The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 19 Summer 2016/17 | Page 46
fruit trees
fruit tree care
by Dr. C Nyakanda
always select the right variety of fruit when buying new plants.
Moist conditions and warm temperatures
during this period make lighter work of
planting new fruit trees, yet these same
conditions, along with high humidity,
promote disease and pest outbreaks.
Roots are equally vulnerable to pests and
diseases at this time. This problem often
goes undetected until the plant suffers
leaf yellowing, drying of plant parts or
the gradual decline in plant vigour and
eventual death.
New Plantings
Trees generally have a long lifespan, but
before settling on a choice, make sure
you choose the right site and variety.
Fruit Type
You may grow backyard mangoes
anywhere in Zimbabwe. However, for
commercial production where high yields
are critical, it is only possible to achieve
satisfactory results in low altitudes that
are below 1,200m. Similarly, you may
grow citrus, including Valencia oranges,
and litchi anywhere in Zimbabwe. This
excludes Navel oranges and naartjies,
which can’t withstand hot lowveld
conditions. Whilst macadamias prefer
mild winters, pecans, apricot, apple,
plum, pear and nectarine require the
cooler environments that are
generally found at highveld altitudes
above 1,500m.
Variety selection
Personal preferences and end-use
determine variety choice, as well as local
weather conditions. Among early fruiting
mango varieties, Tommy Atkins tolerates
cool conditions, whereas Irwin suffers
many leaf diseases in similar conditions.
For late mango varieties, Sensation
and Keitt tolerate cool conditions, but
Kent does not. For the peach varieties,
Earlibelle, Orion, Duet and, to some
extent, San Pedro, which are all extra-
early fruiting varieties, may be grown
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in marginally cool areas where long-
season varieties fail to produce fruit. At
times, this early-fruiting attribute allows
these peaches to escape the peak fruit
rot season. Choose Barton, Ukulinga
or Desirable if growing individual
varieties of pecan, since each has a good
pollination overlap.
Localised Site Conditions
Avoid planting avocado, citrus, banana,
granadilla, mango and pawpaw in frost-
prone sites. Always select free-draining
sites since all fruit trees cannot tolerate
temporary soil waterlogging, except
guavas. Shallow soils are generally not
ideal for fruit trees, unless you are seeking
to dwarf the plant.
Watering
Ensure that citrus, granadillas and grapes
receive regular watering during dry spells
between rainfall and throughout the year.
Drain away standing water on and around
trees to discourage root diseases.
Root Pests and Diseases
Source your plants from reputable
suppliers to avoid importing pests and
diseases into your garden through
untreated planting media. Banana suckers
are notorious for introducing sap-sucking
eelworm (nematodes), if collected from
diseased sites and untreated.
Avoid mulching plants close to the stem
to minimise root collar or crown rots,
which can girdle the stem and kill the
tree. Crown rot symptoms are seen by
removing soil from around the tree trunk.
If rot is present, it will show dead areas
between the soil line and crown roots.
Exposing the stem collar may halt disease
progression. General root rots may be
minimised by preventing waterlogging
and avoiding poor soil drainage sites.
These rots can be treated with fungicides,
including copper oxycloride or Ridomil.
Fruit-it (Pvt) Ltd
Registered wholesaler and bulkselling of
a wide range of fruit trees-both deciduous
and sub-tropical. Supplier to order for
specialist trees including gum seedlings.
Provider of advisory, technical and
consultancy services on fruit production.
[email protected]
Chris 0778 219 148
Patie 0772 935 658