We would like to plant a few pear and plum trees here and at the camp. I would like to know what you have planted. I know I have to have varieties that take less chilling hours. Every time we ask about someone's pear or plum the answer is it was there when they bought the place. I also realize that mostly the eastern part of Texas is a match for our humid conditions. I would appreciate any help you can give. I have been searching the internet for months. LSU has a good site to search but have found very few of the varieties they recommend for sale. I am only about 120 miles north of Forrest hill but have not had much luck searching those nurseries on line. thanks Cindy
Need advice for purchasing pear and plum trees
Here is a local nursery that only sells trees and plants that do well in our area. Ha has good healthy plants at a fair price. http://www.bobwellsnursery.com/
These are the pear varieties recommended for northern Louisiana.
Baldwin - found at Just Fruits and Exotics
Spalding - Raintree Nursery
Orient - Bob Wells Nursery & Johnson Nursery
Maxine - Willis Orchard
Moonglow - Bob Wells & Johnson Nursery
Ayers - Bob Wells & Johnson Nursery
Plums:
Morris - Bob Wells
Bruce - Bob Wells & Johnson Nursery
Ozark Premier - Bob Wells
Byron Gold - Couldn't locate source
Explorer - Couldn't locate source
Methley - founf in just about any nursery. Just Fruits and Exotics sells an Improved Methley
Au Rubrum - Johnson Nursery
Methley and Au Rubrum are self-fruitful.
Ken has provided the link to Bob Wells Nursery. Here are links to the others. I've bought from Raintree Nursery and is one of my favorites. I've heard good things about Bob Wells Nursery anf Just Fruits and Exotics, but know nothing about the others. Look them up on the Garden WatchDog for information.
http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/
http://www.raintreenursery.com/
http://www.johnsonnursery.com/FRUIT PAGES/PEARS.htm
http://www.willisorchards.com/
Hi Cindy... glad to see you in TX ~ on the plums I researched and chose Methley plums but this is my first year so no experience with it.
I really don't care for the old native pear that grows here. It is rock hard and was used primarily for canning. I would like to add a pear and peach tree also so will follow your post.
Now peaches are something I do know about. I have three that I planted last year that have not produces yet but they are the same three I grew in Fort Worth years ago. First to ripen is the Ranger, very vigorous grower and a late bloomer, so you will always get a crop. Next is a Loring, yellow fleshed and good producer. I have had Lorings weigh 1Lb each. Last to ripen is a Belle of Georgia, white fleshed and delicious. This is a late ripening peach and during drought years you will not get a croup, if you do not water but if you do this will be the best peach you have ever eaten. The later a peach takes to ripen, the grater the chance of loosing the croup but the longer the peach stays on the tree, the better it taste.
Thanks for those peach suggestions Ken. I will do some research on them and look for them locally.
for my master gardens training I helped with a seminar on fruit trees..I still dont know much about them but the one thing I do remember and what floored me was how hard you cut them back when first planted.. it was a third the size when they were done but it was done to insure strong healthy branches and good growth patterns check with your county agent.. he should be able to help ya..
Ken, Thank you for the tip on Ranger peach being a late bloomer. I need one of those.
Thank you all for the wonderful feedback. I will check these out. Thanks Pod you have been absent in our neck of the woods lately.
Another late bloomer is a Bounty, but I have never grown this one or known anyone who has. A late bloomer is worth it's weight in Gold. I don't care how good a peach taste, if you loose the whole crop to a late frost, you don't have much. A local peach orchard cut down all his trees and planted pines because he kept loosing crops to late frost or worms because he did not spray when he needed to. He was tired of not making any money, he should of done his homework before he planted. The further south you go the more peaches will bloom early because it gets so warm early, then wham, you get a hard frost and loose it all.
This is so much fun this year. We have rented this house for 13 years and they have never wanted to sell. We love this place and do not want to move, this is home. Our landlords do not have any children so now they say we can rent until they go to the happy hunting ground and they have it in their will that we get the house. So now we can settle down and plant some trees, like we haven't already. I planted a Japanese Maple nine years ago that we could never transplant. The house sets on 1 acre but we have use of a five acre horse pasture. We sold the horses in 06 when hay got to $75 per bale. So now I am going to have some fun in the horse pasture. Let's keep this edible landscaping going and thanks to everyone who is involved.
May I ask... do I need to plant two different types of fruit trees to cross pollinate? I understand I needed to do that with the blueberries I ordered. Are fruit trees the same?
Blkraven ~ I was surprised about the pruning too when I was told to do that with the Methley plum. I cringed when I pruned it. lol
Ken ~ I agree... I am interested in the edibles and always willing to learn more.
Cindy ~ I do slip over for a sneak peek on MSG but my time isn't my own much these days.
Any of those peaches available in dwarf sized trees? I don't have the space for much but would like to try one.
C
When you buy grafted fruit trees, pay attention to the rootstock. Getting the right rootstock for your soil and sometimes its pH can make the difference between success and failure.
I'm a zone pusher with ornamentals, but not with fruit trees and shrubs. Do your homework before you buy.
1.) What kind of soil do you have? This is important because some rootstocks are best planted in sandy soils while others are designed for heavier or clay-ladened soils. If you do have lots of clay. Perform a perculation test to see how fast the soil drains. In some really heavy clay soils consider a raised bed or a berm.
2.) What is the pH? If you can get a soil test. TAMU usually makes the tests available at a reduced rate sometime during the year. Get a tree that will grow well in the existing soil. It is almost impossible to change the soil's pH fast enough to accommodate a tree's growing roots.
3.) Contact your local AgriLife agent to get a better estimate of the number of chill hours you get. Remember the number given is an average so some years you'll get more and on other years you'll get less. For the best chance of getting fruit, buy varieties that require about 100 hours less than your average.
4.) Find out what kind of maintenance the trees need. Some fruit types require more spraying, pruning, thinning, fertilizing than others. How much of this are you willing/able to do? Out in the country, they may require less maintenance because some of the pest or intermediate hosts may be missing. Or more if the opposite is true. Here in Texas, apples are considered high maintenance trees. If you have lots of Eastern Red Cedar trees around then Cedar-Apple Rust could be a problem. Since the fungal spores can travel for miles, starting with apple varieties that are resistant to the rust would be a prudent thing to do. If you have a lot of pyracanthas or Bradford pear trees growing in the area, fire blight could be a big threat. Apple trees require thinning so if you don't want to get up on a tall ladder, get a semi-dwarf or dwarf tree. Semi-dwarf trees dont need staking supports, but many dwarf varieties do. Their root systems are not extensive enough to support the tops. They could topple over without that support. Height on the semi-dwarf trees can be kept lower by some judicious summer pruning. Different dwarf stock are available. How tall the ultimate height is dependent upon the variety and the rootstock.
5.) Resolve to water and fertilize for optimum growth and fruit. Some people brag that they never fertilize their trees, but the trees are removing nutrients from the soil and you need to replace those nutrients. When a tree is stressed it is easier for it to fall prey to pests and diseases.
6.) Be patient. It will take a while for the tree to reach fruiting size. That first fruit is so exciting, but sometimes it is best to remove the fruit to redirect the energy into vegetative growth
7.) For most of Texas, the best time to plant most trees is in the fall. This give the tree's roots a chance to get established before it put out new leaves. January is the next best time to plant. This gives the trees several months to get established before it has to contend with out summer heat. Potted tress can be planted anytime, but I would stay from planting in the dead of summer. Prune the newly planted tree.
8.) For best fruit production, fruit trees/shrubs need full sun. One of the exceptions is the pawpaw which starts life as an understory tree.
Some rootstock perform double duty: both dwarf and provide better growth in certain soils. Don't assume that your local nursery sells only what will grow and fruit in your area. That's how I ended up with a peach tree that has successfully ripened fruit 2 years for me. I've lost the fruit or blooms to a late frost the other 4 years. It's getting rather late for getting bare root trees in the ground this year. If you do come across some bargains, consider potting them up and waiting until the fall to put them in the ground.
A couple of links...
I am not sure how far to the north your camp is but this map shows (not too clearly) the chill hours.
http://www.raintreenursery.com/chill_hours.cfm
This shows a few suggested varieties for northeast TX...
http://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/tips/fruitsnuts/varieties.html
Our camp is pretty much the same level in Miss. Thanks for those links.
Do the tags on the trees usually show the name of the rootstock? I've never noticed it as I wandered at the big box stores. They just say "dwarf" or "semi-dwarf" [trust me is implied, I guess]. Maybe it's only at higher class nurseries?
I just purchased from Legg Creek Farm, http://leggcreekfarm.com/default.aspx . They were very helpfull when I contacted them via e-mail and had additional suggestion based on my garden's physical location and I was happy with the trees sent to me. I've also purchased from Bob Wells Nursery and was very please with them.
I've been surfing Almost Eden's site, they are in LA. http://almostedenplants.com/shopping/default.asp . They rate a top 5 from Garden Watchdog, but I've not ordered from them myself. That may change soon =).
Good luck to you and I hope you have fun with your new fruit trees--wherever you may purchase them from!
I'm coming to the party a bit late but I can second/third/fourth the recommendation for Bob Well's nursery. I bought several fruit trees and shrubs from them last year and am very pleased.