Looking to add an orchard to your property, or to enjoy fruit grown on the balcony of your apartment? There is a deciduous fruit tree for everyone.
They arrive in stores from early June to July and are best planted in winter before they start growing in spring. Deciduous fruit trees are one of summer’s delights – and picking your very own fresh peaches, nectarines, plums or apricots is very achievable.
Plum
Grow delicious plums at home – they are best eaten off the tree and used in cakes, ice creams, jams, syrups or bottling. Harvest times are usually mid to late summer. Available from late June.
Apple
Apple trees come in a few weeks later than plums and peaches. Apples are ripe in mid-autumn, while peaches and plums are to be harvested in mid to late summer. Dwarf varieties will take two years to fruit once planted, however, normal apples may take up to three years to fruit. Available from mid-July.
Pear
Perfect for bottling, cooking and eating straight off the tree, pear trees come into stores along with apples in mid-July. Most pears need cross-pollination to produce fruit – two different varieties in the same area is recommended. Available from mid-July.
Nectarine
When growing nectarines, you can appreciate the taste and smell that some supermarket fruit seems to lack. They are delicious and best eaten soon after harvesting as they tend to ripen quickly off the tree. All nectarines are self-fertile, making them a good choice if you do not have a lot of space in your garden. Available from late June.
Peach
Known for their slightly fuzzy texture, multiple cooking uses and unique flavour, peaches are best harvested from the tree when they give a little when squeezed and have a nice, rich skin colour. All peaches are self-fertile and do not need another variety to set fruit. Arriving late June.
Almond
A close relative of the peach and nectarine, almonds arrive at the same time as stone and pip fruit. They do well in areas with warm, dry summers and will fruit after three years and on first-year wood It is best to get two varieties for cross-pollination.
Apricots
Typically best in cooler areas. They bear fruit in mid to late summer. Arriving from mid-July.
Care tips
Planting all deciduous fruit trees need to be in full sun in free-draining soil and require regular watering. Plant with Wonder Organic Vita-Boost and Wonder Root Builder Bone Meal into the bottom of the hole. Water deeply on first planting. Utilising different varieties will help cross-pollination to create larger yields on each tree.
Maintenance tips
Established deciduous fruit trees will need to be pruned in winter on a fine, clear day when sap flow slows down. Make sure you cut trees back to open the branches to more airflow, cutting approximately 2 cm above an outward-facing bud. When cutting large branches, use Efekto Steriseal to seal the wound and stop infection over winter. A general spray programme will be beneficial to your fruit trees, sprayed with Efekto Oleum and 2 – 3 weeks later with Efekto Kumulus WG spray as a full cover spray.
Distorted and discoloured foliage on stone fruit trees like peaches, nectarines and plums is caused by a fungal disease called leaf curl. In severe cases, it reduces the tree’s
ability to photosynthesise which in turn can affect plant health and fruit vield. Leaf curl disease spores lurk in bark crevices and around leaf buds during winter, waiting to infect
emerging foliage in late winter and early spring. Leaf curl is a disease that needs to be prevented, by killing the disease spores before they infect the new leaves, as the damage done by leaf curl is irreversible. It’s easy to break the leaf curl disease cycle by spraying stone fruit trees during winter with Efekto Virikop.
Apply a single application at bud movement. Spray all stems and the trunk thoroughly before new foliage emerges. This helps give fruit trees a disease-free start to spring so they can concentrate on giving you a fantastic harvest.
Credits
Referenced from Efekto, Greenfingers: Winter Gardening Guide
Browse 1000’s of products available to you. Select your country to Shop Online.
