Growing Fruit Trees

[Kiese]

Anybody have experience with growing fruit trees? This is something I haven't gotten into yet but like to eventually do. Curious to know how long typically until you start seeing fruit? I know some trees are different than others... Avocados are so expensive in the store (a dollar or more a piece) would love to have an avocado tree to save some money!

 

[Kansas Terri]

My Mother in law had an avocado tree: it was HUGE! You might consider a dwarf avocado tree, just so you do not have to climb a ladder every few days when the tree is bearing!

Most dwarf fruit trees bear in two or three years. I THINK that dwarf avocado trees will bear that soon also, but I am not sure as I have never actually known anybody who had one. I just know that I would not want to climb a very tall ladder for a few fruits at a time!

 

[claudine]

I have an old appletree in my garden. It has been there ever since I remember and every year, it produces a lot of yummy apples. It's really easy to grow, all that you have to do is to prune it from time to time.

 

[zigs]

I'd consider a dwarfing root stock if I were to plant any new fruit trees, saves a lot of hassle later.

 

[lemonzest]

My Mother in law had an avocado tree: it was HUGE! You might consider a dwarf avocado tree, just so you do not have to climb a ladder every few days when the tree is bearing!

Avocado trees are easy to climb! (Well, they were when I was a kid anyway

I grew a nice little avocado tree from a pit, but moved long before it was near bearing fruit. It was two years old when I left and the guy at my local garden center told me it would be at least another four or five years minimum.

 

[Kiese]

My Mother in law had an avocado tree: it was HUGE! You might consider a dwarf avocado tree, just so you do not have to climb a ladder every few days when the tree is bearing!

Most dwarf fruit trees bear in two or three years. I THINK that dwarf avocado trees will bear that soon also, but I am not sure as I have never actually known anybody who had one. I just know that I would not want to climb a very tall ladder for a few fruits at a time!

Wow, it takes that long until they begin to bear fruit? Yeah, a dwarf tree is a good idea less maintenance.

 

[jlynn71]

I was wondering if you need to have more than one apple tree to produce fruit? I was thinking of a red delicious and a yellow one. I don't know how it works with fruit trees, I know the bees do most of the work, but I thought the yield may be better if you have more than one tree to help with the pollination? I don't currently have any fruit trees, but I have been really wanting to plant some apple trees.

 

[headfullofbees]

I was wondering if you need to have more than one apple tree to produce fruit? I was thinking of a red delicious and a yellow one. I don't know how it works with fruit trees, I know the bees do most of the work, but I thought the yield may be better if you have more than one tree to help with the pollination? I don't currently have any fruit trees, but I have been really wanting to plant some apple trees.

You may want to look at "family" apple trees.

Some apple trees are self-fertile, and will give you something of a crop without cross-pollination, but all are better cross-pollinated.

There are four apple pollenation groups, A B C & D and, very simply, each will pollinate another apple of its own group and one in the group either side, so A will pollinate A & B; B will pollinate A B & C, C will pollinate B C & D, and D will pollinate C & D.

Some apples, such as Bramleys, are triploids, which means they need pollinated by two other apples or by a self fertile one.
So why would anyone want that?
Well, the apples tend to be bigger, the trees more vigorous, you get a bigger crop, and the trees are more disease resistant.

 

[jlynn71]

Thank you for your reply. That certainly is a lot of information to digest. It seems you have some experience there, and I am still learning about this, but I think I will try to have more than one variety, as it sound like the thing to do, and better crops will be the result which is what we are looking for. I would like to look into different varieties as well, but DH is set on Golden Delicious, so that is a must.

 

[headfullofbees]

When I was a lad, the best of all red apples, for me, was the McIntosh Red.
It has since been upgraded to McIntosh Empire.
They are delicious apples, and would make a perfect pollination partner for the Golden Delicious.

http://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/apple-trees/empire

 

[JGPangi]

Wow, I didn't know most apple trees needed to be cross-pollinated. I wonder if the kind I want to grow will need a partner. Unfortunately for me, I don't have a local nursery, so I'm sort of flying by my lonesome. Do avocados and citrus plants need the same?