Maddock Ranch Nursery promotes the backyard orchard culture

FALLBROOK – With a wide variety of bare-root fruit trees, citrus, blueberry, avocado and tropical trees, residents could start their own orchards this coming year by visiting Maddock Ranch Nursery.

The objective of the nursery's Backyard Orchard Culture is a prolonged harvest of tree-ripe fruit from a small space in the yard. Because of the limited space available to most homeowners, close-planting and training fruit trees, planting 2 to 4 trees in the same hole, espalier and hedgerow are the most common techniques.

Planting many varieties, with different ripening times can maximize the length of the fruiting season. In many climates, planting more varieties can also mean better cross-pollination especially for pears, apples, plums and cherries, which means more consistent production.

Most kinds of deciduous fruit trees require pruning to simulate new fruiting wood. Start by removing broken and diseased wood, space the fruiting wood and allow good air circulation and sunlight to penetrate the canopy. Pruning is most important in the first three years, because this period is when the shape and size of a tree is established. By pruning when there is fruit on the tree, the kind of wood on which the tree sets fruit is apparent, which helps gardeners to make better pruning decisions.

Summer pruning is the easiest way to keep fruit trees small. Reducing the canopy by pruning in summer reduces photosynthesis or food manufacturing, thereby reducing the capacity for new growth. Summer pruning also reduces the total amount of food materials and energy available to be stored in the root system in late summer and fall.

Maddock Nursery is a commercial, wholesale and retail nursery located at 1163 Ranger Road, in Fallbrook. Contact them at (760) 728-7122 or http://www.MaddockRanchNursery.com for more information.

Submitted by Maddock Nursery.