Frequently Asked Questions

Which fruit varieties should I choose?

Laying out a garden with the varieties already adapted to your area brings successful results. If you are going to try a variety for the first time, the most important factor you need to take into account is the chilling requirement. A tree, which requires many chill hours, doesn’t yield fruit unless its chilling requirement is provided. If the total number of chill hours of a plant is low, it can get harmed from the spring late frosts and shed its flowers! Weather conditions such as receiving sunlight, temperature difference between night and day and the humidity should be taken into consideration. The tree should be resistant to winter frosts. You should take notice of the tree’s resistance to the diseases and harmful effects.

How many fruit trees will I need?

The number of fruit trees you will need depends on the various factors such as which rootstock the tree is grafted on, soil fertility and planting system. In a peach garden created with traditional fruit trees, spacing is 6 x 6m on the other hand in a garden established with fruit trees grafted onto semi-dwarf rootstocks spacing can be 2,5 x 4,5m. The final decision should be made in consultation with an agricultural engineer.

What is a Dwarf Fruit Tree?

Dwarf fruit, more precisely dwarf fruit tree, is a fruit tree sapling with a type of rootstock (root) that will create dwarf-sized trees. Dwarf fruit trees don’t yield miniature fruits rather they provide a chance to high-density planting due to their dwarf roots. It means planting more fruit trees in a unit area and getting more fruits out of it.

The most significant characteristic of dwarf fruit trees is that they make trees yield early. In the traditional gardens, a tree begins bearing fruit in its third or fourth year while a dwarf fruit tree bears in its second year and gets into economic productivity in its fourth year. Dwarf rootstocks are generally clonal rootstocks, which means they get reproduced by vegetative systems such as the plant tissue.

Which soil is best for planting fruit trees?

You should pay attention to the soil structure and underground water in the soil when you create a garden. Generally light soils and the ones ventilated well are suitable. Some plants may have very low tolerance for various types of soils; so if possible, soil should be improved by the techniques of soil transportation, dorsal plantation and drainage channels. Soil analysis tells us about the structure and the nutrient status of the soil. If you are going the buy the field you will create your garden on, you should definitely make the disease (such as nematode and Agrobacterium tumefaciens) testing.

Using rootstocks depending on the calcareous, salinity, pH scale and even nematode status of the soil brings better results.

What time of the year should I plant the fruit trees?

Fruit trees can be planted from November to February. In the regions with moderate climate conditions in wintertime, planting in fall provides better growth for the root system. You can plant potted seedlings throughout the year for 12 months.

How should I plant the saplings?

Holes should be dug and ventilated two months before the plantation. Implementing 25-40kg Triple Super Phosphate into a decare before digging the holes has positive effects on the growth of root system. Holes should be dug larger in the heavy-textured soils for a comfortable growth of the root system. Heeling in the bare root trees before planting increases the chance of survival.  Broken and damaged roots should be cleaned out by pruning and before the pruning shears should be disinfected. Medication should be given to the roots before planting in order to protect the tree from Agrobacterium tumefaciens and fungal infections. You should use organic fertilizer for the planting holes, not animal manure! You should be careful about the planting depth, graft points should be 2-3 cm higher from the soil. After planting the fruit tree and covering the hole with soil, don’t forget to press on it slightly and give sap.

How do I prune a tree?

There are two contributing factors in pruning a tree; the improvement system and the environmental aspects such as fruit variety, humidity and sunlight. Each fruit tree may have different sections for yielding fruits (an old branch, on the stem...). You should do pruning in consultation with an agricultural engineer. Pruning is very effective on the productivity of a tree; if you prune a tree regularly, productivity will be continuous.

How do I fertilize the fruit trees?

After getting the garden ready and planting the fruit trees, the most important issue to handles is preparing a good fertilization program. Soil analysis results should be evaluated with an agricultural engineer according to soil and plant varieties. In general; for 3-4 kg N/ da, 1,5-2 kg P2O5 / da, 5-6 K2O/ da nutrition element; 10 kg ammonium sulphate, 2 kg MAP (monoammonium phosphate), 12 kg potassium sulphate or potassium nitrate, 2 kg phosphoric acid (85%) can be implemented in a decare for the first year.

How do I determine the pollination requirement?

Even though the pollinator is not required for self-fruitful varieties, different varieties increase the productivity. A pollinator definitely should be used for self-unfruitful varieties.

Why is fruit pruning necessary?

In fruit trees, 10 percent of the flowers bear healthy fruits on average and this rate is the amount a tree can feed. In some varieties naturally shedding of flowers and small fruits can be seen. The trees, which require thinning, can be thinned mechanically (by hand) or chemically (hormonal). By means of thinning the sick, small and deformed fruits, rest of the fruits grow bulkier. Thinning should be held, depending on the variety, according to the fruit number in a unit area (branch) or the distance between fruits.

How long do dwarf fruit trees live?

Dwarf fruit trees begin to be productive following year of the plantation and reach its full productivity in its fourth year, however, they have short life spans compared to the traditional gardens. A dwarf fruit tree has 15 years of economic life. Proper care has a positive effect on the garden’s lifespan longevity. The reasons we prefer dwarf fruit cultivation are; quick return of investment and better productivity from a unit area.

What should I pay attention to when buying fruit trees?

A healthy fruit tree should be fresh, should have developed capillary roots and crowned bunches as well as a body with a specific caliber.

In order to get the best result, planting should be done right away when the saplings arrived at the field. If the buds are ready to burst they immediately should be planted not kept to be waiting. Keep them waiting in a lee area until they take on a green color and don’t forget to keep their roots wet.