| FRUIT can be seen ripening and
filling out in abundance everywhere now. Apples are increasingly
tempting, Cherries prove irresistible, and Pears should be near
perfect. Some people are put off planting Apple trees because
of problems with pollination, and confusing tennis like M.26
rootstocks. Well, the only self fertile apple tree widely
cultivated is 'Cox's Orange Pippin', but to be honest in
Northern Ireland varieties requiring a pollination partner like
'Katy' and 'James Grieve' do best. These simply need another
Apple tree that flowers at the same time. 'Jonagold' bears lots
of fruit and is suitable for our climate but this one needs two
separate varieties of Apple trees to pollinate it.
Apple trees used to be so tall , years ago that' ladders were
essential to harvest the crop (unless you ate a bruised windfall
before the worms got to it first). Now, less vigorous root
systems are grafted (horticultural 'welding') on, and we can
pick apples without too much back break. If you're not sure,
look for a visible knobbly join near ground level between the
straight rootstock and the main trunk. On the label you might
see M.26, M.27, M.9. These are all small Apple trees. M.27 is up
to 5ft tall, M.9 the next up at about 7 ft, and M.26 about 10
ft. The bigger garden trees are MM 106 (9ft) & MM 111 (12 ft
tall).
Perfect Pears? Well, like Apples Pear trees have their own
rootstock system. Put simply, the 'quince C' rootstock is the
most dwarfing (10 ft. tall). The good news here is that Pears do
well on wetter soils than apples, although do best in full sun
like all fruit. A good choice is the variety 'Conference',
(allegedly self fertile but in practice best with another type)
and 'Williams Bon Chretien'. Pears like lots of organic nitrogen
rich feed to keep them happy.
The Cherry 'Morello' is a reasonable size for the average
garden and is self fertile, its fruit being used in jams. This
looks good fan trained on a wall and unlike the popular 'Stella'
variety, can take being planted on a North facing wall. The
'Stella' cherry is also self fertile and has a lovely sweet
flavour, but choose one on 'Colt' or MM.F12/1 dwarfing
rootstocks. Otherwise you'll have a very impressive 25 ft. tree.
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