Question:
Is it necessary to have two fruit trees close to each other to cross-pollinate? If so, can I have identical trees, or will an apricot tree pollinate an apple tree? Unfortunately, I don't have a big backyard.Answer:
- Pollination concerns are one of the several things you need to consider when planting a few trees or planning a home orchard. This discussion does not apply to citrus and other sub-tropical fruits.
- Not all deciduous fruit trees need a second tree for pollination. An apple tree can't pollinate an apricot or any other type of fruit tree, just another apple variety. Many varieties are self-pollinating, such as peaches and nectarines. There are self-fertile cherries and those cherries that require a second variety.
- So, choosing suitable varieties can become very confusing. I would make a list of those varieties you like to consider. The nursery professional at your favorite garden center is the perfect resource to help you trim the list and suggest some alternatives.
- Since your gardening books was published, some very good, new varieties have become available. When making up your list, here are some other things you should keep in mind;
- The ripening dates, the watering needs, and the ultimate size of the trees. The ripening dates should be staggered so you can have a different fruit to enjoy from June through September.
- For today's garden, a semi-dwarf fruit tree is too big to plant. They often will reach a height of eighteen feet with a ten-foot spread. Instead, you want to plant Ultra Dwarf or genetic dwarf varieties that stay under ten feet tall.
- Established Asian pears, pears, and apples need to be watered often, while cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums are watered once every three weeks once the rainy season concludes. It also means that the area under the canopy should be kept unplanted. So, it would help if you grouped your trees according to their watering requirements.
- Ultra Dwarf or genetic dwarf varieties can be grown in containers, but they're watered more frequently than those planted in the ground. Now through the end of February is when you'll find the broadest selection of varieties
Question:
Last winter, I planted a bare-root pomegranate tree. It has done very well, but it has grown very leggy. Should I cut it back now to encourage branching?Answer:
- Pomegranates are best pruned during the winter months for shape. But, it’s okay to prune it now. Pomegranates are grown as a large bush, not as a tree.
- I'd cut back the leggy branches by forty percent the first year. In the following years, prune lightly once a year to encourage new fruit spurts to grow. All the broken and weakened branches are removed along with any shoots at the base. Flowers and fruit develop on short spurs of two or three-year-old wood, primarily on the outer edge of branches.
- An annual feeding with an all-purpose organic fertilizer is recommended after pruning.