Fruit Flashcards
Top fruit
Unrestricted
Tree fruit also called top fruit.
Unrestricted- trees are grown in open ground in basically natural way.
Standard, half-standard and bush forms.
Trees can be different sizes by growing on different rootstock eg. dwarfing or vigorous rootstock.
Examples: apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches and nectarine.
Tree fruit
Restricted
Tree fruit also known as top fruit.
Restricted trees are trained in particular forms to make them more compact.
Examples: espalier, cordon and fan.
Soft fruit
Bush fruit
Fruit grows on shrubs/bushes.
Examples: gooseberries, red, white and blackcurrants.
Soft fruit.
Cane fruit
Fruit grows on lax stems called canes that require support.
Examples: raspberries and blackberries
Soft fruit
Strawberries.
Herbaceous plants.
Short-lived.
Most suited to being grown in vegetable garden.
Advantages of restricted form.
Earlier fruiting.
More fruit/varieties in less space.
Fit in to small spaces.
Easier to spray and harvest.
Disadvantages of restricted forms.
Grown on dwarfing stock which require better soil and are less tolerant of drought.
Pruning is a more skilled job.
Not suitable for tip bearing fruits.
Site of orchard
Sheltered - important for pollination. Sunny - south facing for best ripening. Good depth of soil. pH 6.5 to 7. Protected from frost.
Pollination
Some top fruits are self fertile but this is not reliable; better yield is achieved by cross pollination.
Pollination groups provide a guide to when each variety flowers.
Pollination requires varieties that flower in the same or adjoining pollination group.
Windbreaks encourage pollinating insects.
Triploids require two other diploid pollinators.
Rootstock
Top fruit don’t grow to a manageable size on its own roots.
Dwarfing rootstocks enable control of size -also trees reach maturity more quickly and fruit earlier.
MM rootstock have woolly aphid resistance.
Choosing fruit plants
Factors to consider:
Available space - some varieties are smaller than others.
Site - some varieties are hardier than others.
Protection - if walls and fences are available then forms like espaliers and fans could be grown.
Pollination requirements.
Cropping time.
Pest and disease resistance.
Planting fruit.
Aftercare:
Watering & Feeding
Watering. Don’t water trees except in drought. Watering soft fruit is important - water if it hasn’t rained for a week. Critical time to water any fruit plant is when fruit is being formed.
Feeding. Fruits require Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium regularly, they may need other nutrients occasionally eg. Growmore 25-50g/sq m. For tree fruits apply over area covered by the tree canopy. Don’t over feed with nitrogen as it can cause overgrowth of foliage at the expense of fruit.
Planting fruit.
Post planting aftercare.
Weeding, pest control and mulching.
Weed control - hoeing or hand weeding, mulching or chemical.
Pest and disease control - avoid overcrowding, monitor plants, remove dead, diseased or damaged wood when pruning.
Ensure routine maintenance tasks are carried out.
Remove fallen fruit and leaves. Do not spray when the fruit is in blossom as this may kill pollinating insects. Place grease bands round the trunk of trees in .aug to prevent insects crawling up the trunk to lay eggs in the foliage. Use pheromone traps for monitoring and limiting the male codling moths.
Mulching - suppresses weeds, retains moisture, provides organic matter, maintains even soil temp., prevents capping of soil surface, decorative. Eg. Bark, garden compost, manure, black polythene (good for strawberries), floating mulches.l
Fruit thinning
When top fruits produce too many fruits the fruit tend to be small and misshapen.
Heavy crop in one year may cause a poor crop in the following year - energy has been used to develop fruit rather than vegetive growth.
Thinning is done in late June or early July after fruits have naturally shed some fruit.
Harvesting
Pick fruits for immediate consumption when they are ripe.
Pick fruits for storage just before full ripeness.
Test apples and pears for ripeness by holding the fruit and twisting it slightly. If ripe it will come away with stalk.
Test other fruits for ripeness by colour, firmness or taste.
Only store perfect fruit/ be careful when picking.
