I’d prefer that you not remember that I predicted in early August that the heat of this summer was going to soon decline. But I admit that I did, and I could not have been more wrong.
Now at the tail end of August, I can look back to July 3 when the heat began and count the days on my calendar that were 100 degrees or higher: 30.
This summer has had more sustained heat than any since I started keeping temperature records at my place in 2014. It’s been relentless.
This summer’s heat has also been coupled with higher-than-usual humidity.
Prior to summer was an exceptionally warm winter. At my place, there was less frost than usual — almost none. The lowest temperature of the winter was 32. Most winters in my yard dip into the upper 20’s at least once.
The end of winter also had a strange heat wave, where from March 12 to March 29 it was 90 degrees or higher for 13 of the 18 days. One day reached 101. In March! Some plants actually got sunburned. In March!
What does all of this mean for fruit trees?
In my yard, the happiest fruiting trees and fruiting plants this year have been . . . as expected . . . the tropicals: bananas, pineapples, guavas, mangos.
But also, as expected, subtropicals are doing well. Citrus are the best performing, with lots of fruit and tolerance to the high heat.
My macadamia nut tree and my avocados and dragon fruit have lots of nuts/fruit, but they also show some sunburn and water stress.
Temperate fruits, on the other hand, are hit and miss. Grapes have been a hit. Apples have also been a hit, surprisingly. Fruiting well in my yard this year are the varieties Fuji, Pink Lady, Gala, Hudson’s Golden Gem, and Ghost.
But pluots are a mixed bag. Only one pluot variety performed well, and that is Splash. The others had little fruit.
The biggest miss in my yard is the other stone fruit trees. Cherries, peaches, nectarines, and apricots all were nearly barren. More than that, some did not even completely leaf out until very late in summer. My read is that they needed a colder winter.
I’ve seen similar results in other yards in Southern California.
Stone fruits have performed poorly in general, except that some gardeners had a yield from early peaches.
Tropicals and subtropicals are mostly feeling at home. The mango tree at the top of this post with lots of fruit on it is the Peg Winters variety growing in Earle’s yard in San Diego. Litchi trees I’ve seen had bountiful crops this year too.
Which fruit trees have done poorly or well for you this year, through a warm winter and hot summer?
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At my house it’s a poor year for most everything except guavas, figs and dragonfruit. Tropical, lemon, pineapple guavas all seem to love this weather so much that I had to thin the fruit to keep the trees from collapsing. My fig trees started early and have been producing more figs than we can eat for two months now. Pineapples are happy despite taking a lot of damage from a big hail storm in the spring. I got no stone fruit, and as you mentioned some didn’t even leaf out until August. Most of my citrus trees bloomed poorly and/or didn’t set many fruit. Lychee and longan didn’t bloom at all. Some apple varieties seem nearly normal, while others have been blooming erratically since early spring and struggling to leaf out. I’m near the coast, so not quite as extreme as your heat, but the warm winter and dry spring definitely had an impact.
Pretty much the same here in Vista. Citrus has done ok. Lemons and lime did well, grapefruit and oranges ok. Stone fruit horrible, I concluded they just never had any chill hours this winter. My 2 Avocados are a couple years old, and we have never gotten anything from them. We are holding our breath and watching the 5 avocados on our Wartz. Our blueberries were pretty normal.
We had a small crop of squash, tomatoes were oddly sparse. All herbs did and are doing fine.
All in all an odd year and as the heat persist, I question what will happen next.
Hi Abe,
I have seen that erratic summer bloom on my apples too, and there was a little fireblight on the Pink Lady, but the apples are numerous and sizing well.
I wonder why much of your citrus bloomed poorly.
I think at least 3 factors affected the citrus:
1) Big spring rainstorms seem to trigger strong blooms for both the citrus and stone fruit. There were none.
2) Hail destroyed the first big growth flush.
3) Last year was a heavy crop for many of them. Some tend to alternate, and others are still holding fruit from last year. That’s normal for Valencia, but less so for Sanguinelli which is still tasting great (and we’ve been enjoying immensely paired with figs).
A few varieties did bloom and set fruit well – Shasta Gold, Bearss and Mexican limes, Valencia, Ortanique.
Fuji and pink lady apples this year have plenty of fruit. I had about 10 peaches on an Eva pride in June. Nothing of note on any of my other trees. I also have noticed all the harvest times have been push forward by almost a month in my yard. That was the case for strawberries and blueberries as well.
Hi Dan,
I forgot about the early harvests. We saw that too, with some apple varieties and the few apricots that set.
In Carlsbad our Bananas and Mango trees are growing really well.
But no leaf out, and then minimal, on our nectarine. Leaves, but no fruit on our Plum and Nectaplums.
The two dwarf avocados have fruited better than they have in a decade, but are now dropping fruit.
Hi Ronee,
I’m still seeing some drop on some avocado trees, but it’s trees that set a ton of fruit and I’m actually glad that they’re reducing their crop a bit. Glad to hear your trees fruited well this year.
Up here in Irvine my Fujis produced a fine crop but some of the apples are looking a little baked on the branch! Nothing like your temps but worth hosing down the avocado trees to cool them. Seeing a little leaf toasting on the new flush on the younguns. Massive tomato crop but a rat has been snacking big time at night. My cat goes out and watches him. Picky eater!
Hi Randy,
There’s significant sunburn on my apples too. Even though the trees made lots of fruit, they didn’t leaf out densely on the periphery so they are exposed to the sun even more than usual. Finally, yesterday, I got around to throwing some shade cloth over them.
In Carmel Valley, it’s been a great summer for Mexican papayas and passion fruit. Just started harvesting Wurtz avocados. Stone fruit trees set minimal fruit this spring, but the Wonderful pomegranate has set lots of fruit earlier than usual. The Oro Blanco grapefruit tree had a bad case of scale that started killing the tree, but then I sprayed with Neem oil and it flowered in the summer!
Everything depends where you live and when your trees will blossom. But it’s been very difficult for sure. I think many of us realize we have to go more tropical. Loquats, guava, figs it seems neem oil helped some of my fruit stay viable using neem oil on the tiny fruits to prevent black fly fig. (The black fig fly (Silba adipata) is an invasive pest that primarily affects fig trees, laying eggs in the fruit and causing significant damage. This pest was first identified in southern California in 2021 and has since spread to various regions, impacting fig production.
Bananas need water as well and did ok for me but smaller amounts. The Mexican cream guava is one of the very best to own. I have many others and they are small–tropical pink is everywhere but not nearly as good as the Mexican cream. FYI Finding great fruit that can survive this climate change is going to be very difficult for all of us I fear.
Hi Tina,
I have only one young guava, but it has taken the weather this year without blinking. It was labeled Mexican White from the nursery. It is one tough and fruitful tree in a year like this.
Mexican creams the plant looks identical to the yellow/strawberry–pink tropical the most common guava. But the fruit is very aromatic and the taste is as well. Flesh is more firm than the cousin. Fruit is a bit smaller but not as small as the lemon or cherry guavas. When someone tries one they really love them. Mexican white sometimes are Apple guavas–so it’s yours is very large and crunchy than it’s the apple white-.
Far northern LA County. Tomatoes did great fruiting early and dying off now in this heat wave. Apple tree nothing of interest. Bell peppers doing well. Cukes lots of foliage not a single one to eat. Watermelons also nothing. Dwarf Cara Cara blossomed and didn’t grow an inch in two years!
Hi Sheldon,
Are you shading the bell peppers? They get sunburned so easily. I’m assuming you’re in a hot location in northern LA County. Wish I had some of those this year.
Not shading directly. That portion of the yard doesn’t get strong sun until the afternoon for a few hours. Never considered I should put some shade cloth on there. Will see what I’ve got around the garage. We are in the Conejo Valley, 15 miles from the beach near Thousand Oaks and gets pretty hot.
In Vista, my 30-yr old navel orange & 12 yr old mandarin trees seem to be losing lots of leaves, so I’ve started deep watering them every week in the heat wave we’re in. The crops are going to be very light.
The 15- yr old Hass avocado tree will have a light crop, but last year was the Best ever with over 200 avocadoes. The Cherry tomatoes were delicious until the tomato worms moved in. I’m looking at my 2nd crop of blueberries this year & it seems to love the pot it’s in. Also my baby banana plant is growing like crazy, so I know it’s loving this Heat!! I have a baby fig tree that gave me 8 small figs but they were really Sweet. A neighbor lost her whole crop of figs due to the Black Fig Fly disease.
Hi Carol,
I’ve seen older citrus in neighbors’ yards that do not look happy this summer, but I don’t think they’re watering enough. I do see that the one big Valencia tree I have is looking a little thirsty so I should water it extra, but otherwise, my younger citrus are all happy and fruitful and I think it’s because I’m watering them abundantly.
Except for the fig fly issue, it sounds like you and everyone else has had a bountiful year with the fig trees. Let’s definitely add figs to the list of “warm winter, hot summer” fruit trees.
Thanks for the subject, Greg!
Western San Fernando Valley.
I’ve collected most common fruit trees and plants, so I’ll share the ones that did well.
Pink lady apple and Wickson crab apple did great.
Bananas are producing and growing nicely, but getting some sunburn.
Mangoes, Cheremoya, Jaboticaba, cherry of the Rio Grande, surname cherry, and Pitongatuba are all doing well in the heat and putting on nice growth.
Pomegranates and mulberries have done well with the heat and humidity producing well.
Out of the stone fruit, I had very good success with Florida Prince, eva‘s pride and mid pride peach . The lack of chill did not seem to bother them.
Roseborough and Womack blackberries produced pounds of fruit and did not mind the heat and lack of chill.
Dwarf Tamarillo and Bolivian Tree tomato did great in semi shade. Loves the heat.
Figs are doing great, but are early by up to two months.
Passionfruit is doing great in semi shade producing lots of fruit.
All guava are doing well.
Goji berry is producing well and papayas are growing like crazy but no fruit set.
Barbados gooseberry is growing a foot more a week but no fruit set yet.
Tropical apricot growing like a weed, but still no fruit on that tree because it’s too young.
Thanks Chris. I’d been unsure how widely mulberries performed well this year. Most I’ve seen have had good crops but not all. I’m now thinking the poor performers were probably just not cared for well.
Same with passionfruit. My vine has not been setting fruit, but I haven’t been watering it well. So I was unsure if it was due to heat or bad watering. But I know that others in slightly milder locations are setting just fine. And if yours is too in the San Fernando Valley, then my problem is probably watering.
Here in Fresno it’s the worst year in my yard for citrus and olives. First year crop of fuerte and stewart avocados, about 15 each on the tree.
Nice on the avocados, Jim. Wonder what the problem has been for your citrus and olives in Fresno. Did you also have the March heat? Maybe that affected bloom?
Most cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums are at zero for this year.
Dwarf Namwah, and Dwarf Cavandish bananas are struggling. The Dwarf Namwah in particular; I had to shade it.
Apples are mixed results.
Doing well are; Ambrosia, Anna, Arkansas Black, Beverly Hills, Braeburn, Cortland, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and good Ol Sundowner.
Not great, some not at all; Crimson Crunch, Early Pink Lady, Ein Shemer, Franklin Cider™, Freedom, Fuji, Fuji Rising Sun, Gala, Golden Dorsett, Gordon, PixieCrunch, Queen Cox.
Aprium: zero.
Avocados.
Fantastic: Carmen, Fuerte, Hass, Holiday, Lamb (but small fruit),Reed, Sharwil.
Fair: Don Gilogly, Edranol, Esther, Ettinger, Greengold, Gwen, Hellen, Jan Boyce, Sir Prize, Nabal, Nimlioh, Queen.
Struggling: Gwen, Ulala.
Citrus
Blood oranges: Bream Tarocco, Moro, Sangunelli, Smith’s Red are all doing well.
Kumquat: Nagami very healthy.
Lemon: Amalfi, Eureka, Eureka Pink Variegated, Meyer, New Zealand Lemonade. All growing and fruiting well.
Lime:
Struggling; Australian Finger (x2 green),
Fantastic; Bearss,
Struggling; Key,
Fair; Palestinian Sweet.
Pummelo:
Good: Valentine’s.
Mandarin:
Lush growth: Gold Nugget,
Great amount of fruit. Satsuma,
Struggling to set fruit: Shiranui
Oranges:
Good growth and fruit set; Late Naval-Autumn Gold,
Good growth and fruit set; Midknight Seedless Valencia
Nectarine:
Zero; Snow Queen
A few, but small; SpiceZee NectaPlum
Peach:
I don’t want to talk about it; Desert Gold®, Eva’s Pride®, Floridaprince, May Pride®, Mid-Pride®, Red Baron.
A few nice fruit; Long Beach.
Plum:
Nothing to see here, move along; Mariposa, Methley.
Pineapple Guava:
Nice growth, lots of blooms; Coolidge, Oktoberfest, Waingaro
Tropical Guava:
Lots of buds; Tropical Pink, Red Indian.
Sad, sadder, saddest; Eugenia
Burned to death; Savannah Cherry
Set fruit then dropped during the heat; Red Surinam cherry
Lost all of its foliage during the heat; Black Surinam cherry
Set fruit then dropped during the heat; Cedar Bay Cherry.
Hi Don,
I hate to see that your stone fruit also had a terrible year, and it’s a relief to see that your stone fruit also had a terrible year. Ha! Even the super early, low-chill peaches?!
I’m in the foothills in Ventura County, and had some good flowering of my stone fruit trees, but late spring rains knocked most of the blossoms off. I got two Santa Rosa plums, but no other plums of other varieties. I had one or two fruit on my peaches, cherries, and nectarine trees. No pluots or pluerries. I had a way smaller Valencia crop, just a handful of lemons, and super small ping-pong ball sized fruit on my mandarin orange tree. Like others, my loquats, pomegranates, pineapple and figs did very well. I have some Gem avocados for the first time on my young tree. Blueberries were not happy. Mulberries did great. Taspberries, blackberries and boysenberries did just okay. Strawberries did well and are still producing a handful or so per day. Due to my hubby being hospitalized in early April, I got a late start on my tomatoes, peppers, squash, green beans and melons, and I’m just now getting produce. If we have a long summer, as I suspect we will, I think I will still get plenty to harvest and put up. All my herbs are thriving other than dill, which has withered in the heat. I was excited to read about your apples doing so well– that was surprising to me– and may add some to my garden in the fall
Hi Jackie,
My strawberries did well this year too. They’re now starting to set a new crop (Albion variety), and they might be our best fruit from the yard through end of summer into fall, along with some apples. I’m really curious how the fall weather will turn out.
92120 Del Cerro
The early heat wave got my trees blooming but then no fruit. No cherries, no peaches, no plums, no apriums, no plots, and no snow queen nectarines. Hass avocados did okay and CadwayCado’s produced the best and I am picking those now and expect to be picking those through December. Cherimoya did okay. Produced some figs but lite crop and the Rats got them. Rats also ate the tomatoes green before they could be picked. Blueberry production was reasonable. My Oro Blanco is loaded right now. I have one tree with some gold nugget tangerines and one tree with quite a few Tahoe gold tangerines all green of course. My taraco blood Orange has quite a few babies on it and my other orange trees have some fruit and they are blooming now.
Rick! My Cadway avocado trees are overloaded this year. Incredibly good fruitset. I have had to thin the new crops.
My Fuerte avocado trees produce close to nothing and last year I only got two. When my Reed are gone in September I eat the CadwayCados to January. Try leaving some on your tree into January and see how you like them.
Inland Orange County, Pluots little to no fruit. Peach no fruit. Apples produced well but fruit got sunburned. Avocados ok still young so covered with shade cloth. 2 year old gem made 43 fruit so I pulled 42. Citrus young but starting to give fruit Shasta gold producing the best. Veggies hit and miss. Greg, what are you calling water stress on the Pinkerton lack of water? I’m also seeing a little of this on some trees.
Hi Chris,
Yes, essentially insufficient water. The Pinkerton set a massive crop. I thinned it somewhat but it still has so much fruit and I didn’t increase the water enough to account for the high amount of fruit it is attempting to develop. So it already is showing brown margins on leaves (which usually doesn’t appear until the fall). A couple of other avocado trees with extra big crops are showing the same.
I’m going to remove some more fruit now and add extra water going forward to try to rectify my mistake.
San Diego got a little over its normal average for this past year, but the way it fell was unusual: 3 inch downpour followed by nothing for a month, then another deluge followed by another 4 week dry spell, and repeat again. One of those downpours did a number on trees with blossoms. I think the bees went on strike. This coming winter’s being touted as much wetter and warmer than usual (super El Niño).
Hi JP,
I would welcome an extra wet winter. Even the native oaks in my yard are looking sparse and tired right now.
Good point on remembering the pattern of rainfall this past winter. Even though it was near average in amount, it was inconsistent and not ideal in terms of frequency.