Fruit Trees/Bushes

[Quickdraw22]

Where the heck do you find the small plants to put in your yard - home depot/lowes/etc??

I wouldn't want to make them begin their life in the middle of winter (not sure if they could take it), so this will definitely be on my list of things to do for the spring.

Thanks a million for all of the info!!!

DAVE

 

[Manimal]

think winter is the proper time to transplant, actually. It's the time of year when roots grow the most.

I could be wrong, might depend on the type of tree.

 

[BKliebert]

Best time to plant per LSU is late Jan. and Feb. that way the tree doesn't have to deal with with winter and transplant shock at the same time. You can purchase trees at Lowes, Home Depot, Cleggs Nursery, etc. I bought mine from the Fruit Stand in Denham Springs on Range avenue there is also one in BR on Perkins next to Bowie Outfitters that have trees as well. They are usually around 3-4 feet tall and will produce fruit the first year.

Citrus trees do NOT like cold.

Lemon trees are the most suseptible to cold, Satsumas and Orange are not as bad.

If its going to get around or below freezing for more than 2 days you better protect the lemon or it will die.

Buck

 

[Praesul Presul]

My goal is as much as I can grow. Right now I have a raspberry bush, lime tree (beers) and lemon tree (lemonade and fish). Plan to add a satsuma, some oranges and fig tree this year.....and a blueberry.

 

[Manimal]

I'm looking for land right now, myself, in hopes of being able to afford it and to get my orchard going.

 

[Quickdraw22]

I'm glad I didn't decide to plant. Between the snow, and drenching rain, they would have been dead within a week.

I'm most likely going to wait until right before spring to plant.

 

[Gerberman]

Does anyone in the Louisiana area do well with growing fruit??

We spend a crap ton of money on apples/oranges/bananas every month, and I'd love to have an unlimited amount of fruit in the back yard.

Also, I mentioned this to my dad, and he mentioned that it might be a better idea to buy an already mature tree than to grow from a seedling. I want my fruit soon, not in 10 years

Thanks guys!!

DAVE

I have a Meyer Lemon that is 3 years old and has produced twice with great results. Started with 5 gal tree. Seeds take about 4 -6 years to produce fruit.

 

[CrkdLtr]

I planted a satsuma tree about 3 years ago from one of those 3 or 5 gallon bucket plants you get at the fruit stand. First year I got 2 or 3 satsumas, the 2nd year I got none and the 3rd year (this year) I got over 2 dozen satsumas . I"ve been told that those pot plants "sometimes" take 3 years to start producing a decent crop. In addition to that citrus plants are not quite the kind of plants you set and forget. They do require maintenance such as fertilizers, pesticides, frequent watering and pruning. The LSU Ag website should be able to provide enough information on how to plant and care for citrus. My next citrus will be a lemon and I think I'll put a pear or peach tree out in front of the house in place of my shade tree (green ash) that was blown down by Gustav.

Another note: If you plant a grafted citrus plant (look at the trunk and you can tell if it was spliced or not) you will have to cut the limbs/new growth that start below the graft otherwise they will have thorns.

 

[artabr]

I haven't had much luck with my peach trees. What fruit they do produce is very small and the bugs give them hell. My muscadines grow like crazy. I just about can't see the sun in my backyard during summer & fall due to the muscadine vines.


Art

 

[Manimal]

My friends Orange, Tangerine, and Lemon trees are organic and they do very very well. There is no maintenance done to them at all.