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Fruit & Orchards

Any fruit trees produce first year?

17 years ago

Hi,

I saw at my local Agway store lots of 6-7' tall fruit trees - apples, apricots, plums, pears, nectarines, peaches, ......

Do any of these (or other fruit trees) produce in the first year or two itself or would I have to wait 4-5 years to enjoy it?

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

furo
17 years ago
My fig trees had fruit the first year I had them, am looking forward to see how well they will produce in their second year.
Woody.
tcstoehr
17 years ago
You might get a few fruit of any of them. But as most here will tell you, you ought to remove any fruit the first year and let the tree devote energy to establishing itself, particularly the root system. Even the second I would devote to pruning the tree into the descired framework. After that, I can see letting it produce if it is so inclined. But thinning the fruit if necessary is a good idea, for new trees or old.
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hemnancy
17 years ago
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jellyman
17 years ago
nms:

My advice is to stay away from large, 6-7 foot fruit trees in the expectation they will fruit sooner. They may, but they also may not, and larger trees have a harder time adapting than smaller, younger trees, which will usually catch up and pass them in about 3 years. The best fruit trees to plant are small, 1-year whips.

Some fruit trees may bear in the 2nd year after planting, but I agree with the others above that it is best to remove any fruit that forms until the third year. And the third year is not a gimme either. Many fruit trees do not produce what could be called a significant crop of a dozen or more until year 5, and European pears even later. Fruit trees not only have to bloom, but also pollinate, than get past the early insect damage that bothers so many of them.

If there is one important area to focus your attention when first planting fruit trees, it is the insects and diseases that may attack them, and how to deal with those problems. This is much more important in the long run than worrying about producing fruit the first or second year. Plant some radishes for quick results.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

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