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FRUIT |
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Growing fruit provides fresh, flavorful produce not readily available in the supermarket. Fruit plantings also add to the beauty of the home landscape. Homegrown fruits are ingredients in some of the most flavorful desserts, jams, jellies, wines and juices. Fruit cultivar recommendations are based on local soil and climate conditions. Other cultivars may produce satisfactory results. However, all fruit crops require considerable commitment of time and money. It is wise to begin with proven cultivars.
The successful home fruit grower follows the best management practices throughout the year. A schedule of regular pruning, fertilizing, watering and pest control is necessary for maximum quality and quantity. Because the commercial grower cannot take risks with an entire crop, chemical spray schedules are followed. The home fruit grower must decide if spraying is warranted to prevent possible insect and disease problems. An understanding of integrated pest management will help the grower in controlling these problems.
Wildlife find fruit as appealing as the home gardener. Controlling these pests will be a challenge to the fruit grower. Netting is one of the most effective methods of protecting the harvest from birds. Rodents, deer and other animal pests may require additional efforts.
Crop pollination is essential to
fruit production. Most fruits are pollinated by insects with
bees and wasps being the most common pollinators. Improper
timing and use of insecticides, such as Sevin, is lethal to
bees. Weigh the benefits of the use of these insecticides
against potential loss of pollinators and beneficial
insects.
KEY CONCEPTS
I. Small Fruits
Return to Introduction
SMALL FRUITS
Small fruits that can be grown in the home garden in Ohio include grapes, BRAMBLES, strawberries, currants, gooseberries, blueberries and several less common fruits. These less common crops include elderberries, kiwi and lingonberry, which are not included in this manual. Compared to fruit trees, small fruits offer the following advantages:
- minimal space requirements;
- production in 1 to 2 years;
- ease of pest control.
A quality harvest depends on growing an appropriate cultivar on the right site and following the best cultural practices. Grow only the amount of fruit that can be managed easily. It is better to enjoy a few ripe berries as you walk through the garden than to have a disappointing experience with a large patch.
Grapes, one of the oldest cultivated fruits, offer many pluses for the home gardener. They are attractive in the landscape and can be trained to provide shade. Grapes are fairly tolerant of soil fertility, pH and drought. With proper care, grapes can be productive for 40 years or more.
Grape plants are woody perennial vines that produce fruit on the current season's shoots. The buds that produce these shoots are formed the previous year. Care of the plant after harvest is important to the formation of buds for the next year.
Grapes have compound buds that contain 2 to 5 smaller buds. The largest is the primary bud which produces flowers. A smaller, secondary bud will produce flowers and a smaller fruit crop if the primary bud is killed by frost in spring. Surrounding smaller buds will produce foliage if both the primary and secondary buds are killed. These are all encased in BUD SCALES.
The fruit-producing buds are located on the primary shoot opposite a leaf. Buds at other nodes produce tendrils and short canes.
A list of recommended cultivars is provided in Fact Sheet #1423, Reference Fruit.1 and in Ohio State University Bulletin #815. These cultivars have been selected for their potential to thrive in Ohio's climate and soils and produce quality fruit.
Both American and French hybrids are recommended. Ohioans can choose red, white or blue/black seedless and seeded cultivars. Seedless cultivars grown in the home garden will not match the berry size of those grown commercially in the western states. However, flavor is still excellent.
Choose a cultivar based on personal preference, usage and recommendations. The selection of more than one cultivar will allow the harvest to be spread over several weeks. A single vine can be planted without concern for pollination because grapes are self-fruitful. Bees are not required for pollination.
Select certified, disease-free plants from local garden centers or reputable mail-order nurseries. Early spring is the time to plant new vines. Place orders so that plants are received close to planting time. Choose well-rooted, 1-year-old, bare-root or potted plants. Some nurseries offer 2-year-old plants. Older plants will produce more vigorously after the first season, but they also cost more.
SITE SELECTION AND PREPARATION
Grape plants require 3 years (from 1-year-old plants) to become established and produce maximum yields. Grapes are deep-rooted. They quickly grow roots 6 to 8 feet deep in a well-drained, sandy-loam soil. Soil preparation ensures success. Grapes, although fairly tolerant of soil types and pH, do best in a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
Sun and exposure are important factors in site consideration. Full sun is critical for healthy vines and fruit sweetness. Never locate vines in a frost pocket. Freezing temperatures in spring can damage or destroy flower clusters. Unusually cold spring weather will reduce pollination and prevent grape formation.
Eliminate perennial weeds from the site through cultural techniques or using non-residual herbicides. Test the soil and add recommended amendments the fall before planting if possible.
Grapes must be trellised for good fruit production. Choose and install trellis systems prior to planting new vines to prevent damaging roots.
Trellising permits sun to reach each flower cluster. Trellising also promotes good air circulation which cuts down on disease problems. Trellis systems determine how plants should be trained and pruned. There are several methods of trellising grapevines. Following are illustrations of three types of trellising systems.
Most home gardeners use vertical trellising or an overhead arbor. Grapes can be planted parallel to the garden on a trellis or on a fence that borders the property. An arbor can provide shade over a hot, sunny patio, as well as support an attractive and productive grapevine.
Plant grapevines 3 to 4 weeks before the last hard frost of spring. The vines should be dormant. Vines must not dry out before planting. Soak dormant vine roots 2 to 3 hours before planting.
Place vines that will be trained on a trellis 8 feet apart. Those grown on an arbor can be placed 4 feet apart. If row planting is planned, arrange rows in a north-south orientation. This allows maximum exposure to sunlight.
Trim off any long or broken roots. Prune the top removing all but the most vigorous cane. Cut this cane so that only 2 buds remain. This seemingly drastic pruning is done to train the vine to the trellising system and allow the shocked root system to catch up with top growth.
Plant grafted cultivars with the graft above the soil line. If the graft is placed below the soil line, it will produce unwanted SUCKERS. Plant at same soil depth as the original container depth. This may require a hole 10 to 12 inches deep to accommodate a large root system. Do not pack roots into a small hole.
During the first year after planting, it is important for the plants to become well established. Apply 8 ounces of 10-10-10 fertilizer per plant one week after planting. Supplemental watering may be necessary if the season is dry. Inspect the vines regularly for diseases and insects and keep the growing area free of weeds
In Ohio soils, grapes require an application of nitrogen annually. The year after planting apply 1 pound, and the third year apply 1-1/2 pounds of 10-10-10 or 10-6-4 fertilizer per vine. Thereafter, a soil test repeated every three years should be your guide. After the first year, apply fertilizer 30 days before new growth begins.
If cane growth is 3 feet or less in a year, additional nitrogen should be applied. Other signs of nitrogen deficiency are poor leaf color (light green or yellowish-green more noticeable on older leaves) and early defoliation.
Apply fertilizer 6 to 12 inches from the trunk. Extend the area of application outward as plants mature.
High nitrogen fertilization promotes heavy vine production at the expense of fruit production. Avoid nitrogen fertilization late in the season. Late fertilization interferes with proper hardening off going into winter.
Control weeds to prevent competition for nutrients and moisture. Remove vegetation within 1 to 2 feet from the trunk by shallow cultivation. Two to 4 inches of mulch, plastic or landscape fabric will conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
PRUNING
Proper pruning increases quality and quantity of the current year's crop. It also improves vine health, ensuring good production year after year. Pruning keeps vines at a manageable size for the trellis and maximizes exposure to sunlight.
A vine that is left unpruned produces heavily for a few years, but gradually the size and quantity of fruit is greatly reduced.
Prune in late winter after most severe weather has passed. In Ohio this is late February or early March. Prune before buds begin to swell. Regardless of the training and trellising system used, grape pruning terminology should be understood.
TRUNK The main portion of the vine at the base. Trunks usually last for many years. Some vines have more than one trunk.
CANE A 1-year-old shoot, brown and woody in appearance.
CORDONS Horizontal branches trained along the trellis. Also called ARMS. The canes left after pruning which will produce fruit shoots and new canes.
FRUITING One-year-old canes that will WOOD produce the current year's fruit.
NODE Thickened portion of shoot or cane where compound bud is located.
SPUR Canes pruned to 1 to 4 nodes. Can be fruiting or non-fruiting.
RENEWAL Cane pruned to one or two nodes on
SPUR an arm or cordon. Used as a cane for fruiting the following year. Also used as an insurance policy against winter damage of the originally selected spur. A renewal spur can take their place.
The easiest training method is the four-arm Kniffen system. Two parallel and horizontal wires are stretched between posts for support of the vine. The lower wire is 36 inches above ground and the higher is 60 inches above ground.
After planting, the strongest cane should be cut back to 3 to 6 strong buds. Allow only the most vigorous shoot to develop. The young vine is loosely tied to the lower wire and all other shoots below the wire are removed. When the shoot grows to the higher wire, it is loosely tied to it. The shoot is then cut off above the top wire.
The second year, 8 of the most vigorous canes located near the two wires are chosen. The 4 most vigorous will be the arms and are pruned to 5 to 12 buds. The other 4 will be pruned back to 4 to 6 buds. These are the renewal spurs.
On the mature vine there are always 4 canes selected at pruning time. Fruit for the coming year comes from shoots that develop from the buds on these canes. Mature, pruned vines also include 4 renewal spurs selected to be the fruiting canes for the following winter.
Other systems of training are explained in Reference Fruit.2, Cuyahoga Fact Sheet 700, "Growth and Development of Grapevines Under Various Pruning and Training Systems--Years 1 through 5" by Garth A. Cahoon).
Good sanitation and a regular inspection are important cultural practices in grape production. A spray schedule is available in OSU Bulletin 780, "Controlling Diseases and Insects in Home Fruit Plantings." Disease management is necessary for long-term productivity. Good cultural practices help to limit disease development:
- Choose certified, disease-free, disease-resistant stock.
- Grow recommended cultivars.
- Select site, orient rows and prune to promote air circulation and keep leaves dry.
- Immediately remove and dispose of any diseased plants or plant parts.
- Destroy all nearby wild or untended grapevines. They can harbor diseases.
Black rot is the major disease problem Ohio gardeners face in growing grapes. Collect and dispose of all clusters of black and dried, or mummified fruit. Black rot causes this drying of fruit. Treat with appropriate fungicides as outlined in Bulletin 780.
Harvest several times to prevent the feeding by bees and wasps on overripe fruit. Frequent harvesting also decreases infection by diseases.
Ripe fruit is plump and has even color. Table grapes will taste sweet when ripe, while wine grapes are slightly tart.
Two pests that threaten backyard grape crops are the grape berry moth and birds. Larvae of the grape berry moth feed on grapes and make them worthless. Birds simply enjoy eating grapes. Control of these pests is difficult. However, Cuyahoga Fact Sheet 701, Reference Fruit.3, describes how to deter these two pests through the use of paper bags.
PHEROMONE TRAPS are available to assist the gardener in knowing when to protect plants. These traps are used to identify the presence of pests, not as a control.
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