Helping Fruit Trees Thrive in Vermont - Ask Extension
Hi! We live in the Mad River Valley, and are on a wide, flat site with very rocky soil. There is a LOT of wind as we are surrounded on all sides by o...
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Helping Fruit Trees Thrive in Vermont #788434
Asked April 28, 2022, 7:19 PM EDT
Hi! We live in the Mad River Valley, and are on a wide, flat site with very rocky soil. There is a LOT of wind as we are surrounded on all sides by open farmland that is used for grazing or to grow corn.
1) I bought a holly and was told that to have berries, we need a male and female. Is that true, and if so, how do i tell which is which to know which I have and which I need?
2) We bought and planted the "instant fruit grove" from Elmore Roots in Vermont. They planted them for us last spring. The trees are about 4-5 feet tall. They look incredibly puny and sort of sad! They've survived the winter I think - they look to have small buds. But they don't seem to have grown at all. What are the things we should be doing to help them in this climate and with wind etc.? Anything we should plant nearby to help them?
Thank you!!
Washington County Vermont
Expert Response
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for reaching out!
Your Holly:
Holly bushes (Ilex aquifolium) are often grown for their
attractive red berries, but it's only the female bushes that produce fruit. But the berries won't be produced at all unless there is a male holly in the area to pollinate the female flowers.
The holly is an example of a dioecious plant—one in which the male & female reproductive systems occur on separate plants. While most plants are monoecious, with each plant containing both male & female parts. Plants like hollies and asparagus require a mixture of both male and female plants in order to pollinate each other and produce fruit.
In order to know which you have (male vs. female), you’ll have to wait until the flowers form. Hopefully in May. It isn't hard - Male flowers have four yellow stamens while Female flowers have a green "bump" in the center of the bloom. I've included example photos of each for you to review so you can more easily spot which variety holly you have growing.
Fruit Trees:
Sounds like you've purchased the Elmore Roots "two of each" fruit tree planting (apples, plums, and pears). Since I'm not sure when these were planted and how well you continued watering them through their first growing season, it's hard to say why they might not be doing so well right now. Could be any number of things (I'll discuss momentarily). I'd like to cover the basics first.
The trees should be watered with 2-5 gallons per tree, added slowly so that the water soaks into the soil. When rainfall is insufficient, each tree can be watered at a rate of five gallons per week. Newly planted trees require water during periods of dry weather. However, avoid over-watering since the roots are very sensitive to flooding.
For best tree growth, remove weeds growing under the tree. They compete for water and nutrients, and create problems with trunk boring insects and voles. Bark or wood chip mulch can be used to inhibit weeds. Avoid straw or fabric mulch since they favor root rot and encourage voles, which feed on tree bark. When using herbicides to control weeds, avoid contacting the trunks of young trees since many herbicides can be absorbed through the thin bark and harm the tree.
Allow ground cover to grow back in late summer to insulate the soil from freezing temperatures in winter.
If you're not seeing obvious disease or vector issues, give it a little more time for the trees to fully set buds and flower this spring, and then re-assess.
I've included a lot of reference material on fruit tree growing. Feel free to reach out to us if you're still finding issues with your young fruit trees.
Maine Extension, Early Care:
https://extension.umaine.edu/fruit/growing-fruit-trees-in-maine/planting-and-early-care/
Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home (p. 14):
https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/67/Cornell_Guide_to_Growing_Fruit.pdf;jsessionid=633902BC0BD3F9BCAC3B5D99B347CE53?sequence=2
University of MN Extension, Growing Apples in the Home Garden:
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-apples
UMN Extension, Growing Pears in the Home Garden:
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-pears
I hope you find the reading material useful!
Thanks for reaching out!
Your Holly:
Holly bushes (Ilex aquifolium) are often grown for their
attractive red berries, but it's only the female bushes that produce fruit. But the berries won't be produced at all unless there is a male holly in the area to pollinate the female flowers.
The holly is an example of a dioecious plant—one in which the male & female reproductive systems occur on separate plants. While most plants are monoecious, with each plant containing both male & female parts. Plants like hollies and asparagus require a mixture of both male and female plants in order to pollinate each other and produce fruit.
In order to know which you have (male vs. female), you’ll have to wait until the flowers form. Hopefully in May. It isn't hard - Male flowers have four yellow stamens while Female flowers have a green "bump" in the center of the bloom. I've included example photos of each for you to review so you can more easily spot which variety holly you have growing.
Fruit Trees:
Sounds like you've purchased the Elmore Roots "two of each" fruit tree planting (apples, plums, and pears). Since I'm not sure when these were planted and how well you continued watering them through their first growing season, it's hard to say why they might not be doing so well right now. Could be any number of things (I'll discuss momentarily). I'd like to cover the basics first.
The trees should be watered with 2-5 gallons per tree, added slowly so that the water soaks into the soil. When rainfall is insufficient, each tree can be watered at a rate of five gallons per week. Newly planted trees require water during periods of dry weather. However, avoid over-watering since the roots are very sensitive to flooding.
For best tree growth, remove weeds growing under the tree. They compete for water and nutrients, and create problems with trunk boring insects and voles. Bark or wood chip mulch can be used to inhibit weeds. Avoid straw or fabric mulch since they favor root rot and encourage voles, which feed on tree bark. When using herbicides to control weeds, avoid contacting the trunks of young trees since many herbicides can be absorbed through the thin bark and harm the tree.
Allow ground cover to grow back in late summer to insulate the soil from freezing temperatures in winter.
If you're not seeing obvious disease or vector issues, give it a little more time for the trees to fully set buds and flower this spring, and then re-assess.
I've included a lot of reference material on fruit tree growing. Feel free to reach out to us if you're still finding issues with your young fruit trees.
Maine Extension, Early Care:
https://extension.umaine.edu/fruit/growing-fruit-trees-in-maine/planting-and-early-care/
Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home (p. 14):
https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/67/Cornell_Guide_to_Growing_Fruit.pdf;jsessionid=633902BC0BD3F9BCAC3B5D99B347CE53?sequence=2
University of MN Extension, Growing Apples in the Home Garden:
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-apples
UMN Extension, Growing Pears in the Home Garden:
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-pears
I hope you find the reading material useful!
WOW!! Thank you SO much! This is incredibly helpful and complete, and I so appreciate your getting back to me so quickly. What an amazing resource for Vermont's gardeners!
The trees were planted by a pro from Elmore in May, which included organic wood chip mulch, and we were very careful to water them as he instructed, and to protect them and "feed" them. It looks like all but one have buds today! I'll make sure they aren't competing with any weeds, and will follow the guides you provided. Thank you so much!
We have fruit! But also something destroying the leaves of our plum plant. Any ideas for what is doing this and how to fight it? Thanks so much - your advice was so helpful!
On Apr 29, 2022, at 2:20 PM, Lisa Healy <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
WOW!! Thank you SO much! This is incredibly helpful and complete, and I so appreciate your getting back to me so quickly. What an amazing resource for Vermont's gardeners!The trees were planted by a pro from Elmore in May, which included organic wood chip mulch, and we were very careful to water them as he instructed, and to protect them and "feed" them. It looks like all but one have buds today! I'll make sure they aren't competing with any weeds, and will follow the guides you provided. Thank you so much!
Hello Lisa: The damage you are seeing looks like Japanese beetle damage. Here is a link to information on this beetle that includes information on management options - https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/japanese-beetles
Hope this helps! Lisa
Hope this helps! Lisa
