買回一顆白雪皇后白璠桃 Green Thumb Christmas Open House

早上到媽咪最喜愛的花圃Green Thumb
今天是他們聖誕節sale open house
耶誕吊飾裝扮花圃金碧輝煌
除了買回一顆白雪皇后白璠桃外
山大王和山大妞還去看聖誕老公公和老婆婆
可是這兩隻居然比較感興趣是
免費供應的餅乾和熱蘋果汁

下週要來種果樹囉
開心啦

下午山大妞睡了後
媽咪帶山大王去剪頭髮
又是剪短短的小平頭喔
媽咪很喜歡山大王這種一休和尚的打扮
總是大大地稱讚他很帥
回程媽咪打電話和爸鼻"報告"
剪完了還要和山大王順道去買點菜和水果
山大王聽媽咪和爸鼻說話
還要提醒媽咪記得跟爸鼻說
"有剪得很帥喔"
這小子真是帥"呆"啦......

估計一年下來
山大王只剪2~3次頭髮就可以
實在山寨家父母倆又懶又愛省$$
可見一般啊~

The predominant white nectarines of today have all been developed in the past 30 years. ‘Snow Queen’ (Armstrong-1975), a low chill white nectarine (2-300 hours) with the most satisfying sweet flavor of any nectarine to date.

Sweet, juicy, early season white freestone. Late June harvest in Central CA., 2-3 weeks ahead of Babcock peach. Estimated chilling: 250-300 hours. Self-fruitful.



ZONE 24. Marine-dominated Southern California Coast
Growing season: all year, but periodic freezes have dramatic effects (record lows are 33 degrees to 20 degrees F/1 degree to -7 degrees C). Climate here is oceanic (but warmer than oceanic Zone 17), with cool summers, mild winters. Subtropical plants thrive.

Fruit trees
Bring a home-grown harvest and incomparable beauty to your garden

Planting and caring for fruit trees
Training and pruning fruit trees
Thinning fruit trees

There's more than one reason to plant fruit trees. Besides giving you a home-grown harvest of incomparable flavor, they bring interest and beauty to the garden.


A sampler of fruit trees
• Apple trees
• Apricot trees
• Cherry trees
• Citrus trees
• Peach and nectarine trees
• Pear trees
• Plum and prune trees



Selecting fruit trees

Which fruit trees are best for you? To answer that question, you'll need to take several factors into account. First, decide how much room you have available. A standard (full-size) apple or cherry tree can reach 40 feet high and 30 to 40 feet wide--too large for many gardens. But a number of choices are available to fit a more limited space. Most kinds of fruit trees are sold not only as standard-size plants but also in semidwarf or dwarf forms, made by grafting a standard type onto a dwarfing rootstock. Semidwarf sorts typically reach one-half to three-fourths normal height; dwarfs grow only 5 to 10 feet tall, depending on the species. Some fruit trees are also available as genetic dwarfs--plants bred to be naturally small (just 4 to 10 feet high). These are well adapted to container culture.

Multiple-variety trees offer another way to grow fruit trees in a limited area. Such trees have three to five varieties of the same or a closely related species grafted onto a single trunk and rootstock.

When choosing fruit trees, also think about your climate. To grow and bloom well, many kinds need a certain amount of cold weather each year; this is known as the chill requirement and is measured in hours needed at temperatures below 45 degrees F/7 degrees C. If you live in a mild-winter region, it's important to choose varieties with a low chill requirement.

Cold tolerance is a third factor to consider. Though varieties differ in hardiness, many kinds of apples, sour cherries, and hardy hybrid plums can withstand temperatures as low as -30 degrees F/-34 degrees C, while pears, sweet cherries, and Japanese and European plums tolerate temperatures to -20 degrees F/-29 degrees C. Peaches and apricots may be injured at -15 degrees F/-26 degrees C; most citrus trees are damaged if the temperature falls below 32 degrees F/0 degrees C for any length of time. By taking advantage of your garden's microclimates, however, you may be able to grow fruit trees beyond their normal hardiness range. Siting trees away from frost pockets can also minimize damage inflicted on blossoms by spring frosts.

Many kinds of fruit trees require cross-pollination for good fruit set. If you live in an area where there are few other fruit trees, check the pollination requirements of those you want to grow. If cross-pollination is needed, you don't necessarily have to plant another tree: you may be able to graft a pollenizer branch onto the chosen tree or even place a bouquet of flowers from another variety in a bucket of water at its base.

Planting and caring for fruit trees
Follow these guidelines to keep trees healthy and productive
Fruit trees

Fruit trees need full sun to thrive. Most also must have well-drained soil, though apples, pears, and plums are somewhat more tolerant of less-than-ideal conditions. If poor drainage is a serious problem, plant your trees in raised beds.

Deciduous fruit trees are sold bare-root during the dormant season and containerized throughout the growing season. Plant bare-root trees as soon as possible after purchase. For step-by-step instructions for planting both bare-root and containerized plants, see Planting basics.

Though fruit trees often prosper with only minimal care, paying attention to their needs will reward you with a larger, more flavorful crop.

Watering

Water newly planted trees whenever the top 2 inches of soil are dry. As the plants develop more extensive root systems, you can water less often--but keep in mind that, to produce a juicy crop, all fruit trees must have periodic deep soaking (provided either by rain or by you). Drip systems are well suited to fruit tree culture. Mulching helps conserve moisture.

Fertilizing

Though commercial growers fertilize regularly, many home growers find that their trees require only minimal feeding. It's best to base your fertilizing schedule on the growth of the tree. If it's growing satisfactorily, its nutrient needs are being met. If its performance is subpar, though, apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer in early spring. Continued poor growth after fertilizing may indicate that your soil is deficient in nutrients other than nitrogen; have a professional soil test done, then follow the laboratory's recommendations.

Managing pests and diseases

A number of pests and diseases can afflict fruit trees. On deciduous fruit trees, using a dormant oil spray during winter prevents many pest problems; the oil smothers the pests as well as any overwintering eggs.

For more detailed information on identifying and controlling fruit tree pests and diseases, consult a local nursery or your Cooperative Extension Office.






Published: January 1999

Training and pruning fruit trees
Train trees when young, and prune when matured
Fruit trees

While they are young, fruit trees need some initial training to establish a strong, well-balanced framework of branches that will be able to support future crops. Click on the links below for explanations of the three main training methods.


Training fruit trees to a central leader
Training fruit trees to an open center
Training fruit trees to a modified central leader

Once they mature, the trees benefit from yearly pruning during dormancy. Preferred training methods for young trees and pruning advice for mature ones are given for each tree in the sampler.

Regardless of the training method used, initial pruning is the same. If you've planted a 1-year-old unbranched tree (whip), you'll have to force it to develop branches at the desired level — usually fairly close to the ground for easy picking. Heading back the trunk will stimulate lateral buds to grow into branches; cutting back to about 2 to 3 feet high is usually advised. The topmost shoot that develops will become the leader (the central, upward-growing stem).

If you're starting with a branched 2-year-old tree, it may already have a satisfactory leader and scaffold (primary) branches. These branches should be well spaced along the trunk and should radiate in different directions so they don't shade each other. If they're poorly placed, head back the tree as you would a whip and wait for new shoots to develop.

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/garden/article/0,20633,703933,00.html

Thinning fruit trees
Encourage a healthier harvest of larger fruits
Fruit trees

Many kinds of trees set too much fruit. If you allow all of it to ripen, the fruits will be small and poor in quality. They'll also be more likely to suffer from pests such as codling moth, since closely set fruit provides a hiding place for undesirables. Certain diseases (apple scab, for example) may be more prevalent as well, due to decreased air circulation.

To encourage a healthier harvest of larger fruits (and to prevent overloaded branches from breaking), thin the crop when the developing fruits are about an inch in diameter. To avoid damaging branches, twist fruit off gently rather than pulling it. Thin apples to 6 to 8 inches apart, apricots to 2 to 3 inches, peaches and nectarines to 6 to 10 inches, and Japanese plums to 4 to 6 inches. Other kinds of plums, prunes, cherries, citrus, and pears usually do not need thinning.