SELECTION<\/span><\/h3>\nNeed chill?<\/strong><\/span> 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 <\/span>this article by the University of California<\/span><\/a>. Also, see my posts “Messages from your deciduous fruit trees after the chilly winter (2018-2019)”<\/a>\u00a0and “Effects of a warm and wacky winter (2017-2018) on deciduous fruit trees.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\nNeed heat?<\/strong> 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.<\/span><\/p>\nNeed a pollenizer?<\/strong> 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.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\nSize of tree is mostly controlled by you, not rootstock.<\/strong> Trees may be labelled \u201cdwarf\u201d or \u201csemi-dwarf\u201d 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?”<\/a>; and “When and how to prune citrus trees”<\/a>; and\u00a0“Pruning avocado trees to keep them small”<\/a>; and\u00a0“My best advice on pruning deciduous fruit trees: Keep them small.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Fruit](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Fruit-trees-planted-close-together-in-hedge-eight-feet-apart-300x186.jpg\")
<\/a>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.<\/p><\/div>\n
(See also my posts, “Fruit trees for a year-round harvest in Southern California”<\/a> and “What kind of fruit tree should you plant?”<\/a>)<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/h3>\nPLANTING<\/span><\/h3>\nFull sun, all day, is generally best.<\/strong> Fruit trees planted in maximum sunlight produce more fruit, and have fewer health problems. (See my post, “Where to plant a fruit tree?”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\nDon’t plant below grade.<\/strong> Always plant at or a few inches above the level of the surrounding soil. If the tree\u2019s trunk is below grade, then water will collect there and make it vulnerable to crown-rotting diseases.<\/span><\/p>\nBigger containers are better.<\/strong>\u00a0If 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.<\/p>\n![\"Hass](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Hass-avocado-growing-in-container-with-fruit-181x300.jpg\")
<\/a>If you must, you can even fruit an avocado tree in a large container. This Hass has a handful.<\/p><\/div>\n
WATERING<\/span><\/h3>\nNewly planted trees need more frequent watering<\/strong> than older trees.<\/strong>\u00a0Also, 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.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\nMulch of wood chips is magical.<\/strong>\u00a0It 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.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\nDon’t water wet soil.<\/strong>\u00a0Most people seem inclined toward watering too often. Make it your goal to periodically dig to feel the level of moisture\u00a0around roots before watering.\u00a0(See this post, “Get your hands dirty to discover the truth about your irrigation practices.”<\/a> )<\/p>\n![\"soil](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image-1-300x300.png\")
<\/a>Soil is still too moist here to need irrigation.<\/p><\/div>\n
FERTILIZING<\/span><\/h3>\nFertilize only as need is shown.<\/strong>\u00a0Maxwell Norton, retired Farm Advisor with the University of California, wrote:<\/span>\u00a0\u201c[Fruit trees] grown in backyard settings in typical sandy loam to clay loam soil with proper irrigation rarely need to be fertilized.\u201d 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\u00a0The Home<\/i> Orchard, <\/em>an excellent book (see my review here<\/a>).\u00a0(See my posts, “Fertile soil can be child’s play,”<\/a>\u00a0and “Fertilizing avocado trees.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n![\"seedling](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_20170921_160251-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>This mango isn’t given ideal watering or mulch, yet still looks great and fruits well without being fertilized.<\/p><\/div>\n
PRUNING<\/span><\/h3>\nPrune lightly more than once a year if trying to keep the size of deciduous trees down.<\/strong>\u00a0And 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.”<\/a>)<\/p>\nDo not thin canopies of citrus and avocado.<\/strong> 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,”<\/a> and “Pruning avocado trees.”<\/a>)<\/p>\nRemove\u00a0rootstock suckers.<\/strong>\u00a0They 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.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"rootstock](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/rootstock-sucker-on-cherry-tree-197x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Rootstock sucker on cherry tree. When they’re small like this, just snap off with your fingers.<\/p><\/div>\n
FRUIT THINNING<\/span><\/h3>\nExcess fruit can lead to sunburn and even branch breaking.<\/strong>\u00a0Especially 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.”<\/a>)<\/p>\nFruit thinning is most needed on peaches and nectarines.<\/strong>\u00a0It is rarely needed on citrus and avocado.<\/p>\n![\"thinned](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_20170703_071032-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Fruit thinned from Dapple Dandy pluot tree. Should have thinned them before they got this big, but better late than never.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/h3>\nHARVESTING<\/span><\/h3>\nRemember a tree\u2019s harvest season with a birthday or holiday.<\/strong>\u00a0Ask my son when we start picking Gold Nugget mandarins and he smiles, “On my birthday!”<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Tree](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/gold-nugget-sign-Edited-300x231.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRefer to a chart.<\/strong> See\u00a0this chart by Dave Wilson Nursery for harvest times of deciduous fruit trees<\/a>, and see this chart by Maddock Ranch Nursery for citrus and avocados<\/a>. (Also see my post, <\/span>“When to pick avocados.”<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_20171107_103721-e1510083171223-300x236.jpg\")
<\/a>I drew this chart to help me remember the harvest seasons for some of the avocado varieties I grow in my yard.<\/p><\/div>\n
PESTS, ETC.<\/span><\/h3>\nPlant in cages or kill gophers.<\/strong>\u00a0They 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.”<\/a> )<\/p>\nPesticides almost always hurt beneficial insects too.\u00a0<\/strong>Their use\u00a0can also put you on a<\/span> \u201cpesticide treadmill\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u00a0since 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.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Need heat?<\/strong> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n Need a pollenizer?<\/strong> 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.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n Size of tree is mostly controlled by you, not rootstock.<\/strong> Trees may be labelled \u201cdwarf\u201d or \u201csemi-dwarf\u201d 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?”<\/a>; and “When and how to prune citrus trees”<\/a>; and\u00a0“Pruning avocado trees to keep them small”<\/a>; and\u00a0“My best advice on pruning deciduous fruit trees: Keep them small.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/p><\/div>\n (See also my posts, “Fruit trees for a year-round harvest in Southern California”<\/a> and “What kind of fruit tree should you plant?”<\/a>)<\/p>\n Full sun, all day, is generally best.<\/strong> Fruit trees planted in maximum sunlight produce more fruit, and have fewer health problems. (See my post, “Where to plant a fruit tree?”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n Don’t plant below grade.<\/strong> Always plant at or a few inches above the level of the surrounding soil. If the tree\u2019s trunk is below grade, then water will collect there and make it vulnerable to crown-rotting diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n Bigger containers are better.<\/strong>\u00a0If 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.<\/p>\n If you must, you can even fruit an avocado tree in a large container. This Hass has a handful.<\/p><\/div>\n Newly planted trees need more frequent watering<\/strong> than older trees.<\/strong>\u00a0Also, 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.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n Mulch of wood chips is magical.<\/strong>\u00a0It 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.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n Don’t water wet soil.<\/strong>\u00a0Most people seem inclined toward watering too often. Make it your goal to periodically dig to feel the level of moisture\u00a0around roots before watering.\u00a0(See this post, “Get your hands dirty to discover the truth about your irrigation practices.”<\/a> )<\/p>\n Soil is still too moist here to need irrigation.<\/p><\/div>\n Fertilize only as need is shown.<\/strong>\u00a0Maxwell Norton, retired Farm Advisor with the University of California, wrote:<\/span>\u00a0\u201c[Fruit trees] grown in backyard settings in typical sandy loam to clay loam soil with proper irrigation rarely need to be fertilized.\u201d 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\u00a0The Home<\/i> Orchard, <\/em>an excellent book (see my review here<\/a>).\u00a0(See my posts, “Fertile soil can be child’s play,”<\/a>\u00a0and “Fertilizing avocado trees.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n This mango isn’t given ideal watering or mulch, yet still looks great and fruits well without being fertilized.<\/p><\/div>\n Prune lightly more than once a year if trying to keep the size of deciduous trees down.<\/strong>\u00a0And 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.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n Do not thin canopies of citrus and avocado.<\/strong> 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,”<\/a> and “Pruning avocado trees.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n Remove\u00a0rootstock suckers.<\/strong>\u00a0They 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.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n Rootstock sucker on cherry tree. When they’re small like this, just snap off with your fingers.<\/p><\/div>\n Excess fruit can lead to sunburn and even branch breaking.<\/strong>\u00a0Especially 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.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n Fruit thinning is most needed on peaches and nectarines.<\/strong>\u00a0It is rarely needed on citrus and avocado.<\/p>\n Fruit thinned from Dapple Dandy pluot tree. Should have thinned them before they got this big, but better late than never.<\/p><\/div>\n Remember a tree\u2019s harvest season with a birthday or holiday.<\/strong>\u00a0Ask my son when we start picking Gold Nugget mandarins and he smiles, “On my birthday!”<\/span><\/p>\n Refer to a chart.<\/strong> See\u00a0this chart by Dave Wilson Nursery for harvest times of deciduous fruit trees<\/a>, and see this chart by Maddock Ranch Nursery for citrus and avocados<\/a>. (Also see my post, <\/span>“When to pick avocados.”<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n I drew this chart to help me remember the harvest seasons for some of the avocado varieties I grow in my yard.<\/p><\/div>\n Plant in cages or kill gophers.<\/strong>\u00a0They 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.”<\/a> )<\/p>\n Pesticides almost always hurt beneficial insects too.\u00a0<\/strong>Their use\u00a0can also put you on a<\/span> \u201cpesticide treadmill\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u00a0since 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.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
PLANTING<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>WATERING<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>FERTILIZING<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>PRUNING<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>FRUIT THINNING<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
HARVESTING<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>PESTS, ETC.<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_20170716_111111-e1500235931394-300x245.jpg\")
<\/a>