Deciduous Fruit Trees
for
1-31-10
lagunahillsnursery.com
(949) 830-5653
Success
depends upon knowing:
What is the MINIMUM CHILL REQUIREMENT?
The
majority of deciduous fruit trees evolved in temperate climates and require a
period of winter cold in order to produce flowers and fruit. We call this period the minimum chill
requirement (MCR).
Temperate climate trees evolved the MCR to avoid leafing out prematurely
during a warm spell in the middle of winter.
Trees that evolved in the colder winter climates have a longer MCR than
trees the evolved in mild winter climates.
The growth buds do not complete development until they experience an
entire typical winter. As soon as the MCR
is reached the bud will begin growth with the next warm spell. It is the bud itself, not the trunk or roots,
that must experience the chill.
Researchers have
determined that Chill involves the number of hours of exposure to
temperatures below 55°F
and above 33°F. (Apparently there is no chill value for time
spent below 34°F.) The MCR is the minimum number of chill hours
(accumulative) that the tree must be exposed to during the fall-winter season
for proper flower bud development and subsequent fruiting. Hours spent above 60°F are
subtracted. The value of chill varies
with the temperature. Maximum chill is
received between 36°F
and 48°F. Maximum negative chill occurs above 65°F.
Many authorities will
explain that the year’s chill value is determined by summing up all the
winter’s additions and subtractions; however that total is normally quite
low. In my opinion the MCR is like
slowly adding water to a cup with a small hole in the bottom. The water is the chill hours accumulating and
the size of the hole that water leaks
out is the negative chill. The height of
the cup represents the variety’s MCR.
During periods of intense cold the water adds up very quickly. Once the water spills over the top all bloom
and growth systems have been switched on.
Growth begins during the next warm spell. By the end of winter the cup’s hole enlarges
and the water is no longer near the top.
In
the orchards of
In
Cold air has a natural
tendency to flow downhill. It is true
that the air is cooler at higher elevations (1°F
for every 200+ feet) due to reduced atmospheric density, but cold air is
heavier and still flows downhill.
Lack
of winter heat is more important than the intensity of the cold and we find
that coastal locations often get 400 hours.
In hilly cities like Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel,
The
typical residential yard has several microclimates. A tree on the exposed south wall of a home
may receive only half the chill hours compared to a tree on the shaded north
side. House walls can radiate heat to a
nearby tree while a grass lawn can cool a tree.
Cold air collects behind walls and fences.
When
growing varieties with marginally high MCRs plant the tree several feet off the
north wall of a house or on the north side of a large evergreen tree. In that location the tree will be shaded in
winter and still receive sunlight (for best fruit quality) in summer. White-washing the stems will reduce the
temperature during the day. Keeping the
tree as short as possible also helps.
(The air is noticeably warmer 10 feet off the ground on a still winter
night.)
To
be consistently successful in the benign winter climate of
Some
deciduous fruit trees (Figs, Jujubes, Mulberries,some Apples) may not have a
MCR. We believe these trees are set to
grow when spring days exceed a certain temperature and there are no leaves on
the branches.
When
we list the MCR as a range (for example MCR 300-500) we are listing the range
of MCR’s listed for that variety from various references.
Most mature full
size fruit trees can produce more than 400 pieces of fruit at harvest time that
typically lasts 2-4 weeks. Few families
can consume fruit that quickly. There are
several strategies to make production more useful.
Consult the brochure What
is Backyard Orchard Culture? for details. An important detail is that summer is the
best time to prune for size control.
Heavy pruning in winter can eliminate most of the flower buds critical
for the next crop.
Generally,
we do not recommend genetic dwarf fruit trees.
Of the few available varieties none produce superior quality fruit. Semidwarf trees are generally still too large
unless pruned.
Apples are
decently reliable in our area. Most of
the popular commercial apples produce regularly in OC (Honeycrisp is an
exception). Apples seem to either have a
very low MCR or don’t even use the system.
Most apples bloom in April no matter what the winter was like. A few bloom in February. Most apples are at least partially self-fertile,
but most orchards plant 2 varieties (with the same bloom period) just in
case. To create a heavier bloom, strip
off all the leaves grown the previous year by March. (Occasionally we’ll have a winter cool enough
cause all the foliage to drop.) Apples
begin production by the 4th year, but some start much sooner. Apples require hand thinning after fruit set
to 1 per cluster or less. We offer
semidwarf trees (M111 rootstock) that can grow trees 15-20 feet tall, but can
be maintained as low as 4 feet. Many
varieties can be espaliered along a fence.
Apples require ample water and grow well in lawns.
Notable Pests: The disease Fireblight
is ocassionally a problem with Gala being most susceptible. Prevent by spraying at bloom time with Agri-fos. Coddling Moth larve (apple
worms) can be prevented with proper thinning, choosing early or late ripening
varieties, or by applying Spinosad (organic pesticide).
Anna Blooms February.
Large, cylindrical, mostly red fruit with creamy, sweet, tender, crispy
white flesh. Harvest July, but often
produces large crop in fall also. Best
eaten fresh (poor shelf life). Quality
ranges from good to excellent. Often
grows fruit the first year. From
Braeburn
Blooms
April. Medium to large green fruit with
burgundy stripes. The crisp flesh is
slightly tart. Excellent fresh or cooked
and stores well. Harvest
September-October. From
Dorsett Golden
Blooms February. Large, light green fruit is crisp, tender and slightly
tart. Best fresh. Harvest June-July. Often has 2nd crop in fall. From the
Red
Gala Blooms
April. Small to medium size fruit with
yellow skin and scarlet stripes. The
finely textured flesh is crisp, aromatic and spicy sweet. Best eaten fresh. Harvest August-September. Highly susceptible to fireblight. From
Granny Smith
Blooms April. Medium to large
round fruit with yellow-green skin. The
flesh is firm, crisp, juicy and tart.
Eaten fresh or cooked and stores very well. Harvest November-January. If the fruit left on the tree until
mid-winter it becomes a fabulous sweet yellow apple. From
Jonagold Blooms April. Large rounded fruit with yellow skin and red
stripes. The cream colored flesh is
firm, crisp and juicy. Harvest
September. Outstanding fresh or
cooked. Pollinator is recommended.
Pink Lady Blooms
April. Small to medium, cylindrical
fruit with yellow green skin heavily blushed with rose. The white flesh is crisp, very sweet and
highly flavored. Harvest
October-December. From
Other Apples for OC:
Apricots are reliable producers only in steep canyons
and along creek beds where cold winter air settles. Apricot trees grow 20 feet tall, but can be
maintained as low as 4 feet tall.
Production begins the second or third year. All varieties we offer are self-fertile.
Goldkist MCR 300 Large all-purpose fruit with red blushed gold
skin and excellent quality firm, mildly flavored orange flesh. Ripens June.
Tends to develop harmless crack lines of fruit exposed to sun. Super vigorous grower.
Royal (Blenheim) MCR 400-500
Medium to large fruit with yellow-orange skin and flesh. Very sweet and juicy. Ripens early summer. Old-time favorite, but not reliable in most
areas.
Tropic Gold MCR
350 Medium to large fruit, yellow skin
with orange blush. The orange flesh is
firm with excellent flavor. Ripens early
summer. New and needs further
evaluation.
Other Apricots for OC: Katy has shown spotty
performance. Early
Apriums are relatively new hybrids between apricots
and plums. Genetically they are 75%
apricot and 25% plum. They resemble
apricots but have a slightly more aromatic flavor.
Cot-N-Candy
MCR 400. New. The
medium size fruit resembles an apricot with white flesh. Sweet and juicy with superb flavor. Ripens early July. Self-fertile, but may not produce reliably.
Flavor Delight MCR
300. The small fruit resembles a typical
apricot. Ripens late spring. Excellent quality. Self-fertile, but production is
unpredictable.
Cherries generally
are unreliable in OC. The two new
varieties listed below are promising, but need further local testing. The MCR for most cherries is 700 hours.
Minie Royal MCR
200-300 Medium size red fruit has firm
flesh with good flavor. Ripens early
May. Requires pollination by Royal
Lee.
Royal Lee MCR
400-500 Medium size red fruit has firm
flesh with excellent flavor. Ripens mid
May. Requires pollination by Minnie
Royal.
Other Cherries we’ve tried: Lapins MCR 500 produces well in canyons and inland valleys. Stella
MCR 600
is less reliable but has superior fruit quality. Lapins and Stella are
self-fertile. Bing and Black Tartarian will rarely fruit.
Figs are reliable producers locally. All of the varieties we offer are
self-fertile. The MCR is low or
nonexistent. Fig trees can grow 20 feet
tall but are easy to maintain at 8 feet with heavy annual pruning in winter. Many produce a few large fruit in June (Breba
crop) with a second heavy crop of smaller fruit from Aug.-Oct. Production begins the first year.
Black
Brown
Janice Seedless Kadota Large, greenish-yellow fruit with practically
seedless light flesh. Very good eaten
fresh. Long harvest season.
Panache (Tiger)
Medium size fruit with cream and green striped skin and bright red flesh
that tastes like strawberry jam. Fruit
tends to split. Best away from coastal
humidity.
Peter’s Honey
Medium size rounded fruit with yellow skin and honey-sweet amber
flesh. Smallish tree good in
containers.
Sierra Medium to
large fruit with yellow-green skin and amber flesh. This NEW fig is of very good quality and can
be eaten fresh or dried.
White
Other Figs for OC: at least 50 other
varieties perform well. The top-flavored
Calimyrna-type figs require caprification (wasp pollinators) and are not
practical for home orchards.
Jujubes (Chinese Date) are reliably productive
throughout OC, but size, sweetness, and flavor need inland heat. The fruit ranges from jelly bean to chicken
egg in size and shape with reddish-brown skin and crisp, apple-flavored,
extremely sweet flesh. The fruit can be
dried. The highly ornamental, weeping
trees can grow 20 feet tall but can be pruned heavily in winter limiting height
to under 8 feet. Juvenile growth is
quite thorny. The thorns can be cut off
for safety. Loves heat and inland
conditions. Trees leaf out late and go
dormant early. Trees are somewhat
self-fertile. Young trees produce better
when pollinated with a different variety.
Production begins the first year.
The fruit ripens in fall. This
fruit is highly popular in southern Asia from
Contorted Medium size
fruit similar to Li. The ornamental tree
has twisted, contorted branching.
GA-866 medium size
egg-shaped fruit with the sweetest flesh of any Jujube. The tree is relatively small. Selected in
Lang Long, pear-shaped fruit with
mahogany-brown skin. Best left on the
tree until fully colored. The tree is
upright. From
Li Large
egg-shaped fruit with mahogany-brown skin.
Mature green fruit will ripen off the tree. Tree is somewhat short and spreading. From
Sherwood Very large
fruit with notably dense flesh of excellent quality. Ripens late.
Stores well. Small thorns.
Selected in
Sugarcane New variety
has round, slightly smaller fruit than Li.
Mulberries are reliable in
all areas of OC. The fruit resembles
blackberries and is very sweet when fully ripe.
Excellent fresh, dried, cooked or for preserves. Ripens summer. Many varieties will produce additional crops
if the foliage on some branches is stripped bare a few weeks following the main
harvest. The fast growing trees are
easy-to-grow. Established trees
tolerate poor conditions including drought.
Wildlife can make a mess with the black-fruited varieties.
Black Beauty (Persian) Large black fruit with sweet, flavorful
flesh. Unripe fruit is quite tart. This semidwarf variety should stay under 15
feet, but can be trained as a bush under 5 feet. Persian mulberry trees leaf out in
mid-spring.
Teas Weeping Small
sweet black fruit of excellent quality.
Heavy production. This small tree
will weep to the ground. It is a novelty
and popular in children’s gardens.
White Medium size, mildly sweet
creamy white fruit. This tree can grow
well over 30 feet tall and wide.
Nectarines include just a few
varieties that perform reliably in OC.
Fortunately 2 of the varieties are among the best eating of all
Nectarines. Although nectarines are
genetically identical to peaches, in addition to their smooth skin they have a
different texture. All listed varieties
are self-fertile. Standard trees grow 15
feet tall. All can be maintained as low
as 4 feet tall. The fruit must be
thinned within a month after the bloom to get better quality and decent
size. Notable Pests: Nectarines should be sprayed every winter
for Peach Leaf Curl disease with lime
sulfur spray and may require Oriental Fruit Moth worm control with Spinosad. These organic products are quite
effective. Excess nitrogen fertilizer
can cause the fruit to rot (Brown Rot) just as it ripens.
Arctic Star MCR 300. Fruit has dark red skin and white
semi-freestone flesh. Super sweet mild
flavor. Outstanding. Ripens mid June. Best away from coast.
Panamint MCR 250. Small to medium size fruit with red skin and
golden flesh. Freestone. Good flavor.
Ripens July.
Snow Queen MCR
250-300. White freestone flesh with
excellent sweet, juicy flavor.
Outstanding. Harvest late June.
Other Nectarines for OC: Desert Delight
MCR 200 and Double Delight MCR 300 produce well, but
suffer heavily from thrips damage (treatable). Goldmine
MCR 400, is an excellent, white-fleshed variety that ripens in August but
requires a cooler than normal winter.
Nectaplum is a new hybrid between nectarine and
plum. The fruit shows both parents. The flavor is both spicy and sweet.
Spice Zee MCR? The fruit is sweet with a strong flavor. The bloom is attractive. New leaves are red and gradually turn
green. No pollinator needed. This variety needs local testing.
Peaches include a number of
reliable producers of excellent quality.
The majority of peaches that are promoted for our climate, in reference
books, are bland in flavor due to the fact that most low chill peaches
ripen in the late spring which is often overcast. These peaches are better suited for
Production
begins 2nd or 3rd year.
All listed varieties are self fertile.
Standard trees grow 15 feet tall.
All can be maintained as low as 4 feet tall. The fruit must be thinned within a month
after the bloom to get better quality and decent size. Notable Pests: Peaches should be sprayed every winter for
Peach Leaf Curl disease with lime
sulfur spray and may require Oriental Fruit Moth worm control with Spinosad. These organic products are quite
effective.
August Pride MCR
275 Large round fruit with yellow skin
and yellow flesh. Good to excellent
quality. Freestone, all-purpose fruit
ripens mid to late July.
Babcock
MCR
250. Medium size fruit with red-blushed
white skin and white flesh. Honey sweet
and juicy. Excellent quality. Semi-freestone. Best fresh.
Ripens early July.
Bonita MCR 350. Huge, round fruit with red-blushed yellow
skin and yellow flesh. Firm freestone
with excellent flavor. Ripens late
July. The flowers are homely.
Donut MCR
200-500. Unique flat, bagel-shaped,
small to medium size fruit with sunken center.
White flesh with mild sweet flavor with a hint of almond. Ripens early July.
Red Baron MCR
250-300. Large fruit with yellow skin
and flesh. The fruit has a small
“beak”. Excellent quality freestone
flesh. Ripens mid to late July. Spectacular spring show of carnation-like
double rose-red flowers. OUR BEST
PEACH!
Tri-lite MCR? This is
a peach-plum hybrid that mostly resembles peach. Medium size fruit with firm, white
flesh. Ripens early summer. Holds on tree unusually well. Good fresh and cooked. This variety needs to be trialed.
Tropic Snow MCR 200. Large fruit with red-blushed pale skin and
white flesh. The sweet freestone flesh
is very good to excellent. Ripens
mid-June.
Other peaches for OC: Eva’s Pride and Mid Pride usually perform well. Desertgold, Earligrand,
Floridaprince and
Pears include a few reliable
producers but only one excellent variety.
There are 3 types of pears. The
most familiar are the European pears such as
Notable Pests: The disease Fireblight
is ocassionally a problem. Prevent by
spraying at bloom time with Agri-fos.
Coddling Moth larve (apple worms) can be prevented with proper
thinning or by applying Spinosad (organic pesticide).
Floridahome MCR
400. This hybrid has medium size fruit
with greenish yellow skin and sweet, juicy, white flesh. Good to very good quality. Ripens mid-July. From
Hood MCR
100-200. This hybrid has large
pear-shaped fruit with greenish-yellow skin and juicy, tender white flesh. Good to excellent quality. Ripens late July. Hood is partially self-fertile and will
produce fruit without a pollinator. With
a pollinator the fruit is smaller, more evenly shaped, and more numerous.
Other pears for OC: Comice
is supposed to do well but I’ve only seen 1 crop in 25 years. Fan-Stil,
Kieffer,
Persimmons are reliable producers throughout OC. The main concern is that they all require
soil with a high oxygen content (superb drainage). Most varieties are self-fertile. Persimmon trees can grow 30 feet tall but can
be maintained as low as 4 feet tall.
Production begins within 4 years.
Many
persimmons are astringent until fully (jelly) ripe. This is a very unpleasant sensation. Your mouth feels like its full of powdered
clay. The Fuyu-types are non-astringent
and can be eaten while still hard.
There
are 2 methods to alleviate the astringency besides just waiting. One method is to place the ripe fruit in a
freezer for one day. When you thaw the
flesh it is edible. The other method is
to place the ripe fruit in an airtight container (zip-lock bag is fine) after
pouring a few drops of an alcoholic beverage (sake is traditional) on
the stem end. The fruit is edible after
being enclosed a day or two.
Chocolate Small to
medium size oblong orange-red fruit.
When pollinated the orange flesh becomes seedy and brown. The soft flesh has a chocolate-cinnamon
flavor and is astringent until ripe.
Coffeecake (Nishimura Wase)
Medium size, slightly flattened, round fruit with orange skin and orange
flesh flecked with brown. The flesh is
non-astringent if the flowers are pollinated.
(Chocolate is a good pollinator.)
Unpollinated fruit is astringent until ripe and less flavorful. Ripens early fall.
Giant Fuyu The very
large deep orange fruit has a flattened top and a rounded bottom. The flesh is non-astringent and quite
good. Trees take years to become
productive.
Hachiya
Very
large, oblong-conical fruit with orange red skin and flesh. It is astringent until jelly ripe. The excellent flavor is rich and sweet. Ripens mid to late fall. Eaten fresh, dried or for baking. This is the persimmon sold at most
supermarkets.
Imoto Fuyu Large
flattened, slightly quartered, fruit with dark orange skin and flesh. The non-astringent seedless flesh is sweet and
mellow with a slight cinnamon flavor.
Can be eaten while crispy or allowed to ripen until soft. Harvest early to mid fall. This variant of Fuyu appears to be quite
precocious, but less vigorous and perhaps shorter-lived than Jiro
Fuyu.
Izu Fuyu Medium to
large flattened round fruit with orange skin and flesh. The non-astringent flesh is sweet and
mellow. Ripens late summer, much earlier
than other Fuyus.
Jiro Fuyu Identical to
Imoto in appearance and flavor. The
flesh is a bit crispier and the tree is more vigorous, but seems to take a few
more years to start production. This is
the most common commercial Fuyu.
Plums tend to be unpredictable
producers and only a few varieties are reasonably reliable in OC. Production begins within 4 years. Standard plum trees can reach 30 feet tall
but can be maintained as low as 4 feet tall.
There are no genetic dwarf varieties that perform well locally.
Beauty MCR 250. Small to medium size fruit with red and
greenish yellow skin. The red flesh is sweet
and flavorful. The fruit ripens quickly
and becomes a little water balloon.
Harvest May-June. Self-fertile.
Catalina
MCR
400 Large fruit, similar to
Green Gage MCR
300-600 Medium size rounded fruit with
greenish-yellow skin and flesh. The
flesh is sweet, juicy and highly flavored.
Ripens in July.
Satsuma MCR 275. Small to medium round fruit with maroon
blushed greenish skin and deep red flesh.
The sweet flesh has a mild flavor.
Harvest July. Supposedly requires
a pollinator, but seems to be self-fertile.
This is the original “blood” plum and is quite reliable.
Weeping
Other plums for OC: Methley is similar to Beauty with red fruit.
Elephant Heart, Golden
Nectar, Howard Miracle and Mariposa are all wonderful plums with MCR 400+ that produce
well about once in 5 years.
Pluots are relatively new
hybrids that are winning most fruit tasting tests. Pluots genetically are 75% plum and 25%
apricot. They taste like plums but are
sweeter and have firmer flesh with a shelf life that approaches 1 month! Pluots require pollination by another pluot
variety or plum.
Emerald Drop MCR
400. Medium to large greenish yellow
fruit with orange flesh. The firm and
juicy flesh is honey sweet with outstanding flavor. Harvest mid-July through August. Flavor Grenade should pollinate. NEW!
Flavor Grenade MCR
300-400. Elongated greenish yellow fruit
with red stripes and blush. The flesh is
crisp with incredibly powerful flavor.
Excellent hang time on tree.
Flavor King MCR
400-500. Large fruit with maroon skin
and deep red flesh. Outstanding
flavor. Harvest August.
Splash MCR 400. Small, round red-orange fruit with orange
flesh. Very sweet fresh or dried with
outstanding flavor. Harvest early to
late July. Flavor Grenade should
pollinate. NEW!
Other pluots: Dapple
Dandy, Geo Pride and Flavorosa are fair producers. Flavor Queen rarely produces. Dapple Dandy
and Flavor Queen both have superb flavor.
Pomegranates are easy to grow in OC. Flavor and sweetness are best in warmer
inland areas. All are self-fertile. Heavy production begins the 4th
year. Ripens fall. Pomegranate trees can grow 15 feet tall but
can be maintained as low as 4 feet tall. Pomegranate trees are highly ornamental and
the attractive orange red flowers bloom for several months. Water consistently or fruit will split before
ripening. Beware of the sharp spines
that form at branch tips.
Ambrosia Huge round
fruit with rosy golden skin and bright carmine flesh. Very good sweet-tart flavor. Excellent quality even near the coast.
Angel Red Large, round
bright red fruit resembling Wonderful but with soft seeds and ripens 1 month
earlier. There is also a significantly
higher juice to pulp ratio.
Eversweet Medium size
fruit with pale pink skin and pale red, non-staining flesh. Very sweet and mellow. The very soft seeds and membranes are also
edible. Ripens mid September. Semi dwarf tree to 8-10 feet tall. Good near coast.
Garnet Sash Large
fruit with dark red skin and deep red, sweet-tart flesh. The seeds are somewhat edible. The vigorous tree is a heavy producer.
Pink Satin Medium to
large fruit with pink to red skin and light pink flesh with edible seeds. The non-staining juice has a sweet,
fruit-punch flavor.
Red Silk Medijm to
large fruit with brilliant red skin.
Large edible seeds with sweet berry flavor. Semi-dwarf spreading tree.
Sharp Velvet Large
fruit with dark red skin and dark flesh.
Unique mildly acid flavor.
Upright plant.
Sweet Large fruit with pinkish
green skin and light red flesh. Sweet
and mellow flavor with soft seeds.
Ripens early fall.
Wonderful
Large
round fruit with red skin and ruby flesh.
Excellent sweet-tart flavor.
Ripens late fall. THE COMMERCIAL
POMEGRANATE.
Quinces do well in OC. The large pear-shaped fruit has fuzzy skin
and extremely firm flesh. It is usually
cooked and made into pies, jams and jellies.
Production begins by the 2nd or 3rd year. Quince trees can grow 15 feet tall but can be
maintained as low as 4 feet tall. Quince
trees tolerate poor conditions.
Fireblight is a preventable disease that can cause major damage to
the tree.