Tree Fruit and Small Fruit Basic Training for UME Master Gardeners Jon

Reasons to grow fruit Flavor and quality, high store price, versatility, health benefits It’s a challenge – lots to learn (part science, art, and mystery) – long lived plants that require timely care and attention each season But please… start small; start with small fruit

Fruit plants grown in Maryland Tree fruit Major- apple, European pear, peach, plum (Asian and European), sweet and tart cherry, fig Minor- Asian persimmon, Asian pear, lemon, lime, orange, banana, pawpaw* Small fruit (take less space, more forgiving, can be grown organically, less expensive to maintain and easier to dig up) Major- strawberry, blackberry*, raspberry,* blueberry*, grape* Minor- currant, gooseberry, jostaberry, hardy kiwi, elderberry*, beach plum*, chokeberry*, medlar, citron *Native to mid-Atlantic

Will I have to spray a lot? Pest problems (commercial growers spray): Peach (many pests) Apple (many pests) Sweet cherry Japanese plum Grape Can grow these organically: Fig Raspberry/blackberry Currant Strawberry Blueberry Asian pear Asian persimmon European plum (maybe) Sour cherry

How do fruit plants compare to tomato plants? Perennials that require 12-month attention Require “hardening” (chilling hours) to survive winter and produce fruit Maximum yields come with the correct balance of root, leaf, and fruit growth Important to know when and where they produce flower buds and fruit Correct pruning is essential to control growth and encourage fruiting

Plan ahead Do I have enough room? Enough time? What’s practical for me? Start planning one year before planting Select a full-sun, well-drained site Amend soil to achieve correct pH and increase organic matter content

Picking cultivars Select well-adapted, recommended cultivars with good disease resistance. Buy high quality plants- “certified”, “registered” Bareroot plants will catch up to container plants Do I need a special rootstock? Do I need more than one cultivar for pollination?

Pollination Most fruit plants in MD require bees to pollinate flowers and produce a crop Native bees (pollen bees)- bumble bees and solitary bees; responsible for more than ½ of pollination European honey bees AND native bees need our help! Avoid or reduce pesticide use and don’t spray when flowers are open

What if my plants arrive too early? Keep roots moist and keep plants cool “Heel in” plants outdoors OR Keep plants in garage or refrigerator

Hydrating an apple whip in a bucket of water for 12 hours prior to planting 3-year old bare-root apple whip has just arrived from the nursery. Notice graft union where the scion is joined to the rootstock.

Water and fertilizer Regular watering throughout the year is essential Shallow-root small fruit plants are especially vulnerable to drought stress Fertilize with 1 inch of compost each spring Use fertilizers according to recommendations Be careful not to over-fertilize

Weeds and mulch Avoid herbicides Keep mulch away from trunks and crowns Organic mulch, pea gravel Grass or other living covers can compete with fruit plants for water and nutrients

Wildlife “issues” Deer scat Vole feeding

Pruning Control size and shape Invigorate- stimulate new fruiting wood Improve air circulation and increase sunlight interception

Strawberry Two main types for Maryland gardeners: “June-bearing” and “everbearing” (a.k.a day-neutral) Aggregate fruits have many stamens and pistils. King berry is largest in a cluster and has the most seeds.

Blackberry Perennial crown; biennial canes Very well adapted to all parts of Maryland Four types: – Thorny erect (excellent flavor) – Thornless trailing (rampant growers; large fruit) – Thornless erect (good choice for small spaces) – Primocane-bearing, thorny erect

‘Prime-Jim’ thorny erect blackberry that bears on first-year canes in late summer through frost.

Raspberry Perennial crown; biennial canes Less heat-tolerant than blackberry, but ok for all parts of MD Types: – Red, purple, black; June bearing – Red, yellow; primo-cane or “fall-bearing.” Cut them back to the ground in late winter or early spring.

Black raspberry- new shoots (primocanes) are thinned to 6 inches apart. Red raspberry plant tied to a single wire between posts.

Tip rooting New raspberry plant from tip rooting Landscape fabric laid down to suppress weeds and raspberry suckers

Bramble problems Orange rust- fungal disease Cane borer Botrytis (gray mold)

Spotted wing drosophila

Spotted wing drosophila (swd) monitoring trap made from clear plastic container with lid and ¼-inch holes drilled near the top to allow flies to enter. Bait: 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast and 4 Tbsp. sugar dissolved in 12 oz water (better than apple cider vinegar).

Grapes Vitis vinifera- European wine grapes (less cold-hardy than native grape and more prone to diseases. Vitis labrusca- native fox grapes (seeded and seedless)

Seedless table grape cultivars ‘Mars’ ‘Canadice’ ‘ Himrod’

Black rot- #1 problem in backyard grapes

Blueberry

Common problem… Eastern garter snake trapped in bird netting

Underused small fruits Elderberry- Sambucus Ribes spp.- Currant- red, black and white Gooseberry- American, European and crosses Jostaberry

Black chokeberry- Aronia melanocarpa

Beach plum- Prunus maritima Native to U.S. Atlantic Coast

Wineberry- very invasive! Rubus phoenicolasius- China native that displaces native plants Spreads by seed, suckers and tip rooting Delicious fruit- but Do Not dig up and transplant into your landscape

Some keys to apple success : – Dwarfing rootstock- BUD 9, EMLA 9, EMLA 26 – Disease-resistant cultivars (scions); e.g. ‘Liberty’, ‘Goldrush’, ‘Enterprise’ – Support with stakes and wire (vertical and oblique cordons work well) – Close attention to pruning, pest monitoring – Don’t over-fertilize

Apple Pruning Suggested Pruning Cuts A. Suckers. B. Stubs or broken branches. C. Downward-growing branches D. Rubbing or criss- crossing branches E. Shaded interior branches F. Competing leaders G. Narrow crotch H. Whorls From Clemson Univ. Extension fact sheet

Apple problems and growth stages Codling moth larva; eggs are laid on young fruits by adult females at petal fall stage. Silver tip stagePink stage

Cedar apple rust- a common fungal disease that is difficult to control. Requires Eastern red cedar as the alternate host. Fireblight- a bacterial disease that can move through the vascular system of apple and pear, killing branches and trees.

Surround is a pulverized kaolin clay product that suppresses and repels some fruit insect pests such as codling moth, plum curculio, and apple maggot.

Above: ‘Olympic’ Asian pear- good alternative to apple and European pear but can have insect pest and disease problems. Quince rust fruiting bodies on ‘Bradford’ pear fruit.

Brown marmorated stink bug injury

Late instar nymphs Eggs and 1 st instar nymphs Adult

Peach Peach is best pruned to an open vase shape to maximize captured sunlight and fruit production. Peach fruits need to be hand-thinned to increase fruit size and decrease disease problems.

Peach leaf curl- fungal disease; prevent with fungicide application when buds swell in early spring. Black knot of plum and wild cherry- fungal disease; prune out symptomatic wood to prevent spread.

Bacterial spot disease Gummosis- peach trees exude sap naturally and when stressed by insects, diseases and abiotic factors.

Brown rot- a major fungal disease of stone fruits. Dried, infected fruits are called “mummies” and must be removed from trees and ground. Bagging fruit to prevent bird, squirrel, and insect feeding.

Peach tree borer (PTB) larva feeding on cambium. Sap mixed with frass (sawdust-like excrement pushed out of entrance hole by larvae), indicates PTB presence.

“Portable” fig in ½ whiskey barrel is moved into garage for winter rest. Protected Baltimore City fig (tree form) with Southern exposure.

Shrub form with multiple fig stems pulled to center, tied and covered for winter protection. Same plant during growing season.

Root containment and root pruning will promote fruiting. Bird netting surrounds entire fig plant. Most birds will peck through netting and some may get tangled.

Kudzu bug on fig- just passin’ through (very minor feeding injury possible)

Thank you for participating! This Power Point is posted on the MG state web site and will be periodically updated. Have questions? – Send questions through the website- PLANT FRUIT!!GROW FRUIT!!