Food Production -Top And soft Fruit

Question 1

Top fruit and soft fruit distinguish

Answer 1

Tree - apple pear plum etc

Bush cane and strawberry

Question 2

Apple

Answer 2

Cultivar - Discovery (B) and Bramley (B triploid) Ashmead Kernel (c)
Harvesting - immediate consumption when ripe - storage just before ripe. Twist gently. If storing discard damaged or diseased.
Storage - dark, cool, moist, air circulation, frost proof, pest and disease free. Slatted trays fruit not touching.
Pest codling moth, pheromone traps aphids
Disease Canker - cut out infected area

Question 3

Plums

Answer 3

Cultivar Victoria
Harvesting
Storage plastic bag with holes in fridge
Pest Plum moth - pheromone traps will indicate presence. Search out infected plummets and remove
Disease silver leaf prune from end of June - August and keep cuts to minimum

Question 4

Raspberries

Answer 4

Cultivar Autumn Bliss 
Harvest on dry day 
Storage freeze or preserve 
Pest Birds - fruit cage/netting raspberry beetle 
Disease  - Grey Mould -

Question 5

Blackcurrants

Answer 5

Cultivar Titania /Ben Lomond
Harvest cutting strigs when they turn black (older versions shod be picked individually
Storage frozen, cooked or preserved
Pest birds
Disease Gooseberry mildew or Grey Mould thrives in damp so air circulation and good spacing

Question 6

Strawberries

Answer 6

Rosie / Cambridge Favourite
Pest - slugs
Disease - powdery mildew grey mould

Question 7

Cherry

Answer 7

Morello

Question 8

Pear

Answer 8

Conference

Question 9

Gooseberries

Answer 9

Careless

Question 10

Blueberry

Answer 10

Bluecrop

Question 11

Grape

Answer 11

Bacchus

Question 12

Soil for fruit

Answer 12

Top fruit 60cm topsoil 45 cm soft fruit
PH 6-7
Compost/manure for soft fruits when preparing soil 2 months before
Fertilise Growmore
Not too much compost or manure for trees unless soil very poor

Question 13

Feeding fruit

Answer 13

Nitrogen ( not too much as don’t want leafy growth at expense of fruit) Growmore Fish blood and bone
Phosphorous Bonemeal
Potassium potash wood ash (flowering period)
Growmore in spring
Tree fruits cover area covered by tree canopy

Question 14

Training (restricted forms )

Answer 14

Cordon
Espalier
Fan

Question 15

Reasons for using root stocks

Answer 15

Most fruit are cultivars and so need vegetative reproduction
Some cultivars don’t grow well on own roots
Some rootstocks more resistant to pests and diseases
Used to control size of tree prime reason

Question 16

Advantages of dwarf/restricted forms

Answer 16

Fit into small area
Easier to cultivate 
Easier to protect
Fruit yield per unit area increased
More cultivars in one space

Question 17

One year old tree

Answer 17

Maiden

Question 18

2 types of maiden?

Answer 18

Whip

Feathered maiden

Question 19

Formative Pruning of unrestricted forms

Answer 19

Open goblet shape
Maiden (year 1) - cut back central leader to healthy bud or leader leaving 3-5 buds/laterals below. Shorten laterals by two thirds cutting to upward or outward facing bud.
Year 2 cut leaders by half to outward facing buds, prune any shoots not required for main branches to 4 or 5 buds, remove any badly spaced crossing or rubbing
Year 3 (spur bearers ) shorten leaders by cutting back quarter of seasons growth and prune strong laterals to four to six buds and weak ones to two to three
Remove DDDXR
Year 3 tip bearers shorten leaders as above but don’t prune side shoots unless DDDXR
Year

Question 20

Establishing cordon

Answer 20

45 degree angle
1 metre apart 2metres between rows
Rows ideally north to south

Question 21

When to prune unrestricted apple tree forms

Answer 21

November - march (dormant season

Question 22

When to prune restricted forms

Answer 22

July/August

Question 23

Pruning unrestricted established spur bearing apple tree

Answer 23

Fruit on 2 year old or more wood
Cut back seasons growth by one third to an outward facing bud
Prune laterals to 3-4 buds
Prune sub laterals to one bud
Any overcrowded spurs can be thinned to 3-4 buds

Question 24

General rules for soft fruit

Answer 24

Sunny sheltered position
Enriched soil before planting 
Keep ground weed free - benefit from mulching 
Watering essential 
General fertiliser in spring

Question 25

Blackcurrants planting and pruning

Answer 25

Sunny awY from frost
Bare root so plant dormant season like to be planted a bit deeper
Little pruning in first 3 years
After that cut back stems that have fruited to a low bud and cut back one third of wood to base starting with oldest first.

Question 26

Raspberries planting and pruning

Answer 26

Sheltered sunny (can tolerate shade)
Bare root so plant during dormant season Nov march
Dig trench build Post and wire system
Plant 40cm apart in rows 1.5m apart
Cut back canes
Summer fruiting
After fruiting cut out fruited canes to ground level.
Retain 5-8 of strongest stems and tie in at 10 cm intervals
Cut tops 15cm above wire or bend over in arch and tie back down.
Autumn fruiting cut back all canes to ground level in late winter
Mulch with manure

Question 27

Strawberry planting and pruning

Answer 27

Plant July- Sep 50’cm apart rows 75cm apart
Pots can fruit first year runners take flowers off first year
Black polythene or miles good mulch and keeps clean
Crop in may very early if covered by cloche or poly tunnel
Remove runners
After fruiting cut back foliage to 10cm from crown and burned with any straw and debris then fertilise with high potash or Growmore.