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If
you are looking for
specific fruit trees to
grow in the Hill
Country, try these:
peaches, plums, apples
and pears. Late fall
through winter is a good
time to plant, although
you can plant
container-grown trees
anytime. Anyone
searching for good trees
to plant might try
these:
PEACHES
We have many good
varieties, says the
Texas Agricultural
Extension Service.
Peaches are a major
commercial crop in the
Hill County and a good
tree for the home
garden. Three good
varieties, which will
produce at different
times, are Harvester,
Majestic and Redskin.
All are freestone, which
means the flesh
separates easily from
the seed.
Big pest
problem: Stinkbugs,
which cause misshapen
fruit.
General advice: “Peach
trees are not
necessarily long-lived
trees,” says Dr. Larry
Stein of Texas
Cooperative Extension.
If you can get 15 years
from a peach tree, you
are doing well. Take
care of peach trees with
water and fertilizer and
don’t baby along a sick
old tree. Get rid of it
and start over.
PLUMS
Plant at least two
varieties to guarantee
pollination. Two good
varieties are Morris and
Ozark Premier. Both
ripen in mid to late
June.
Biggest disease/pest
problem: Plums are
susceptible to disease,
so when you prune them,
disinfect pruning shears
in a solution of 1 part
bleach to 9 parts water
before you move to
another tree. Alcohol
also works well.
General advice: Plums trees
have white blooms that
some people use in the
landscape.
APPLES
Although Texas apples don’t
get as red as their
counterparts from other
states because of high
summertime temperatures,
two varieties with high
eating quality can be
grown here. Mollies
Delicious and Gala. Two
apples of different
varieties are required
to pollinate the tree.
Best root stock for this
area: Dwarf root stock
varieties, which produce
smaller trees but
regular-sized fruit, are
M9 Mollies and Gala. The
roots of dwarf trees are
not deep, so anchor
these varieties against
a wall, like the side of
a house, so they will
grow without leaning
over. They will produce
fruit in three to four
years.
Biggest disease/pest
problem: Cotton root
rot, which causes the
tree to die suddenly,
usually in July through
September.
General advice: Cotton root
rot is a fungus in the
ground, and there’s no
control for it. Both
apples and grapes are
sensitive to it, and
pecans, while resistant,
can also be susceptible.
If you have cotton root
rot throughout your
planting area, you may
have to grow your fruit
in containers.
PEARS
These are long-lived,
upright trees. Good
varieties are Warren,
which produces small but
high-quality pears, as
well as Orient and
Garber. Some varieties
of pears that ripen on
the tree are also good,
but you may have to
fight the birds for
them. These varieties
include Asian or 20th
Century pears. A fire
blight-resistant pear
with a good flavor is
Hosui.
Disease/pest problem: Fire
blight, spread by bees.
You can cut it out, but
be sure to disinfect
your shears after
pruning. Fire blight
will affect other
landscape plants,
including photinias,
apples and roses.
General advice: Pear trees
grow upright, but you
can fool a little tree
into thinking it’s an
old tree by bending the
limbs and tying them
down to make them force
shoots. This will keep
the limbs smaller. |
