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magnolia2017

need help in planning an orchard!

magnolia2017
20 years ago

I desperately need help. I bought four peach trees last summer and recently bought six blueberry bushes and will need to be planting them in their permanent homes soon. A soil test on my land came back with a 7.0 ph reading, so I know I'll have to add some acidic material for the blueberries, but what about the peach trees? I also plan to add some apple and pear trees and was wondering if I should keep the blueberries separate from the other trees.

Comments (5)

  • winsomelosesome
    20 years ago

    Peat Moss will provide the acidfier for your blueberries.

    The single most important thing for ou to know in figuring out your orchard is the number of Chill Hours your area averages - check with your Ag Extension Agent or local Master Gardeners (both found at the county Ag Ext Office). Once you know the chill hours your area averages then match the chill hours to the chill requirements for the variety of fruit tree you are planting. Each variety of apple or peach has a specific chill hour requirement. Plant a tree with too high a chill hour requirement for your area and you get no bloom. Too low a requirement the tree blooms way too early and the fruit freezes. Just right - you get lots of fruit.

  • WacoJohn
    20 years ago

    In addition to Chill hours, make sure you buy your trees from reputable sources. My experience has been that many of the trees purchased through retail outlets, especially peach trees, are mislabled. Three years after you plant them you realize that the late season peach is producing in May, for instance, and is worthless. This was my mistake in my first plantings.

  • anniew
    20 years ago

    To the original question: I'd suggest you keep the blueberries where you can treat them differently from the
    fruit trees. You will have to constantly battle the pH, and could start with not only peat moss, but by adding a handful of sulfur to the soil that you dig out for the hole. Mix it in with the soil before planting the blueberries, and use it to fill in around the potted blueberry plants. You can also use mulches that will help to give an acidic affect, as well as fertilizer for acid loving plants.

  • winsomelosesome
    20 years ago

    Looking at our original post I see that you are from West Virginia. Your soil is most likely acidic so amending it significantly for the blueberries probably will be unnecessary. MOST everywhere east of the Mississippi gets over 40 inches of rain per year and therefore has acidic soil.

  • madspinner
    19 years ago

    Ah, England gets lots of rain and is not acidic. Rain is not what makes your soil acid.

    Much of the soil in the Pacific northwest is acid, but not all of it, and not because of where gets more rain. Much of it depends on what plant life decomposes to make the soil, and also the makeup of the local rocks. Lots of factors.

    I'd look on the internet first for lists of trees good in your area (you could also ask on the fruit and orchard forum) and choose ones from that list. Pick trees with good pest and disease resistance. Make sure those peaches will even produce in your area. They can be pretty picky. Peach leaf curl can be a problem with many varieties.

    Find out what kind of disease and pests you are likely to have to deal with, and how they can be treated.

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