Fruit Tree For My Birthday

[hangin'witthepeeps]

That wonderful day of the year is coming up and my sister asked what I wanted to do/eat/get. I told her this year I wanted some fruit trees. She laughed and said yeah right tell me if you find some local, I won't pay shipping. So the little nursery down the road from me has Apples, Peaches, Figs, Blueberrys, Pears and I think something else but I don't remember.

We have Blueberries (belong to aunt) and Pears (belong to Grandmother). I like fig, but I'm the only one that does.

So apple or peach? Which would do better in my area? I need two for good pollination so I can only get 2 apple OR 2 peach.

I have an aunt who has scuppernong vines, yummy. She said I could come get a "cutting" and "root it". What in the world do I need to know about this?

 

[bid]

Hmmmmm.....only 2? I vote for apple. Something suitable for your area, which the nursery should carry and can tell you quite a bit about. Apple trees produce a lot longer than peach trees, as a general rule, so get the apple in and get some peach trees later.

For the scuppernongs, look around for new shoots coming up from the main vines. They will already be rooted and are fairly easy to dig out with a bit of soil around the root.

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Like a "sucker"? It's just a term for a new plant growing in from the main plants root that I've over heard when talking about Crepe Myrtles. I did not know that scuppernong vines have suckers.

 

[bid]

Yes, a kind of a sucker. Suckers on grapes are cut out to increase the size of what fruit is produced. It depends on how much pruning the vines are getting. The easiest way to root a scuppernong is to layer it. They do it naturally just by "suckers" that fall over into contact with the soil and put out roots. Depending on how old the vines are and how much care is given to pruning you should be able to find some rooted suckers along the bottom of the row of vines and extract them without too much trouble.

 

[nightshade]

my husband's grandfather told me that the easiest way to root a grape vine cutting was to plant it in a pot of damp sand. He was very good at this sort of thing. If you decide to go the cutting route give it a try.

And personally I would go with a peach mostly because I really like fresh peaches

 

[journey11]

Well, depending on what you'd like to do with them....

Do you make apple pies or apple butter, sauce, cider, etc? An apple would be more versatile (be sure to choose varieties especially suited to your purpose--not all apples are good for the same thing.) I've got 2 apple trees that bear heavy yields of nice apples every year, but you can only eat so many fresh and they are poor keepers and useless for pie or sauce.

If you don't can or cook much with apples, then I would go with peaches for sure. You can't beat a fresh peach from your own tree. Any you buy, even in bushels, they just aren't the same. You can get different kinds that ripen at different times to stagger your harvest.

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

I was wanting something to freeze or can. I believe the apple is more versatile. So may be apple this year and peach next. I want one eating apple and one "processing" apple. I know one will be a Red Delicious, I can't eat enough of those. My WHOLE family loves them and I have a BIG family and we are all neighbors. Land was just divided up as we grew up to give everyone a share which is what family is about. There is a stipulation put in my grandfathers will that if we sell, we have to offer it first to the family, then if no one wants to buy it we can sell it at market price to anyone. Can't see that happening.

The grape vine (scuppernong) is at my aunts house (other side of family) about 45 minutes away. She has a large arbor and its so thick in there. She has been unable to tend to it for a long time. I should be able to find plenty of suckers if I can get through the jungle. I will gather several suckers and take some cuttings and try the sand method and put some in rooting liquid (?) that my granny uses for her house plants. I'll try to take pictures of the "jungle" and my cuttings to "show and tell". Thanks for all the great advice. Melissa