Fruit Tree Care in Edible Urban Landscapes

Arizona Community Tree Council Presents

Fruit Tree Care in Edible Urban Landscapes

 

Friday, June 9, 2017

Location:  Flagstaff Hirsch Center on 3350 Old Munds Hwy.

Time:  8:30am - 4:00pm

Deadline to Register May 26, 2017

Agenda:
8:30am – 9:00am registration

9:00 – 10:00 Selection of fruit trees for edible landscaping. 
Species and varieties that are suited for the various Arizona zones, including needed chill hours, water needs, pollination, tree size, tree lifespans, and microclimate considerations. Fruit trees come in four different sizes: Standard, semi-dwarf, dwarf, and less commonly, super-dwarf. How to choose a tree that will fit your space perfectly including when to consider growing urban fruit trees in containers. Successive ripening considerations.

10:00 – 11:30 Water harvesting to sustain fruit trees 
How to identify and harvest alternative sources of water to support edible trees including rainwater harvesting. Site designing with water harvesting in mind. Understand the watering needs of fruit trees and the surrounding landscape for best production results.

11:00 – 12:00 Propagation methods for fruit trees 
Exploring the various methods for propagating fruit trees including grafting, clonal propagation, cuttings, seeds and bare root.

February CMGA Lecture - History of Fruit Trees at Slide Rock

February

 A sprayer and the Brown house in 1984

 

The speaker for our February meeting was Kathy Pendley Shaw. Kathy is the granddaughter of Frank Pendley who first homesteaded 58 acres of land in Oak Creek Canyon's Slide Rock. The Slide Rock Park today has more than 250,00 visitors each year. Many of the original buildings and trees (Arkansas Black Heritage Tree) remain there and are cared for by volunteers. He planted 13 varieties of apples, and raised 9 children. When he retired Kathy's father Tom continued to care for the trees each summer. The park now has 16 varieties of apples, peaches, apricots, and pears. Kathy continues to volunteer by caring for the trees with the Friends of Slide Rock. Their next volunteer day for pruning is on Feb. 25th from 9am-12pm. Contact Kathy if you want more information (kathypshaw85@gmail.com).

From the park web site:

This history is from the book Arizona State Parks: The Beginning Edited by Charles R. Eatherly. Filled with fascinating histories and stories, this spiral bound book is available from our Gift Catalog. Your purchase will directly support Arizona State Parks. http://azstateparks.com/Parks/SLRO/history.html

Deciduous Fruit Tree Pruning Workshops

Jeff Schalau, Agent Agriculture & Natural Resources Yavapai County, is teaching two fruit tree pruning workshops that will be held on Saturdays in February. He would love to have Coconino MGs attend. For more information go to: http://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/pruning/.

 

The workshops are being held in Camp Verde and Chino Valley. Check out the web site for details on location. If you can't attend there is also an link to an online video demo at the site.