The Garden Post By Kim Bius
Get the Fruit Trees Going! January in East Texas is fruit and nut tree season. As gardeners, we prefer the sunny, mild, dry days of early spring, but your fruit trees do not! The wet soil gives that added boost of moisture, and the cold temperatures keeps the plant in dormancy for less shock and better root growth until first bud break. Let us review the requirements and a bit of background knowledge to give you the 101 of fruit tree gardening. Fruit trees require full sun (8+ hours of unobstructed direct sunlight), excellent drainage, and consistent watering throughout the year. Fruit trees are a crop and must be treated as such for successful production. Fruit trees require maintenance and care, some more than others. Fruit trees are either self-fertile or require a cross pollinator. Peaches, apples, figs, apricots, nectarines, and citrus are self-fertile and can cross pollinate themselves, BUT for your best bet at production, plant two fruit trees with a cross-pollination time. In other words, 2 varieties of peach trees that have a least a one week overlap on pollination time will give you the success you want. Independent garden centers have already taken this into account, and only have trees in stock that will pollinate each other and have the correct chilling hour requirement for your gardening area. The term “chilling hour” is the amount of time below 42 degrees a tree must receive to set buds. The chilling hour on a 75-year average for Walker County is 650 and Montgomery County is 600-625. By far, the most popularly grown fruit tree in Texas is the peach tree, which is also the least drought tolerant. The apple follows closely, with several low chilling hour beauties that A&M has produced so Texans can enjoy homegrown apples. The pecan is next, one of the fussiest trees. Once established, pecans are a breeze, very similar to taking a teenager into adulthood. The first few years are the most crucial, but given the right background and growing conditions, everything is great! Plums, pears, figs, nectarines, almonds, and even a few select cherries can also be included in your garden, with figs and pears being the hardiest and most drought tolerant. In other words, if you miss two weeks of watering in summer, the fig and pear will be a better bet on surviving, the peach will be the first down. Fruit trees will do best in a deep sandy loam area, devoid of heavy clay. The tree should be planted at the established soil level in the pot or, if bare rooted, a minimum of 2” below the graft. Plant your tree higher than the existing soil level for drainage, fertilize with a root stimulator at planting and again in 6 weeks. Fruit trees will require pruning and shaping in late January for easy harvesting, and your fertilization schedule will depend on the variety selected. Enjoy, have fun, and Happy Gardening.
January 2021 | Postcards Magazine: Lake Conroe Edition 7
