Tree Fruit and Small Fruit - PowerPoint Presentation

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Tree Fruit and Small Fruit

Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialistjont@umd.eduSlide2

College of

Agriculture and

Natural ResourcesSlide3

Reasons to grow fruit

Flavor and quality, high store price, versatility, health benefitsIt’s a challengelots to learn (science, art, and mystery)long lived plants that require timely care and attention each seasonStart small; start with small fruitSlide4

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-AtlanticSlide5

Will I have to spray a lot?

Pest problems (commercial growers spray):Peach (many pests)Apple (many pests)Sweet cherryJapanese plum

GrapeCan grow these organically:

FigRaspberry/blackberryCurrant

StrawberryBlueberryAsian pearAsian persimmonEuropean plum (maybe)

Sour cherry (maybe)Slide6

Plan ahead

Do I have enough room? Enough time? What’s practical for me?Start planning one year before plantingSelect a full-sun, well-drained site Amend soil to achieve correct pH and increase organic matter contentSlide7

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?Slide8

Pollination

Most fruit plants in MD require bees to pollinate flowers and produce a cropNative bees (pollen bees)- bumble bees and solitary bees; responsible for more than ½ of pollinationEuropean honey bees AND native bees need our help!Avoid or reduce pesticide use and don’t spray when flowers are openSlide9

What if my plants arrive too early?

Keep roots moist and keep plants cool“Heel in” plants outdoors ORKeep plants in garage or refrigeratorSlide10

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.Slide11

Water and fertilizer

Regular watering throughout the year is essentialShallow-root small fruit plants are especially vulnerable to drought stressFertilize with 1 inch of compost each springUse fertilizers according to recommendationsBe careful not to over-fertilize Slide12

Weeds and mulch

Grass and weeds compete with fruit plants for water and nutrients.Use an organic mulch to conserve soil moisture prevent weeds and soil temperature extremesKeep mulch away from plant crownsAvoid herbicidesSlide13

Wildlife “issues”

Deer scat

Vole feedingSlide14

Common problem…

snake trapped

in bird

netting

Solution: Keep netting >4-inches above the groundSlide15

Pruning

Control size and shapeInvigorate- stimulate new fruiting woodImprove air circulation and increase sunlight interceptionSlide16

Strawberry

Two main types for Maryland gardeners:

“

June-bearing”

and “everbearing” (a.k.a day-neutral)Slide17

Blackberry

Perennial crown; biennial canesVery well adapted to all parts of MarylandFour types:Thorny erect (excellent flavor)Thornless trailing (rampant canes; large fruit)Thornless erectPrimocane-bearing, thorny erectPrimocane-bearing, thornless erect (newest!)Slide18
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‘Prime-Jim’ thorny erect blackberry that bears on first-year canes in late summer through frost.Slide20

Raspberry

Perennial crown; biennial canesLess heat-tolerant than blackberry, but ok for all parts of MD Types:Red, purple, black; June bearingRed, yellow; primo-cane or “fall-bearing.” Cut them back to the ground in late winter or early spring. Slide21

Black raspberry- new shoots (primocanes) are thinned to 6 inches apart.

Red raspberry plant tied to a single wire between posts. Slide22

Tip rooting

New raspberry plant from tip rooting

Landscape fabric laid down to suppress weeds and raspberry suckersSlide23

Bramble problems

Orange

rust

Botrytis (gray mold)Slide24

Cane borer

White drupelet disorderSlide25
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Spotted wing drosophilaSlide27

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). The source of table grape cultivars like ‘Concord’Slide28

Seedless table grape cultivars

‘Mars’

‘Canadice’

‘

Himrod

’

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Black rot- #1 problem in backyard grapesSlide30

Blueberry

Plant a mixture of Northern Highbush and Southern Highbush cultivarsUse elemental sulfur and iron sulfate to reduce soil pH to 4.5Mix large amounts of compost and sphagnum peat moss into planting areaSpace plants 5 ft. apartSlide31

Fertilize with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) at flowering and 2 weeks later.

Blueberry plants produce flushes of growth periodically during the growing season.Slide32

Sensitive to environmental stress Slide33

Potted blueberry plants showing leaf scorch due to small container size, lack of water, and “hot site”

Grow bags require regular watering and winter protectionSlide34

Underused small fruits

Elderberry- SambucusRibes spp.-Currant- red, black and whiteGooseberry- American, European and crossesJostaberrySlide35

Black chokeberry-

Aronia melanocarpaSlide36

Beach plum-

Prunus

maritima

Native to U.S. Atlantic

Coast

Named cultivars produce larger fruitSlide37
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Wineberry- very invasive!

Rubus phoenicolasius- China native that displaces native plantsSpreads by seed, suckers and tip rootingDelicious fruit- but Do Not dig up and transplant into your landscapeSlide39

Some keys to apple success

:Dwarfing rootstock- BUD 9, EMLA 9, EMLA 26Disease-resistant cultivars (scions); e.g. ‘Liberty’, ‘Goldrush’, ‘Enterprise’Support with stakes and wire (vertical and oblique cordons work well)Close attention to pruning, pest monitoringDon’t over-fertilizeSlide40

Apple Pruning

Suggested Pruning Cuts

A. Suckers.

B. Stubs or broken branches.

C. Downward-growing branchesD. Rubbing or criss-crossing branchesE. Shaded interior branchesF. Competing leadersG. Narrow crotch

H. Whorls

From Clemson Univ. Extension fact sheetSlide41

Apple problems and growth stages

Codling moth larva; eggs are laid on young fruits by adult females at p

etal fall stage

.

Silver tip stage

Pink stageSlide42

Plum curculio

Photo credit: NHFruitGrowers.org

Photo credit: U. of MN Extension

Photo credit: U. of KY Extension

Photo credit: Oklahoma State U. Slide43

Commercial maggot barriers (nylon)

Commercial apple bags (paper) Slide44

Bagging the fruit to protect it from codling moth.

Illustration by Valerie Winemillerhttp://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pni7412-2.html

University of CA/Statewide IPM ProgramSlide45

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.Slide46

What’s wrong with my apples? Can I eat this apple?Slide47

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

Photo credit:

nmfruitgrowers.wordpress.com (7/2/12)Slide48

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.Slide49

Pearleaf

blister mite

Environmental injurySlide50

Brown marmorated stink bug injurySlide51

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.Slide52

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.Slide53

Bacterial spot disease

Gummosis- peach trees exude sap naturally and when stressed by insects, diseases and abiotic factors. Slide54

Brown rot- a major fungal disease of stone fruits.

Dried, infected fruits are called “mummies” and must be removed from trees and ground.Slide55

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.Slide56

“Portable” fig in ½ whiskey barrel is moved into garage for winter rest.

Protected Baltimore City fig with Southern exposure.Slide57

Shrub form with multiple fig stems pulled to center, tied and covered for winter protection.

Same plant during growing season.Slide58

Resources

Grow It! Eat It!http://www.extension.umd.edu/growitWe have all types of practical food gardening tips and information. Check out our popular blog!Home and Garden Information Center

http://www.extension.umd.edu/hgicHere you will find factsheets, photos, and videos. You can also subscribe to the free monthly e-newsletter.We answer gardening questions 24/7…just click “Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts” Maryland Master Gardener Program

http://www.extension.umd.edu/mgConsider becoming a trained MG volunteer! Slide59

This program was brought to you by the

Maryland Master Gardener Program______ CountyUniversity of Maryland Extension