Do your homework before planting fruit trees

By Larry Williams, UF/IFAS Extension Agent, Okaloosa County

Not every fruit tree will grow and reliably produce fruit in our area. It is wise to do your homework first before purchasing and planting just any old fruit tree in North Florida.

The weather is probably the most important factor determining where certain fruits can be grown. It’s the reason why apples and blueberries do not do well in South Florida. It’s also the reason why people living in the northern part of the state can't grow exotic tropical fruits such as papaya or mangoes.

Most fruits grown in the northern part of Florida are deciduous, which means that during winter the trees lose their leaves and go into a period of dormancy or rest.

During this rest period, the tree must be exposed to chilling temperatures. This exposure to cold prepares the plant to resume active growth in spring.

Temperatures below 45º F accumulated throughout the winter determines the total hours of chilling. Species differ in the amount of chilling they need in order to completely rest and resume growth. This is known as a plant's chilling requirement. Lack of enough chilling results in sparse foliage, few to no flowers and poor fruit production.  

Our area receives between 400 to 650 hours below 45º F during the average winter. This provides enough chill hours for certain apple cutivars such as Anna, Ein Shemer, Dorsett Golden and TropicSweet. However, it does not provide the chill hours required for many of the more common varieties such as Red Delicious and Golden Delicious.

This same environmental factor holds true for most deciduous fruit trees. Some of the better known peach varieties such as Elberta perform poorly here. Most if not all of our winters will not provide the chill hours they require. There are peach varieties that perform okay in our area.

Even when the correct variety is selected, many fruit enthusiasts are disappointed to see insects eating their fruit, diseases causing their fruit to rot or possibly all their fruit falling to the ground before it is ready to be eaten.

In order to be successful with fruit production in north Florida, a person needs to ask a lot of questions before planting the first plant. Which varieties grow well here? How much care is needed to grow this type of fruit? Do I have time to devote to pruning, spraying, fertilizing, watering, etc? If you do not know the answers to these questions, talk to a knowledgeable employee at a local, reputable nursery, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Office or visit http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/TOPIC_Fruit_and_Nuts before choosing to plant fruit trees this winter.  

Originally published Jan., 2008