top fruits

Question 1

What is a top fruit?

Answer 1

Tree fruit. Plants that are grown as trees or very large shrubs.

Question 2

What is a soft fruit?

Answer 2

Low to medium sized shrubs or perennial plants that produce a soft, juicy fruit.

Question 3

List the types of top fruit

Answer 3

Apples, pears, plums and cherries

Question 4

What factors should be considered when selecting top fruit

Answer 4

Purpose of the fruit (dessert or culinary)
Flavour
Harvesting season - early or late season cropping
Potential for storage

Question 5

Name an apple cultivar

Answer 5

Apple ‘Discovery’

Question 6

Name a pear cultivar

Answer 6

Pear ‘Beth’

Question 7

Name a plum cultivar

Answer 7

Plum ‘Victoria’

Question 8

Name a cherry cultivar

Answer 8

Cherry ‘Morello’

Question 9

What factors should be considered when choosing plants

Answer 9

Fruit type
Method of supply - bare root or container
Rootstock choice
Size of tree
Training style
Pollination compatibility
Cultural requirements

Question 10

Outline apple pollination groups and triploids

Answer 10

7 groups
Very early, early, mid season, late mid season, late, later and very late.
Triploids do not produce viable pollen, only viable ovules. 2 diploid cultivars are needed to pollinate the whole group.

Question 11

How should the ground be prepared for apples and plums

Answer 11

Add organic matter and any specific amendments to resolve nutrient deficiencies. Remove perennial weeds.Any drainage issues should be solved prior to planting.

Question 12

How should apples and plum trees be planted?

Answer 12

Plant during the dormant season (November to March). Container grown can be planted anytime. Do not allow bareroots to dry out before planting. Prepare a hole large enough to permit the roots to be well spread apart.The tree should be planted at the same depth as it was grown in the nursery.

Question 13

How should apples and plums be supported?

Answer 13

Stakes are needed for bush trees, half-standards, standards and spindle bushes. Use quite short stakes to ensure that the tree roots do not become loose.

Question 14

How and when should apples and plums be mulched?

Answer 14

Apples and plums which produce fruit benefit from a mulch in early spring. Plum should be mulched when they begin to crop.

Question 15

How do you formative prune an apple tree for a bush or half standard form?

Answer 15

Year 1 - Tie trunk to a cane. In winter, remove the top back to a height of 60-90cm.
Year 2 - During winter, Prune lateral growth by about 2 thirds to an outward facing bud.
Yea 3 - During winter, prune leaders back by half and other branches to 4 buds.
Year 4 - Thin weak or crossing growth. In winter, reduce leaders by half and sub-laterals back to 4 buds.

Question 16

How do you formative prune a plum tree?

Answer 16

Year 1 spring - starting with a. feathered maiden, choose 3 well spaced wider angle laterals about 75cm from ground level to be the main branches. Shorten by two thirds.Prune back the central leader to just above the uppermost lateral. Remove shoots below the selected laterals.

Year 2 - spring - Shorted side shoots on main laterals by half to an outward facing bud. Remove any weak or badly placed shoots. Remove central leaders the topmost wider angled lateral.

Year 3 - continue to develop a well spaced framework.

Prune in summer to minimise infection by silver leaf.Paint large cuts with wound sealant tree paint.

Question 17

How should apples and plums be irrigated?

Answer 17

Water plums during dry spells and in early to mid summer when the fruit is swelling. Water apples during dry spells and from when the fruit starts to swell.
Drip lines or seep hoses work well.

Question 18

How should apple trees be pruned for maintenance?

Answer 18

In winter, shorten previous years growth on each main branch by about 1 third to a bud facing the required direction. Leave young laterals unprunednso they can develop fruit buds in the second year.
Remove any crossing or crowded laterals.
Remove strong shoots growing towards the centre of the tree.
Remove congested spur systems on the underside of the branches.

Question 19

How should plum trees be pruned for maintenance?

Answer 19

Summer pruning - rub out any buds developing on the lower trunk and carefully pull off suckers arising from the rootstock. Remove crossing, DDD and weak branches, plus any strong vertical growth. Thin any branches that are too crowded.

Question 20

How should apples be thinned?

Answer 20

Cooking apples - 15cm between fruits.
Desert apples - 1 fruit every 10cm
leave 1 fruit per cluster
Use secateurs, scissors, or hands. Leave the strongest and best shaped fruits.

Question 21

How should plums be thinned?

Answer 21

Thin plums after the ‘June drop’ so that they don’t break their branches with too many fruits.Remove fruits with thumb and forefinger. Leave 1 fruits every 5cm or a pair every 15cm.

Question 22

How should apples be top dressed?

Answer 22

Top dress with dried poultry manure pellets, 100g per m2 for dessert apples (50% more for cooking apples) in late winter or early spring.
A top dressing of bulky organic matter can also be used.

Question 23

How should plums be top dressed?

Answer 23

A top dressing of bulky organic matter can be used in mid spring.
Top dress with dried poultry pellets or sulphate of ammonia afterwards
In late winter, feed with a high potassium general fertiliser.

Question 24

Describe the control of one main pest of apple trees?

Answer 24

Codling moth - the larvae tunnel their way through the apple flesh. Use pheromone traps to stop the adults laying their eggs.

Question 25

Describe the control of one main pest of plum trees?

Answer 25

Rosy leaf - curling aphids. Tightly curled leaves. Spray with fatty acids, blast with a strong jet of water. Encourage natural predators.

Question 26

Describe the control of one disease of apples?

Answer 26

Scab - brown or black scab like lesions and may be cracked. Foliage may get olive green patches and drop. All fallen fruit and foliage should be collected and destroyed. A fungicide can also be used.

Question 27

Describe the control of one disease of plums?

Answer 27

Plum rust. Yellow spots on the upper surface of the foliage. Orange-brown pustules for on the lower surface of the leaves. Leaves may drop prematurely. Disease affects mostly weakened trees, keep trees healthy and avoid infections.

Question 28

describe the harvesting of apples

Answer 28

Apples can be eaten when they are picked. Mid to late season cultivars are better stored before consumption. Place apple in the palm of hand and give a slight twist. If it is ripe, apple will come away from the spur. Do not bruise during picking.

Question 29

describe the harvesting of plums

Answer 29

Plums should ripen on the tree. They may need picking over several times.

Question 30

describe the storage of apples

Answer 30

A frost free, rodent proof place, which is cool, dark and with a little humidity and some air circulation. The temperature should not fluctuate. Apples should not touch each other. Inspect stored apples regularly and remove any showing signs of rot.
Do not store late season apples with earlier apples as they haven’t finished ripening and will shorten the storage life of the earlier picked fruit.

Question 31

describe the storage of plums

Answer 31

Store in a frost free, well ventilated, dark, slightly humid, cool, vermin free room. Select blemish free fruits with stalk intact. For long term storage, slightly underripe fruits will store best. Lay in a single layer on slatted shelves. Keep different cultivars separate. Regularly check for signs of rot.

Question 32

how do you know if an apple is ripe?

Answer 32

Place it in the palm of your hands and twist it. If it comes away cleanly, it is ripe.

Question 33

how do you know if a plum is ripe?

Answer 33

If they feel soft when gently squeezed, they are ripe.

Question 34

how long can you store apples for?

Answer 34

Mid season apples should keep for 4 to 6 weeks. Late season apples won’t be ready until they have been stored for 5 weeks, and can last several months.

Question 35

how long can you store plums for?

Answer 35

Store for up to 1 month.

Question 36

what are the storage conditions for apples?

Answer 36

Frost free, rodent proof place, cool and dark with a little humidity and some air circulation. Temperature should not fluctuate. Apples should not touch each other.

Question 37

what are the storage conditions for plums?

Answer 37

frost free, rodent free, well ventilated, slightly humid, cool.