Q and A Fruits/Vegetables

You can probably grow apples successfully in the Colorado City area, especially if you select recommended varieties. Peaches and pomegranates are less likely to succeed due to spring frosts that will kill blossoms and young fruit. For additional information on growing fruit trees please see www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/ptlk1200.html.

Fuyu persimmon trees cannot be grown in your area of Colorado. It gets too cold there in winter.

You do not need another lemon tree/bush to get fruit on a Meyer lemon. It is self-fruitful. There are some fruit trees that require a pollinator, but not this one.

There are some fruit trees, mainly apples and plums, that grow at your elevation. Peaches, apricots and other fruits tend to do poorly due to late spring frosts that kill blossoms and young fruit. Late frosts and hail can be major problems. For more information please see Planttalk at www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk and click on "Fruit" in the menu.

Now (late April - early May) is not a good time to prune fruit trees. Disease organisms are more likely to attack trees with fresh pruning cuts made in late spring and early summer. The best time to prune the trees is late winter or early spring before the trees begins to produce leaves.

The article "Pruning Neglected Fruit Trees" from Utah Cooperative Extension has diagrams and information that may be of help. Please see www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/spfiles/SP307-K.pdf.

There is a product called Florel that eliminates fruit production on apple trees. It is available at garden centers and many home improvement stores. It must be sprayed at exactly the right time to be effective. The label directions will explain when to spray the trees with the product.

Colorado's climate and soil limit the kinds of berries that can be grown successfully here. Red and yellow raspberries are recommended. Also, currants, gooseberries and Jostaberries grow here. For more information on growing raspberries in Colorado please see www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07001.html. For the other berries please see www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07005.html.

Florel is a product that can be sprayed on crab apple trees to limit fruiting. It must be sprayed at just the right time to be effective. Be sure to read and follow label instructions.

There are several possible reasons why the peach tree isn't bearing fruit. The tree may be the type that needs a pollinator. Perhaps it had one that no longer is around. Fruit trees require at least 6 hours of full sun daily. Has any nearby tree grown larger or a structure been added that now shades the peach tree? Was there a frost when the tree was in bloom? Peach and apricot trees often fail to fruit due to frost damage.

The peach tree should be pruned annually in late winter or early spring just before the tree leafs out. Also, be sure to fertilize the tree in spring. I'm not sure what the black tint is. Peach trees are highly susceptible to viral disease. Hopefully that is not a factor.

Don't remove any of the stalks, except the seed stalks, for two seasons. This allows the plant to build up the reserves in the roots and crown. These reserves enable the plant to produce thick stems. Fertilize plants in spring when growth starts with one cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer.

Berries that do well in Colorado include strawberries and red and yellow raspberries. CSU Cooperative Extension provides detailed instructions for growing these plants. Please see http://www.ext.colostate.edu/. Click on Horticulture. Click on Factsheets. Click on Fruits & Vegetables. Scroll down to "Strawberries for the Home Garden" (# 7.000) and "Raspberries for the Home Garden" (# 7.001).

Grapes should be planted in spring (April or May). They require full sun. Regular watering is very important while the plants become established. Proper pruning promotes fruit production. According to the Colorado Grape Grower's Guide the following are some good choices:

Seedless: Himrod, Interlaken, Lakemont, Suffolk Red, Canadice, and Reliance

Seeds: Concord, Niagra, and Steuben.

Yes, it is true that nearby crabapple trees can pollinate apple trees. A technique sometimes used is to cut two or three blooming crabapple branches, place them in a bucket, and hang or perch the bucket in the apple tree.

Some late blooming varieties include 'Criterion' and 'Rome Beauty.' Other popular varieties include 'Cox Orange,' 'Red Delicious,' 'Golden Delicious,' 'McIntosh,' and 'Fameuse.'

For additional information please visit the Planttalk website at www.planttalk.org and click on Fruits. You will find an article on Apples, #1201.

For information on the care of apple trees please see the CSU Cooperative Extension website at www.ext.colostate.edu. Click on "Gardening." Click on "Fact sheets." Click on "Fruits & Vegetables." Then click on # 2.800 Backyard Orchard: Apples & Pears."

There is another article on this website you might find helpful. On the home page instead of clicking on "Gardening" click on "Insects." Click on "Fact sheets." Click on "Trees & Shrubs." Then click on # 5.519 Apple and Pear Insects."

It can be tricky determining when apples are ready to be picked. You can simply try tasting one to see if they are ready. A starchy tasting apple isn't ripe. Garden author Barbara Hyde suggests testing apples for ripeness with iodine. Pour a little iodine in a saucer. Cut an apple in half and place it, cut side down, in the iodine for 2 or 3 minutes. If the apple doesn't take up the iodine, the apple is ripe. If it takes up the iodine it is not ready.

I hope you'll be enjoying homemade apple pies soon. What a treat!

The reduced production of fruit that you have described is normal for raspberries. Raspberry production peaks when the plants are three years old and then gradually declines. It is recommended that you relocate the bed and plant new stock after 8-10 years.

Summer-bearing varieties of raspberries, which produce fruit in June, should be lightly pruned in spring. Remove dead, weak and small canes and clip off any damaged tips of canes. After canes bear fruit, you should cut them off to the ground--they will not bear fruit again.

Fall-bearing varieties are pruned to the ground after they bear fruit in late summer or fall. Pruning eliminates many pests and disease organisms that live in the canes.

For additional information about recommended varieties of raspberries for Colorado and cultivation tips, contact your county office of Colorado State University Cooperative Extension and request a copy of fact sheet 7.001. The phone number for Jefferson County is 303-271-6620.