Quick advice about fruit trees

[tombear]

Herself ha seen some bargain end of season bare root fruit trees advertised and fancies some but we know didley squat about the subject.

We are on poor acidic soil up in th Pennines, but not that high,so vey roughly what should we be looking for? Or more to the point what wouldn't have a cat in hells chance?

atb

Tom

 

[Toddy]

Apples, plums and some cherries are pretty hardy and they're worth growing

Dwarf rooting stock is a must, and prune every year you grow them. M6 or M26 is good for garden apple trees. M27 is smaller again.

Family trees are pretty cool too.

They all do better where they have good light, and unless you pollute them with insecticides, accept misshapen and marked fruits as being perfectly fine We got fruits from the second year onwards, but it's about five years before you might find yourselves with a glut.

Bound to be fruit growers with more than I have ever had along to offer advice

atb,
M

 

[Kerne]

Usual to plant bare-rooted trees in the winter/dormant period - if you go for them get them in the ground asap.

 

[British Red]

It does depend on how much space you have.....we've got twenty or thirty we are training in. We have gone for a rootstock that allows them to get a bit bigger (MM106 or equivalent)

This image helped us a lot

 

[Toddy]

That illustration's a little odd BR, our M6 is over 4m and if we don't prune back it spreads to well over that, and the M26 was only supposed to grow to 3 but it's nearly 4.

Tbh, I think some of them are wishful thinking.
https://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=359

cheers,
M

 

[slowworm]

Final tree height depends on more than just the rootstock, location, soil type, nutrients etc. I've got about 15 MM106's planted at the same time and there's a large variation and they're smaller than expected due to poor soil. It also greatly depends on the scion grafed, just checking my notes something like Discovery on a MM106 should get to 2.8m but something like Cornish Aromatic 4.1.

As for the original question if space/time is limited I'd be inclined to ignore cheap trees on offer and take the time to research what rootstocks would be best and what trees you really want, e.g. do you want an apple for eating off the tree, for storing, cooking, multipurpose etc and then check for pollination groups (many apples need one or two trees that flower at a similar time to cross pollinate.) Then buy a couple of good trees and take time to plant properly next winter.

 

[tombear]

Cheers for that folks, ill pass it on to herself. To be honest I'm keener on getting some fruit bushes in. One firm had 50 mixed fruit for 55 quid if we are quick we can get them in in time.

ATB

Tom

 

[British Red]

There's another guide link to rootstocks here. Its the RHS so fairly definitive in my book

https://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=359

Clearly they are a guide and as slow worm says - soil, scion (and the nature of pruning) will all determine ultimate size - but we have to start somewhere!

 

[tombear]

Cheers folk. I'm hoping that your wise words have rubbed off on her and she will forget about it until next year and do the proper research in the mean time We still have so much to do already, not least the big burn and getting the soil turned over and weeded, what survives the fires anyway. It's either been too wet or too windy so far.

atb

Tom

 

[Goatboy]

I'd just add that some fruit trees like plum and cherry can be a bit susceptible to fungal attack, so any pruning should be done neatly and cleanly. Also try to keep the branch structure fairly open to allow air to move through the canopy. This also helps with not letting the tree get too heavy where it can damage itself. Good fun pruning trees though.