Every one would like either fruit trees and shrubs or fruiting plants, for free in their gardens and the number fruiting plants is dependent on not only how much area you have but also on how you allow them to grow.
Well I am going to explain how to obtain the healthiest and best growing fruiting plants that you could ever hope for and at little cost to yourself other than your time.
Thanks to one of my readers this morning who sent me an email and prompted me to think; what a great idea for an article.
The email explained how he took the seed from a persimmon fruit and soaked it overnight in a solution of Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL) and then planted it.
Not too long after planting the seed sprouted and now he has a lovely persimmon sapling that will likely bear him fruit in a couple of years.
This saved himself about $150 as that is what a grafted persimmon tree costs from a nursery.
So let me tell you a couple of stories here about growing fruiting plants from seeds, pips or stones.
I had an uncle (long passed) that was a Desert Rat in NZ Forces in Northern Africa during second world war. On returning he with others were allotted land to build and live on. His I think was about half an acre on then outskirts of Palmerston North.
On his property was the best citrus grove that I have seen in private ownership and every one was grown from a pip.
Big citrus trees covered in fruit and as I was born in 1945 and would have been about 10 years old which means these citrus trees were about my age but about 4 times taller than me with similar spread, not bad from pips planted about the time I was born or a bit later.
On another time I had a interesting conversation with an elderly gardener whom told me she had a large orchard on her property with many types of fruit trees.
The subject came up about curly leaf disease on stone fruit, peaches and nectarines.
She told me that she never had a problem. I ask how come and she told me she had grown every one from a stone planted in the spot where the tree would mature.
To make it even more interesting she told me one time at a garden centre she saw the one metre tall dwarf peach and nectarine trees which are sometimes doubly grafted.
She liked them and took one of each variety home to her orchard and planted them.
She said that every season both the dwarf trees are badly blighted with curly leaf disease but it does not affect her stone fruit trees that were grown from stones.
This shows two things, grafted trees are not as strong as trees grown from seed and also when the seed is planted to sprout where it is going to mature it develops a root system as nature intended.
Strong and deep which is unlike the trees you buy in a bag or container whose roots have gone no where only in the pot.
Now if you do buy trees or shrubs that come in a bag or pot and when you remove them from the container and see that the roots have spiraled around as they could not go any where.
Then (This is very Important) don’t try to tease the roots out you waste your time and it makes NO DIFFERENCE. Instead with your Secateurs cut the spiring roots at the 4 cardinal points; North, south east and west then the cut roots will form new roots and your plant will never look back.
If you don’t do that your tree may never establish and grow, will just sit there and sulk.
So how do we get fruit trees free?
When you buy a fruit that you enjoyed then you stratify..
For stratification, stone fruit kernels benefit from cold stratification.
After cleaning, the pits should be soaked in water with MBL added for several hours to imbibe moisture, then optionally cracked slightly to help germination, as the hard outer shell can inhibit sprouting.
Place the moist seeds in a sealed container filled with damp peat moss, sand, or a wet paper towel, and store in a refrigerator for 8–12 weeks, or as recommended for each species.
If mold is a concern, adding a touch of cinnamon as a natural anti-fungal agent can help.
After stratification, seeds can be planted outdoors where they are going to germinate and grow to maturity. Put a stake as a marker next to where you plant..
How about growing strawberries from seed?
Gently remove the seeds from a fresh strawberry using a toothpick or similar tool, then dry them on a paper towel for a few hours to a day.
Place the seeds in a small plastic bag with damp sand that has been wet with MBL, seal it, and refrigerate them for about four weeks. This cold stratification process mimics winter conditions and improves germination rate.
After stratification, allow the seeds to warm to room temperature before planting.
Sowing the Seeds Fill a seed tray or small pots with a quality seed-starting mix, and water it lightly so it’s damp but not soggy
Scatter the strawberry seeds over the surface of the mix – do not cover them with more soil, as they require light for germination.
Optionally, top the mix with a thin layer of vermiculite to hold moisture while still allowing light to reach the seeds.
Growing Conditions…Cover the tray with plastic wrap or a plastic dome to retain moisture, but remove it once seedlings appear, this is to prevent mould.
Place the tray in a bright light location, glasshouse is ideal or sunny sheltered spot inside a old drawer with sheet of clear glass over, keeping the temperature between 18-24°C.
Water regularly from below to keep the soil evenly moist, ensuring it never dries out or becomes waterlogged.
The two lessons to learn here is that a seed that germinates where it will mature is far superior to any transplanted…Your weeds will vouch for that.
Also any thing that is grafted will not have the same health as seed or cutting grown.
The only advantage in grafted fruit trees you are getting a specific variety from a tree that was also originally grown from seed.
Your seed grown tree will start cropping very quickly if it is germinated where its going to grow, a nice sapling within a season or two and then likely the following spring it will flower and set fruit.
Go for free and have the best fruit ever.
Image credit: Michael Breucker
