Growing Multi Budded Fruit Trees Background

Growing Multi budded fruit trees

Planting

Stake the newly planted tree. This keeps the tree and the root system stable in the wind.

When planting never let the root system dry out. If you are in the process of planting, make sure the roots are covered with moist soil or cloth. 
Stake the newly planted tree. This keeps the tree and the root system stable in the wind.
With all grafted types, make sure that the graft point is never buried.


Container-grown trees can be planted any time during the growing season. Bareroot trees can be planted in the fall when dormant, but spring planting is preferred.

Watering

All fruit trees should be given adequate water through the growing season.

All fruit trees should be given adequate water through the growing season. Peaches, especially, need to be watered under drought conditions.

Pruning

Multi-budded trees require some special consideration, especially with regard to pruning.

When selecting a multiple-budded tree, look for one that has an even distribution of limbs around the tree. If the different fruit varieties (the limbs) are not well-spread on your trees, use a spreader to separate them. Always plant the smallest limb (the "weakest" bud) to the south/southwest to insure that it gets plenty of sun. Cut back the strongest growing varieties by 2/3rds. Cut back the weakest variety by 1/2 — or not at all. During the summer, watch the growth-rate of the smaller limbs to determine if pruning is necessary at that time. If the weakest variety is 1/2 the size of the others, it's best not to cut it back.


Do not let one variety take over - or one or more of the the others may fail. Prune back the more aggressive limbs. In the Summer, prune when necessary in order to let sunlight get to all the developing varieties. The primary reason for the failure of multi-budded fruit trees is letting one variety take over which can cause the others to fail. This is most often due to lack of summer pruning when needed. Remember to keep even sunlight available to all the developing selections.

Fertilizing

The best time to fertilize fruit trees is during the growing season, starting in early spring.

Never fertilize when planting a new tree. The best time to fertilize fruit trees is during the growing season, starting in early spring, around bud-break, and finishing by July. Fertilizing too late in the season can cause trees to grow when they should be shutting down for the winter. Do NOT fertilize in late summer or fall, though, because the new growth put on by the tree can be damaged by frost. If you’ve waited too late in the year and still want to feed your trees, you can mulch them with compost and top-dress with soft rock phosphate; however you should avoid all nitrogen fertilizers.

Pollination

Fruit trees bear fruit only if their flowers are successfully pollinated.

In general, fruit trees fall into two groups: self-fruitful and self-unfruitful. Fruit trees bear fruit only if their flowers are successfully pollinated. If a tree is self-unfruitful it can not pollinize itself; you must plant a different variety within 100 feet of it for pollination to occur. The closer the better. A good bee population is invaluable to pollination. Keep weeds and flowers to a minimum around fruit trees so that bees concentrate on pollinating the trees. Standard, dwarf and genetic dwarf trees will cross pollinize.