Reviewed September 1999

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Fruit and Nut Cultivars for Home Plantings

Michele R. Warmund
Department of Horticulture

Success in growing fruits and nuts in home plantings largely depends on the type or cultivar selected. Midwestern growing conditions (cold winters, frosty or rainy springs, hot-dry summers) make it difficult to grow some of the well-known fruits and nuts. Every gardener should be realistic and discriminating about what fruits to plant. Many problems with winter injury, diseases and insects can be avoided by choosing a fruit or nut cultivar that is well adapted to your site conditions.

Adaptability

Performance of fruiting plants depends in part on how well their growth requirements are met. Mere survival of the plant is not enough. The climate must be adequate in all respects including the length of the growing season, extremes of temperature, likelihood of late spring frosts, and amount of rainfall or availability of supplemental irrigation.

Localized situations often have recognizable microclimates; places where a small area has an environment differing noticeably from that of the area in general. The most troublesome microclimate for fruiting plants is a low area or "frost pocket." This may simply be low ground such as a stream bottom where late spring frosts are more prevalent than on surrounding hills or upper slopes. In low places, gardeners must be more cautious in selecting fruit trees.

Fruit and nut trees should be given ample space for development where they are not in competition with shade trees and receive full exposure to sun.

How much to plant

Beginners tend to plant more fruits than they need or want. A few trees or plants will provide a family with needed fresh and preserved fruits if properly cared for.

Table 1
Expected yields of fruits for mature producing plants that are given proper care

Kind of fruit unit Potential yield
Dwarf Standard
Apple, per tree 2 to 6 bushels

10 to 20 bushels
Not recommended
Blueberry   4 to 8 quarts
Peach, per tree 1 to 2 bushels
Not recommended		 4 to 6 bushels
Pear, per tree 2 to 4 bushels 8 to 15 bushels
Plum, per tree 15 to 40 pounds
Not recommended		 40 to 120 pounds
Nectarine, per tree   3 to 5 bushels
Sour cherry, per tree   40 to 120 pounds
Grape, per vine   10 to 20 pounds
Blackberry, per 50 foot row   50 to 80 quarts
Raspberry, per 50 foot row   30 to 50 quarts
Gooseberry, per plant   3 to 5 quarts
Strawberry, per 50 foot row   20 to 45 quarts

Note
Higher figures represent the more productive varieties in their most productive mature years, grown on adequate sites with proper care.

Obtaining plants

Most fruit trees produced from seeds differ from their parents in fruit type and quality. The most dependable plants are those produced from cuttings, division, or by budding and grafting to ensure trueness to cultivar. Trees and plants for producing the family fruit supply should be obtained from reliable nurseries or garden centers.

The purpose of dwarfing is to produce trees of smaller, more manageable size than standard trees. Dwarf trees produce full-sized fruits typical of the cultivar and usually begin bearing at a younger age.

Dwarf fruits

Apples and pears, because of their large size as standard trees, are most in need of dwarfing. Among the tree fruits, they are the most successfully dwarfed. After selecting a dwarf tree, it is important to provide support for the tree at planting. A six- to eight-foot stake that is buried two feet into the ground is commonly used to support the top of the tree. Tie the main trunk or central leader of the tree to the stake to prevent the top of the tree from breaking.

Peaches and other stone fruits are less in need of dwarfing because of their naturally smaller size at maturity. Standard or natural dwarf trees of stone fruits are not recommended unless the space available for trees is severely restricted.

Pollination needs

Requirements for pollination vary among kinds of fruits. The majority of apple, pear, plum and nut trees, as well as blueberries, require cross-pollination. Two cultivars that bloom at the same time can be used for cross-pollination. Sour cherry, peach, nectarine, grape and raspberries, blackberries and strawberries will bear acceptable crops with self-pollination.

Insects and diseases

All major kinds of fruits are subject to damage by insects and disease organisms. Often, apples, peaches and grapes are productive only under the careful use of a regular spray program. Spraying at specific times throughout the growing season is necessary because of the many kinds of pests that attack different fruits at different times. Protection of the foliage and bark is often necessary to keep plants healthy and productive.

Certain cultivars of fruits are susceptible to problems that cannot be prevented by sprays. For example, certain cultivars of pear, blackberry and black raspberry should generally be avoided in preference to other, more tolerant varieties. For this reason a few well-known or commonly available cultivars of these fruits are omitted from the following lists.

The following cultivars are suggested on the basis of vigor, productivity, climatic adaptability, fruit quality and relative freedom from the most destructive diseases. Wherever practical, several cultivars of each kind of fruit are listed to help satisfy personal preferences.

In addition to information given in the following cultivar lists, a few points are emphasized to help family fruit growers achieve success:

Apples

Pears

Pears are well adapted to Missouri growing conditions except that the disease fire blight often kills blossoms, shoots and branches of susceptible cultivars. Several popular and desirable pears are not recommended for home planting because of susceptibility to this disease.

Many cultivars believed to be of poor quality are quite good when properly ripened. Most should be picked while firm and green, as soon as the seeds turn brown. They may be stored in refrigeration or a cold cellar and brought out to ripen as needed in a dark place at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peaches

Peaches are among the most rewarding fruits to grow because of their high quality for fresh eating as well as for cooking and preserving. They ripen early compared to apples. Standard-sized trees are relatively small.

The major factors in selecting for home use is cold hardiness, disease tolerance and season of ripening. Peaches are best planted on high ground and in well-drained soils. Nearly all peaches are self-fruitful.

Nectarines

Nectarine trees are almost identical to peach trees in appearance, growth habit and frost tolerance. The fruits are smooth and generally smaller than peaches. The flesh is firm and they generally must be quite ripe for the flesh to be free from the stone. Most nectarines are self-pollinated.

Not all nectarines have been adequately evaluated under Missouri growing conditions. Performance can be expected to vary from one area to another. The cultivars listed below are among those with adaptation to areas similar to Missouri.

Apricots

The apricot would be an excellent fruit crop for Missouri, but it blooms too early. Perhaps four out of five years, spring frosts or freezes are likely to take the crop. However, the apricot makes a nice ornamental tree, and a crop of fruit every five years or so should be considered a bonus.

Plums

Few of the many plum cultivars offered by nurseries are well suited to Missouri growing conditions. Some of the more attractive are limited in productivity because of sunscald, winter injury, late spring frosts, difficulty of pollination and other problems.

Japanese plums

European plums

Sour cherries

Sour cherries are reasonably well adapted to Missouri but should be planted only on soils that drain quickly after rainfall. Standard cultivars make trees the size of peach trees. There are also some natural dwarf cultivars.

Sweet cherries

Sweet cherries are marginal fruit trees for Missouri. They must have a well-drained soil. The best soils in Missouri are the river hill (loessal) soils. River hill soils also provide the best spring frost protection by draining cold air away from the trees. Sweet cherries usually bloom early enough to be damaged by spring frosts or freezes unless they are planted on most frost-free sites. And finally, most sweet cherries need cross-pollination for fruit set (with the exception of the self-pollinating types listed below), so two or more cultivars must be planted.

Self-pollinating types

Cross-pollinating types

Black walnuts

Black walnut is native to most of Missouri and is perfectly hardy against cold weather. It is intolerant of thin or dry soils, however, and should be planted only on deep, well-drained soils.

Self-pollination is seldom adequate. A single tree usually bears some nuts; however, better crops are usually obtained by having other cultivars or seedlings nearby.

Hardy English walnuts

Hardy strains of the Persian or English walnut are mostly called Carpathian walnut. They originated in Poland and have superior tolerance to midwestern winters, whereas the Persian or English types freeze back severely or are winter-killed. Carpathian cultivars produce acceptable quality nuts when adequately cross-pollinated. Two or more cultivars should be planted.

Pecans

Most of Missouri is too far north for proper ripening of the "papershell" or "Southern" cultivars of pecan. In areas other than extreme southeast Missouri, only the cultivars selected and grafted from the best of the northern pecans should be planted.

Pecans are not adequately self-pollinated. Several cultivars or native seedling trees are necessary for adequate cross-pollination.

Pecans require a deep, fertile soil capable of supplying moisture throughout the season. They can tolerate flooding for short periods of time.

Extreme southeast (Delta) counties only

Grapes

Table grapes with seeds

French hybrids for wine

Seedless grapes

Note
Most seedless cultivars lose primary fruit buds below 0 degrees Fahrenheit and experience vine damage at temperatures below -15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Blackberries

The blackberry is native to all of Missouri. It is unfortunate that a barren condition known as blackberry sterility affects many native stands and some nursery stock. Sterility increases the vigor of the plants. Bloom is profuse but no fruit sets. Plants infected with sterility should be rogued out -- roots and tops -- and burned. Plant only disease-free plants in another location.

Thorned

Thornless

Raspberries

All raspberries require a well-drained soil to avoid root rot. Black raspberries are susceptible to anthracnose and cane blight. Fruit size is also small. Purple raspberries generally have larger fruit than purple cultivars. Black and purple raspberries grow more vigorously and require more pruning than red-fruited cultivars. All canes of fall-fruiting or primocane-fruiting red raspberries are pruned just above the soil surface during the dormant season.

Blueberries

Blueberries require an acid soil (pH 4.8 to 5.2). Incorporate sulphur to lower the soil pH if necessary before planting and incorporate peat moss into the planting hole. After planting, use ammonium sulfate fertilizer to maintain a low pH. Use an organic mulch over the row and irrigate routinely during dry periods. Birds are a real problem. Use netting over a structure to enclose plants and prevent fruit loss.

Strawberries

Strawberries are one of the best adapted fruits for Missouri. Weed control is a major task when growing strawberries. It is wiser to maintain a small planting that is well tended than a large planting that is neglected. No cultivar of strawberry will perform well in competition with weeds or grass.

Everbearing or day-neutral cultivars fail to produce a good crop under warm Missouri temperatures.

Early

Midseason

Late midseason

Gooseberries

The gooseberry, though not especially popular, is worth considering because of the small amount of care and space required. Plants are adapted to a wide range of soils. Improved cultivars produce berries twice the size of most native plants. Among the best are Welcome and Pixwell.

G6005, reviewed September 1999