Putting Fruit Trees to Work in Texas Parks & Public Spaces

Jim Kamas Asst. Professor & Extension Specialist-

Pomology & Viticulture Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Fredericksburg, TX

What Can Fruit Crops Do For a Park?

• Bloom/Fall Color Display • Evergreen Foliage • Form • Barrier • Soften Hard Lines (Walls) • Shade • Edible Fruit- Humans or

Wildlife

Some Crops Are More Adaptable Than Others

• Crop Needs to be Adapted to Area – Soils – Chilling Requirement – Hardiness

• Fruit Should Be Resistant to Disease

• Tree should need minimal training/pruning*

• Consider Water Needs

What Fruit Trees Will Need?

• A Well Drained Location

• At Least 18” of Soil

• Full Sunlight Exposure

• Annual Pruning? • Water, Nitrogen

& Weed Control

Pears, Figs, Persimmons Much More Tolerant of

Poorly Drained Soils

Winter Chilling

Average

Number of Days in

Winter @ or Below 45° F

What are the Consequences of Choosing Varieties With the

“Wrong” Chilling Requirement?

Chilling Requirement too Low?

What are the Consequences of Choosing Varieties With the

“Wrong” Chilling Requirement?

Chilling Requirement Too High?

Hardiness?

Function of Species, but Tremendous Variability Among Varieties

Peach Trees

• Ornamental Only or Fruiting?

• High Input if Opting for Fruit

• Remember Chilling Requirements

• Bloom Options

Peach Blooms Make A Magnificent Display

There are a Number of Bloom Colors and Styles to Choose From

Ornamental Only or

Fruiting?

• Fruit Are Very Susceptible to Brown Rot

• Additional Value other than Bloom-time Alone

Difference in Thinking Between Pomologists & Arborists

IF Fruit Production is

Desired, Pruning is

Needed Every Year!

Peach Blooms & Fruit Are Only

Borne on Previous

Season’s Growth

Flower Buds are Initiated in Mid-Summer

Fruit Thinning- A Necessary Component of High Quality Fruit

& Orchard Management

Fruit Set

Pit Hardening

Maturity

Fruit Growth & Development

Apples • Few Varieties

With Adapted Chilling Requirements

• Very Spray Intensive Crop

• Low Chilling Varieties May Be A Choice For Espalier

‘Anna’ & ‘Dorsett Golden’ Are Low Chilling Varieties

There Are Many More Fruit Species That Are Far More Sustainable (Low Input)

Sustainable Fruit Crops Planting Texas PD Research Center

Fredericksburg, TX

Blackberries • Can Be Grown

With Minimal Labor

• Diseases Can Be Managed With Dormant Copper Sprays

• Can Be Kid Friendly (Thornless) or Provide a Formidable Barrier

Varieties to Consider

Kiowa Apache Thorny ! Thornless

Pears • Relatively Low Input • Select Varieties on

Fire Blight Pressure in Your Area

• Dormant Copper Sprays Can Help Manage FB

• Many Heirloom Varieties Have Excellent Quality

Pear Varieties

Acid Soils- Pyrus calleryana RS ◊ Alkaline Soils- Pyrus betulifolia RS

European Hybrid

Varieties

Warren Ayres

Moonglow Magness Orient Kieffer

Asian Pear Varieties

Figs • Once Established, Trunks

of Many Varieties Can Withstand Single Digit Temperatures

• Own Rooted, So Come Back True To Type

• Low Maintenance • Subtropical Element to

Landscaping • Evaluating New High

Quality Varieties

Pomegranates • New Germplasm

Under Evaluation • Cold Tolerant

Cultivars Identified

• High Quality Hard & Soft Seeded Varieties

• Effort to Move to Commercial Trade

Varieties That Appear to Have Promise

Persimmon

• Virtually Pest Free • Cold Hardy While

Dormant • Beautiful Fall Color

(foliage & fruit) • Fruit Favored By

Wildlife

Perhaps THE Toughest Fruit Crop We Have!

Lets Not Forget Native Fruit Species !

American Persimmon

►

Texas Persimmon

◄

Lets Not Forget Native Fruit Species !

Mexican Plum Prunus mexicana

Subtropical Loquat

• Evergreen Shrub to 25’ • Fruit Freezes at 25°F But

Plant Hardy to 10°F • Comes True After Freeze

to Ground • Fruit Ripens in Winter &

Early Spring

Grape Arbors

Dealing With Pierce’s Disease

There Are PD Tolerant Varieties Available &

More Coming • ‘Victoria Red’

• ‘Black Spanish’

• ‘Blanc du Bois’

Fungal Disease Pressure, Spraying Logistics & Bird Pressure Make Them Impractical Choices for

Arbors

Grape Arbors- Key is Choosing the Correct

Species/Variety • Rootstocks Derived From

Native Texas Vitis spp. Have High PD Tolerance

• They Are Commonly Fruitless

• Most Munson Varieties Are PD Tolerant & Quite Resistant to Most Fungal Pathogens

1103P 5BB SO4 5C ‘Champanel’ ‘Lomanto’ ‘Carmen’ ‘Bailey’

No or Low Maintenance !

Paint Trunks to Prevent Insect

Injury (Borers)?

Environmental Cues That Begin

Hardening Trees & Vines

• Shortening Photoperiod (After Summer Solstice)

• Cooler Temperatures

• Continuingly Shorter Days (After Autumnal Equiox)

• First Frost • Steadily Decreasing

Temperatures

Winter Injury Occurs in Our

Climate Because…..

• Plants Gain Hardiness Slowly, but Lose it Rapidly

• Plants Are Carbohydrate Depleted – Overcropping – Poor Nutrient & Water

Management – Excessive Competition

from Weeds – Insect/Mite/Pathogens

Lead to Early Defoliation

If You Would Like to Read

More…

Texas Peach Handbook

Jim Kamas & Larry Stein

And We Are Always Working on New Crops