April is a dynamic time to talk about fruit trees — as they are all blooming and flushing — and this last week I did so as the monthly speaker for the Ocean Hills Garden Club in Oceanside.

When allotted only an hour to cover “Growing fruit trees in Southern California,” only the vitals can be broached. But I did. I broached them.

Here I broach them again, with you:

 

SELECTION

Need chill? In Southern California, we can grow almost every type of deciduous fruit tree (think peaches, apples, plums, apricots, cherries), but we must be careful about choosing varieties that are suited to our relatively mild winters, usually of less than 500 chill hours. (For more on chill hours, see this article by the University of California. Also, see my posts “Messages from your deciduous fruit trees after the chilly winter (2018-2019)” and “Effects of a warm and wacky winter (2017-2018) on deciduous fruit trees.”)

Need heat? If you live within a mile of the beach, some citrus and other fruits that ripen early in the year are unlikely to get as sweet as you hope. To increase the chances of sweet fruit, leave fruit on the tree longer or choose varieties that ripen later in spring or summer like the Valencia orange or Gold Nugget mandarin.

Need a pollenizer? Some fruit trees are self-sterile, meaning they need the pollen of another tree in order to produce fruit, in quantity at least. Examples are certain plums and pluots. (See my post “Grafting a pollenizer branch into your fruit tree.”)

Size of tree is mostly controlled by you, not rootstock. Trees may be labelled “dwarf” or “semi-dwarf” but still get bigger than you want. No problem. You can control the size of any fruit tree — while still getting a lot of fruit — by pruning. (See my posts “Dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard citrus trees: What are they, really?”; and “When and how to prune citrus trees”; and “Pruning avocado trees to keep them small”; and “My best advice on pruning deciduous fruit trees: Keep them small.”)

Fruit trees planted close together in hedge eight feet apart

Planted these trees eight feet apart in my mom’s backyard in 2011/2012. (Cherry, peach, nectarine, plum, pluot.) On their own they would be twenty feet tall, but we prune.

(See also my posts, “Fruit trees for a year-round harvest in Southern California” and “What kind of fruit tree should you plant?”)

 

PLANTING

Full sun, all day, is generally best. Fruit trees planted in maximum sunlight produce more fruit, and have fewer health problems. (See my post, “Where to plant a fruit tree?”)

Don’t plant below grade. Always plant at or a few inches above the level of the surrounding soil. If the tree’s trunk is below grade, then water will collect there and make it vulnerable to crown-rotting diseases.

Bigger containers are better. If you must grow in a container, then go big, like half-wine barrel ultimately. It means you’ll have to water and fertilize less often, and your tree will be healthier because of the bigger soil volume and root system.

Hass avocado growing in container with fruit

If you must, you can even fruit an avocado tree in a large container. This Hass has a handful.

WATERING

Newly planted trees need more frequent watering than older trees. Also, if the tree had been in a container (not bare root), put the water right by the trunk for the first couple months. (See my post, “How to water a newly planted avocado tree.”)

Mulch of wood chips is magical. It will allow you to water less often and less in overall volume throughout the year. (See my post, “Using wood chips as mulch for fruit trees.”)

Don’t water wet soil. Most people seem inclined toward watering too often. Make it your goal to periodically dig to feel the level of moisture around roots before watering. (See this post, “Get your hands dirty to discover the truth about your irrigation practices.” )

soil moisture feel test Pinkerton avocado

Soil is still too moist here to need irrigation.

FERTILIZING

Fertilize only as need is shown. Maxwell Norton, retired Farm Advisor with the University of California, wrote: “[Fruit trees] grown in backyard settings in typical sandy loam to clay loam soil with proper irrigation rarely need to be fertilized.” Many gardeners find this hard to believe, but it has also been my experience. Trees in containers are an exception, however. Norton’s statement comes from The Home Orchard, an excellent book (see my review here). (See my posts, “Fertile soil can be child’s play,” and “Fertilizing avocado trees.”)

seedling mango tree Glendora California

This mango isn’t given ideal watering or mulch, yet still looks great and fruits well without being fertilized.

PRUNING

Prune lightly more than once a year if trying to keep the size of deciduous trees down. And keeping trees small from the beginning is far easier than reducing the size of an old tree. (See my post, “My best advice on pruning deciduous fruit trees: Keep them small.”)

Do not thin canopies of citrus and avocado. A healthy citrus or avocado tree should have foliage so dense that you cannot see through to the other side. (See my posts, “How and when to prune citrus trees,” and “Pruning avocado trees.”)

Remove rootstock suckers. They will overtake the scion (the top part of the tree whose fruit you want) and eventually kill it. (See this post: “Beware of rootstock suckers on citrus.”)

rootstock sucker on cherry tree

Rootstock sucker on cherry tree. When they’re small like this, just snap off with your fingers.

FRUIT THINNING

Excess fruit can lead to sunburn and even branch breaking. Especially thin fruit that is near the tips of branches. (See my post, “Oh, the mistakes I’ve made: Not thinning enough fruit from a plum tree.”)

Fruit thinning is most needed on peaches and nectarines. It is rarely needed on citrus and avocado.

thinned Dapple Dandy pluot fruit

Fruit thinned from Dapple Dandy pluot tree. Should have thinned them before they got this big, but better late than never.

 

HARVESTING

Remember a tree’s harvest season with a birthday or holiday. Ask my son when we start picking Gold Nugget mandarins and he smiles, “On my birthday!”

Tree sign for gold nugget mandarin

Refer to a chart. See this chart by Dave Wilson Nursery for harvest times of deciduous fruit trees, and see this chart by Maddock Ranch Nursery for citrus and avocados. (Also see my post, “When to pick avocados.”)

I drew this chart to help me remember the harvest seasons for some of the avocado varieties I grow in my yard.

PESTS, ETC.

Plant in cages or kill gophers. They can easily kill young trees, though are not such a big deal for older trees. I’ve used many methods, but my favorite gopher trap by far is the Cinch Trap. (See my post, “The best gopher trap: It’s a Cinch.” )

Pesticides almost always hurt beneficial insects too. Their use can also put you on a “pesticide treadmill” since a pest’s natural enemies have been harmed and can no longer fight for you as effectively. Do your best to tolerate some insect damage. (See my post, “Don’t spray for citrus leafminers.”)

Citrus leafminer damage freaks many people out, but just leave it alone and natural enemies control it somewhat (although they don’t eradicate it).

All of my Yard Posts are listed HERE

Pin It on Pinterest

Join Waitlist I will inform you if I can harvest more of these avocados. Please leave your email address below.