Growing Fruit Trees: A Master Gardener’s Experience

Decisions of Fruition

After we built our home, we were sure about including a fruit tree for our backyard garden.  We sorted through many options (fig, apple, persimmon, plum) and finally decided on a pear tree because it was my wife’s favorite.  It couldn’t be just any type of pear, though, because we like crunchy pears, not the soft ones.  A lot of time and effort went into choosing the pear type and also deciding where in the garden it would go.  It always seems like my wife gets to choose where something is planted, and I get to dig the hole. It’s been 15 years since we planted the tree and the challenges and rewards have been numerous. Here are some of the things I've learned over the years that may help you.

Two Pear or Not to Pair: Patience and Pollination

The first challenge was waiting until the tree was mature enough to produce fruit.  When the tree was approximately four years old, we started to see the first pears starting to form.  We were so excited. At first, the fruit was sparse due to its age but as time went on, it produced many pears for us.  The next challenge came when our pear tree stopped producing.  We didn’t know what happened.  We researched and discovered that pear trees produce more fruit when you have multiple trees so that they pollinate each other.  We purchased another pear tree for our back yard and created a mini orchard.  Distance is a very important factor when adding more fruit trees so be sure to space them according to fruit type.  After the second tree was established, the mature tree started producing fruit and all was good again in our backyard garden.

Pruning and Infections

Another issue we experienced was webworms.  We tried neem oil but ended up pruning the limbs that were affected.  This brings up another interesting topic which is pruning (required maintenance).  We quickly learned that too many limbs on the tree created a decline in production, fruit needs space to grow.  Pruning also allows more sun exposure that will improve production.  My wife and I had many different ideas of how to prune, I won’t elaborate on who won these debates.  Often, I would come home to find a pile of limbs next to the tree for me to bundle up which was my wife’s way of avoiding our conflicting views on the subject.  We eventually found a great guide on AgriLife’s website that helped us solve our problems.

Feeding and Fertilizing

Please remember to feed your trees by giving them the correct fertilizer.  It’s also important to know when to fertilize fruit trees so be sure to research thoroughly on this topic and don’t hesitate to utilize the “Ask a Master Gardener” resource if you have questions.  We like to use an organic fertilizer that is locally made for our pear trees called MicroLife.  They have a wide variety of products and one that is specially made for fruit and citrus.

Don’t Call Me Squirrely

The most amusing challenge were the squirrels, they love pears. We’ve seen squirrels eat half of the pear so that they could carry it off.  Once again, we looked up different methods to help protect our pears; however, the only non-lethal ways we found were physical barriers (nets) and hanging silver streamers or old CD discs which is almost impossible with HOAs.  If it wasn’t so entertaining, I would be more upset about it…we don’t mind sharing.

Last but Not Least

Just because this Winter has been mild, it doesn’t mean we won’t experience late freezing temperatures.  Don’t forget to protect your trees and plants.  If you aren’t sure what to do, use this reference as a guide.

This Month on The Green Thumb

This month on the “Green Thumb” Program, the topic is "Fruit Trees & Berries: Growing Goodness."  Chevvy Tang (Advanced Master Gardener), breaks down all you need to know about Fruit Trees. The “Green Thumb” program is a monthly video lecture series led by a Harris County Master Gardener and hosted by the Harris County Public Library. 

Master Gardeners Plant Sales

If you are thinking about growing a fruit tree in the near future, please check out the upcoming Master Gardener plant sales where fruit trees will be available.

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