaches all summer, if the birds don’t beat you to them.
Japanese plum trees that require 250-300 chill hours include Gulf Gold, Gulf Ruby and Satsuma. All are self-pollinating and produce fruit from mid-June through July. Santa Rosa requires 400 chill hours but does well in Yuma. Santa Rosa was bred in 1906 by famed horticulturist Luther Burbank at his Santa Rosa, Calif., plant research center. Burbank bred over 800 varieties of fruits and vegetables, and the Santa Rosa plum was one of his finest hybrids.
Before planting a new tree, cut back the trunk to balance with its roots to encourage strong side branching. If the trunk is 1/2 inch in diameter, cut back the trunk to 3 feet above the root system. If the trunk is 5/8 inch wide, prune the trunk to 4 feet, and if the trunk is 3/4 inch to one inch wide, prune the trunk to 5 feet.
If the new tree has multiple side branches, choose a few of the strongest and best placed branches and cut away all others. Having too many small side branches drains energy from the tree and prevents several main branches from establishing.
After a tree’s first year, pruning can be done any time during its dormant period in winter. Pruning helps the tree produce good-sized fruit and prevents branches from splitting or breaking under the weight of too many fruit. Unpruned trees bear mostly on branch tips, causing great strain on the branches. When pruning, make your cut just above a bud facing outward and make the cut at a downward slant away from the bud. This will prevent rainwater from pooling at the bud.
Remove all fruit the first year a fruit tree is planted in order to help strengthen the tree’s root system instead of allowing the tree to expend energy on fruit production. Thereafter, to create larger fruit, remove extra fruit from branches leaving fruit every six inches or so.
For peaches, prune branches back by one-half. Apple trees are pruned as needed to maintain their shape. Plums produce on branches for two to four years and don’t require the same type of pruning as peaches or apples. Low-chill plum varieties, called Japanese plums, were developed by the University of Florida. These varieties need more pruning than European plums and should have one-third of new wood pruned away each year.
Apricots produce on previous season’s shoots and on spurs of older wood. To stimulate new growth for next year’s crop, prune new branches by one-half and remove the oldest fruiting wood. Branches will produce for two to four years and then should be removed.
If you have room in your yard, plant a fruit tree or two next February or early March, and you’ll soon be picking your own delicious fruit.
Happy gardening!