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re: Any reason not to plant fruit trees?
Posted on 9/12/19 at 5:54 pm to hungryone
Posted on 9/12/19 at 5:54 pm to hungryone
I take back my "plant now" statement, it was meant to be "this year". Horrible time oef year to plant right now, but once it cools down you are good to plant through early/mid spring (I'd say late feb/early march in south LA), with late fall probably best.
Any single citrus tree that is happy will bury you in fruit.
Noone local will have anything in stock right now, but nurseries and box stores will often get some nice plants in in time for fall planting. Otherwise keeps you eyes peeled for when the shipments start arriving in early spring. Do a spit ton of reading in the meantime, and start deciding what will go where, and start your soil amendments etc.
Any single citrus tree that is happy will bury you in fruit.
Noone local will have anything in stock right now, but nurseries and box stores will often get some nice plants in in time for fall planting. Otherwise keeps you eyes peeled for when the shipments start arriving in early spring. Do a spit ton of reading in the meantime, and start deciding what will go where, and start your soil amendments etc.
1
Posted on 9/12/19 at 5:56 pm to luvdoc
If you are in the gulf south, rabbit eye blueberries are best. Plant at least two varieties of bush for pollination/production. They need acid soil, so do your testing and begin those amendments as needed now.
Posted on 9/12/19 at 6:47 pm to NATidefan
My grandparents had two Bartlett trees in their yard in SW MS. Those things produced like crazy. We moved into their house after my grandfather died to take care of my grandmother, who was in poor health. Some years we would have to prop the lower branches up with bean poles to keep them from breaking. Even with random folks stopping by and picking Walmart bags, and even sometimes five gallon bucket fills, we ended up with a lot of waste on the ground. I distinctly remember wasps being a problem with those rotten pears, but if you’re on 1.5 acres, it shouldn’t be an issue for you. I would just get popped occasionally when cuttting grass.
Posted on 9/12/19 at 7:02 pm to Dave_O
Yeah, growing up we had pear trees. That's why I want some of my own.
Hard to beat homemade pear preserves.
Hard to beat homemade pear preserves.
Posted on 9/12/19 at 7:04 pm to NATidefan
quote:
What blueberry bushes did you go with? I'm going to be ordering some of those as well. And raspberry.
Jubilee, Misty, O’Neal, and Sunshine.
They will look slightly different but they are in the backyard so I didn’t care.
quote:
You located in LA, if so whereabouts, b/c ruby red grapefruit trees are readily available for purchase in LA.
LC. I guess I need to start getting off my arse and visit local nurseries.
This post was edited on 9/12/19 at 7:07 pm
Posted on 9/12/19 at 7:44 pm to BallsEleven
quote:
LC. I guess I need to start getting off my arse and visit local nurseries
Local retail plant nurseries will have them and the big box stores (usually in spring). Sometimes stores/plant nurseries get a single shipment in the spring but you won’t have any issue finding what you want once you start looking and asking. They usually cost $35-40.
Posted on 9/12/19 at 8:31 pm to CrawDude
Yeah I always see the Owari and Meyer Lemons, just never the Ruby Red. But that’s always been at the box stores.
Posted on 9/12/19 at 9:34 pm to BallsEleven
quote:
Yeah I always see the Owari and Meyer Lemons, just never the Ruby Red. But that’s always been at the box stores.
Being from LC, you could take an hour + drive to Doug Young Nursery in Forest Hills, they have a greenhouse, dedicated to citrus that they obtain from Starr Nursery and/or Saxon Bechnel Nursery in Belle Chase. I bought a Ruby Red Grapefruit there. But this time of the year their supply of citrus maybe scarce, but I know they receive large fresh shipments in early spring. But honestly you should have no problem finding one in LC. Just check independent plant nursery retailers and ask them when they get their shipments of citrus, and get there before the Ruby Reds sell out.
Posted on 9/12/19 at 9:50 pm to BallsEleven
For care-free growing (ie labor-freeish), citrus (except in cold winters, then its tents and heaters! plant them uphill to avoid colder low spots), figs, blueberries, persimmon, jujube, and pawpaw.
Pear trees can get HUGE, and almost all of the others listed get pretty large too. Getting specimens on dwarfing rootstock may be a good idea if a 10-15 ft tree will do as well as a 20-30 footer. Most trees put out a ton of fruit over a pretty short period. Most trees produce more fruit than I and my family can eat as we go, and since we don't can or process for storage, we binge! Our year is marked by "seasons" of the different fruits.
Here are some links to relevant LSU AG Center publications that should be applicable. TAMU's site and the MS and AL sites have some good stuff too.
Pear trees can get HUGE, and almost all of the others listed get pretty large too. Getting specimens on dwarfing rootstock may be a good idea if a 10-15 ft tree will do as well as a 20-30 footer. Most trees put out a ton of fruit over a pretty short period. Most trees produce more fruit than I and my family can eat as we go, and since we don't can or process for storage, we binge! Our year is marked by "seasons" of the different fruits.
Here are some links to relevant LSU AG Center publications that should be applicable. TAMU's site and the MS and AL sites have some good stuff too.
Posted on 9/12/19 at 9:52 pm to luvdoc
Posted on 9/12/19 at 10:10 pm to CrawDude
Nice, thanks for the heads up on Doug Young Nursury. Right at an hour from the house 
Posted on 9/13/19 at 10:07 am to Dave_O
quote:
My grandparents had two Bartlett trees in their yard in SW MS. Those things produced like crazy. We moved into their house after my grandfather died to take care of my grandmother, who was in poor health. Some years we would have to prop the lower branches up with bean poles to keep them from breaking. Even with random folks stopping by and picking Walmart bags, and even sometimes five gallon bucket fills, we ended up with a lot of waste on the ground. I distinctly remember wasps being a problem with those rotten pears, but if you’re on 1.5 acres, it shouldn’t be an issue for you. I would just get popped occasionally when cuttting grass
I found out (the hard way) this year that coyotes love pears too, had a coyote get into our ducks and took 7 out in one night, kept coming back every night eating pears (caught it all on home security video) , I finally caught up with him
This post was edited on 9/13/19 at 10:08 am
Posted on 9/13/19 at 10:52 am to Tigerpaw123
You ever do cuttings from some of your fruit trees?
Posted on 9/13/19 at 11:08 am to eng08
quote:
You ever do cuttings from some of your fruit trees
I have about 8 contraptions going right now, shaved the outer bark off a small limb and punched a hole through a powerade bottle and passed the limb through it and filled it up with peat moss, suppose to leave that on for a few months and it should start rooting, I do not know if it is rooting but the limb has not died either so I am hopeful, I will leave them on till the tree looses it leaves and I have one for you, if it works
otherwise I was told to take bare cuttings when the tree is dormant and put in fridge till spring then try to root it, I will try that as well
Posted on 9/13/19 at 12:35 pm to Tigerpaw123
"Air layering",as tigerpaw describes, placing moist soil in a container/plastic wrap around a roughened branch is successful in most varieties. Just wait a few months for roots to develop, then cut off the branch below the roots, and you have a new rooted plant
Putting cuttings in a container with moist soil to root is the usual method for many plants. There are general rules about the best time of year and status of dormancy, and many plant–specific rules as well.
The third option is to buy a seedling/rootstock on line, or grow a plant yourself from seed (which will not be true to the parent), then graft the preferred variety on top of the root stock in the first few years.
For Rookies, this all sounds very complicated. But it is fun & simple to learn. At least half of my fruit trees are custom made by me with root stock having my preferred characteristics, and/or have additional varieties grafted onto the main tree to create multi-–variety trees. My fig tree has 52 varieties on it
Putting cuttings in a container with moist soil to root is the usual method for many plants. There are general rules about the best time of year and status of dormancy, and many plant–specific rules as well.
The third option is to buy a seedling/rootstock on line, or grow a plant yourself from seed (which will not be true to the parent), then graft the preferred variety on top of the root stock in the first few years.
For Rookies, this all sounds very complicated. But it is fun & simple to learn. At least half of my fruit trees are custom made by me with root stock having my preferred characteristics, and/or have additional varieties grafted onto the main tree to create multi-–variety trees. My fig tree has 52 varieties on it
This post was edited on 9/13/19 at 12:39 pm
Posted on 9/13/19 at 5:11 pm to luvdoc
quote:
Air layering
Don’t do with Citrus. Most wont produce decent fruit without a different rootstock.
Btw, called one of the local nurseries around here and they have Ruby Red in stock!
Doing that!
Posted on 9/13/19 at 9:07 pm to luvdoc
I did air layering for several camellias and it’s worked well.
Posted on 9/13/19 at 9:47 pm to Tigerpaw123
Good deal, I couldn’t remember who it was that had the fruit trees.
Posted on 9/14/19 at 9:12 am to eng08
I’ve had great luck with Owari satsuma and Washington navel. Pick fruit before letting it hit the ground. Food banks can always use the surplus. Not to mention family.
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