Fast-Growing Fruit Trees For Home Gardens
There may - or may not - be reason to worry if your young fruit trees are slow to grow and produce fruit. It depends on what type of tree you welcomed into the garden and how long ago you did it. To get fruit faster, you may want to plant fast-growing fruit trees. This article will provide you with more information on fast producing fruit trees.
How Long Does It Take for Trees to Fruit?
If you’ve recently planted a fruit tree in your landscape, you’ll be happy to hear that your tree may begin blooming more rapidly than other types of landscape trees. An apple tree, for example, is one of the fruit trees that grow fast. It can start to bloom in just a couple of years.
Fruit trees purchased from a garden center or nursery are often the quickest to bloom since they are generally several years old and branched. This means they are ready to expand their roots and establish. Most fruit trees wait to flower and fruit until their root system is established. Asian pears and apples are generally the quickest to fruit, often blooming in their second or third year post-planting.
Fastest-Growing Fruit Trees
Readers often ask us: What is the fastest growing fruit tree? But when people ask about the fastest fruit trees to grow, they generally aren’t talking about which trees will attain 10 feet first. Rather, homeowners and gardeners alike are concerned with how quickly their new tree will produce fruit. This varies quite a lot depending on species and circumstances, but apples, pears, Asian pears, and sour cherries are often listed in the “fastest to produce” category.
Never forget that most fruit trees - including apples - are not self pollinating and won’t produce fruit unless there is another, similar tree in the yard or at least in the area. The two trees of different varieties will also have to flower at the same time to be compatible.
Size is also important. If you are actually considering starting an orchard of full-size trees, it may take a decade or longer to get fruit. Orchard-sized trees don’t fall into the fastest growing fruit tree category. Rather, consider dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees. You can find dwarf apple and pear cultivars that produce in three years and less.
How to Make Fruit Trees Produce Faster
It is possible to help your fruit tree along in its bloom cycle. A healthy tree will flower sooner than a frail one, so read up on the tree’s cultural care requirements and provide top nurture. Be sure the tree gets an appropriate placement. Most fruit trees require a location with direct sun but also a dormant period and a certain chill period. It’s best to avoid a planting site that is low-lying and might be chillier than other areas.
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The trees will obviously benefit from well-draining soil and sufficient water. Also, keep a wary eye on the tree to make sure it is not being attacked by insect pests. Insects can damage the tree in addition to the flowers and fruits. That’s why commercial growers get their young trees on a regular spray program.
Teo Spengler has been gardening for 30 years. She is a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Her passion is trees, 250 of which she has planted on her land in France.
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