Top and soft fruit

Question 1

Factors when considering fruit tree for small garden

Answer 1

• Choice between dessert or culinary cultivars
• Flavour
• Early, mid or late season cultivars
• Pollination compatibility
• Ultimate size of tree
• Choice of rootstock (controls vigour and growth of tree as well as disease resistance)
• Pest and disease susceptibility
• Potential for storage

Question 2

Factors affecting establishment of fruit tree

Answer 2

• Mulching:
  
  • Carried out in spring and applied to depth of 10cm keeping it away from truck of tree to prevent rot.
  • Mulching is done to restrict competition from weed growth and preserve moisture available to roots of tree.
  • Organic mulch releases nutrients as it breaks down which are beneficial to growth of tree.
• Irrigation:
  
  • Essential to soak roots of bare root tree before planting.
  • Inadequate watering will cause shallow root growth and unstable plants, may also lead to drought stress.
  • Establishing trees need watering 1-2 years after planting
• Weeds
  
  • Weeds compete for water and nutrition which results in smaller fruit and lower yields
  • Nitrogen and potassium deficiency can also occur
  • Competition for water may result in fruit split in apples and cherries and contribute to bitter pip in apples
  • Weeds can harbour pests and diseases
  • Long grass beneath trees can create a damp microclimate which promotes scab and powdery mildew, both affect quality and yield of fruit.

Question 3

Describe how pollination compatibility can be achieved when growing apples

Answer 3

• Apples are generally not self-fertile
• Apple cultivar pollen is only compatible with other apple cultivars
• There are a number of pollination groups based on flowering times
• More than one apple should be planted with blossom periods at the same time or overlapping as most apples are diploid.
• Triploid varieties e.g. ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ are sterile and do not have viable pollen so require two diploid apples to fertilise each other and the triploid.
• Crab apples are universal pollinators of apple trees as they flower over long period and have compatible pollen

Question 4

Describe meaning of top fruit

Answer 4

• Fruit which grows on a tree which are normally grafted onto specific rootstocks and are long lived.
• Can be trained/restricted for small spaces
• Majority are not self-fertile to require a pollinator

Question 5

Describe meaning of soft fruit

Answer 5

Soft fruit is fruit that grows on a bush, cane, or low growing perennial and is short lived.

Soft fruit are usually grown on their own roots and are self pollinating

Some soft fruit require specific support systems e.g. raspberries

Question 6

Describe formative pruning of open centred bush apple tree

Answer 6

• Aim is to produce goblet shaped tree on top of clear trunk with a balanced branch system
• Pruning carried out in the dormant season between November and early March
• For a feathered maiden tree the central stem is cut back just above strong shoot 60-80cm above ground in the first year. Ensure that there are 3-4 evenly spaced buds below.
• These branches are shortened by half to two thirds cutting to an outward facing bud. Any remaining lower branches are removed.
• During second year previous year’s growth on main stems/branches are shortened by third leaving 8-10 branches to form a permanent framework. Side branches arising from main stem are not pruned.
• Any strong upright shoots that develop at the top of the tree are removed.
• Pruning in third year same as for second year.

Question 7

Factors to consider when choosing soft fruit cultivar

Answer 7

• fruit type i.e. strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackcurrant etc.
• choice of early, mid or late season variety
• Flavour
• Freezing (or other storage) capability

Question 8

State advantages of choosing certified stock

Answer 8

• Plant health propagation scheme
• Plants are guaranteed true to name and type
• Stock is virus free

Question 9

Factors affecting fruit quality and yield

Answer 9

• planting
• base and top dressings
  
  • apply fertiliser late winter or early spring
  • Pears (established), cherries, plums, gages, damsons and peaches need a balanced general fertiliser in early spring e.g. dried poulty manure
• mulching
  
  • conserves moisture
  • Prevents weeds
  • apply mid-to-late spring and autumn
• weed control
  
  • weeds compete for nutrition and water resulting in smaller fruits and lower yields
  • competition for water may result in split fruit in apples and cherries, and contribute to bitter pip in apples
  • Weeds harbour P&D. Long grass beneath trees creates damp microclimate for scab and powdery mildew
• irrigation
  
  • Inadequate watering will cause shallow root growth and unstable plants, may also lead to drought stress.
• training systems
• appropriate pruning
  
  • Pruning fruit trees correctly and at the right spacings will help give good crops, allowing air and light in and encouraging production of fruiting wood
• Pest and disease control

Question 10

State four methods of ensuring effective pollination in fruit

Answer 10

• cultivar selection
• planting extra pollinators such as crab apple
• Use shelter belts/ hedges to encourage pollinators and provide windbreaks

Question 11

Describe formative pruning of top fruit

Answer 11

• Carried out on 1 year old tree for 4-5 years until formative training complete
• Trains tree to required form e.g. cordon, fan, espalier, step-over
• Forms main framework
• Starts when tree is ‘maiden’ i.e. 1 year olds tree
  
  • ‘unfeathered maidens’ sold without side shoots

Question 12

Describe restricted tree forms or top fruit

Answer 12

• Cordon
  
  • usually planted at angle 45 degrees
  • fruiting spurs along stem
  • Rootstock: apples M26 or M9, pears Quince A or Quince C
• Espalier
  
  • Central stem with pairs of opposite branches trained horizontally along system of wires, usually 3-4 tiers
  • Fruit spurs encouraged along branches
  • Rootstock: apples M26, pears Quince A or Quince C
• Fan
  
  • Short trunk in centre of plant, then branches radiating out on either side to form fan shape
  • Commonly used for stone fruit e.g. plums, cherries
  • Rootstock - choose semi-dwarfing or semi-vigorous: apples M26, pears Quince A or Quince C, plum ‘Pixy’ or ‘St Julien A’
• Stepover
  
  • Used to edge borders or paths
  • Supported by 1 wire 45cm from group pulled between two posts 1.5-2m apart
  • Suitable only for apples on M27 rootstock

Question 13

Describe unrestricted top fruit tree forms

Answer 13

• Bush
  
  • open centred tree trained on trunk 60-75cm long
  • Rootstock: apples M9, M26, M27, pears Quince A or Quince C
• Half standard
  
  • Larger version of bush form.
  • Trunk clear to 1.5m
  • Rootstock MM106 or M111 for apples
• Standard
  
  • Largest form, trunk usually clear to 2m with open centred crown

Question 14

Describe maintenance pruning of spur bearing apple tree

Answer 14

• Prune in winter when dormant
• Shorten the previous year’s growth on each main branch (primary) by about one third to a bud facing in the required direction. This will encourage the development of new branches and spurs and maintain a good shape
• Leave young laterals (side-shoots) unpruned so they can develop fruit buds in the second year
• Only remove the young laterals if they are crossing or if the growth is too crowded, i.e. growing closer than 10-15cm (4-6in) at the base
• Remove strong shoots (great than 15cm (6in) long) growing towards the centre of the tree
• On older trees, remove or thin out any spur systems that have become congested. Where thinning or removal is required, remove spurs on the underside of the branches, where the developing fruit will not receive enough light, and produces inferior fruit