FRUIT CROPS FOR NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI
Eric T. Stafne Associate Extension Professor Mississippi State University Poplarville, MS
HARDINESS ZONE MAP
CARE AND MAINTENANCE Easy
Blackberries, blueberries
Moderate Muscadines, strawberries, pears
Difficult Peaches, apples, bunch grapes
SITE SELECTION • Soil characteristics
• Light requirements
• Drainage - surface and internal
• Exposure
• Air movement
• Elevation
SOIL CHARACTERISTICS
• Ideal soil is well-drained with adequate water-holding capacity • Sandy loams are best
• Poor soil is poorly drained
(internally or externally), and pH is not correct for the crop
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS
• Full sun is ideal
• Morning sun is preferable to afternoon sun
EXPOSURE
• It is a few degrees colder on the north side of a hill than on the south
• Fruit crops bloom earlier in the spring with southern exposure
• Northern exposure may cause winter damage to fruit crops
ELEVATION
• Low elevations: • More prone to frost
• Less air movement
• Poorer water and air
drainage
• More prone to disease
PEST CONTROL • Insects, diseases, weeds, wildlife
• Numerous pest problems versus virtually no pest
problems
• Neglect, injury, and poor site selection make plants susceptible to pests
• Integrated Pest Management
VARIETY SELECTION • Adaptability to your area - very important
• Disease resistance
• Self-pollination versus cross-pollination
• Desired harvest date
SMALL FRUITS
BLACKBERRIES
BLACKBERRIES • Blackberries are adapted to various soils
• Plant in hedgerows with 3 to 5 feet between
plants and 10 feet between rows
• Use some type of support if desired
BLACKBERRIES • Canes live 2 years and produce fruit the second year
• Remove only the fruiting canes after harvest
• Most common pests:
• Rosette (double blossom), anthracnose, strawberry weevils, cane borers, SWD
BLACKBERRIES
Cultivars to consider: Thorny:
Chickasaw, Kiowa
Thornless: Apache, Osage, Natchez, Navaho, Ouachita Triple Crown (trailing) PrimeArk Freedom???
BLUEBERRIES
BLUEBERRIES
• Soil pH should be 4.5 to 5.5
• Space 4 to 6 feet apart
• Mulching is highly recommended
BLUEBERRIES • Requires two varieties in the same
category for cross-pollination (Rabbiteye)
• Shear the bush immediately after harvest and before August 1
• Remove old, damaged wood after harvest or during the dormant season
• Most common pests: • Birds, blueberry gall midges, mummy
berry
BLUEBERRIES
Cultivars to consider: Rabbiteye
Austin, Brightwell, Climax, Premier, Tifblue, Powderblue, Alapaha, Titan?
Southern Highbush Ozarkblue, Summit, Star, Prince
UPCOMING BLUEBERRY WORKSHOP February 13 in Hattiesburg
Focus on Mechanized harvest, but also other
topics like SWD and plant nutrition
Want to register? Contact me. Cost is $10.
Co-sponsored by MSU-ES, USDA-ARS, and GSBGA
MUSCADINES AND BUNCH GRAPES
MUSCADINES AND BUNCH GRAPES
• Muscadines are adapted to various soils • Bunch grapes like well-drained soils,
slightly acidic pH
• Space muscadines 12-20 feet apart (depends on variety vigor, management, etc.)
• Space bunch grapes 6-8 feet apart
• Both types require trellising
MUSCADINES AND BUNCH GRAPES • Train vines to trellises in the first year
• After the first year, prune the current year’s growth to
two to three buds
• Most common pests: • Grape root borer, berry and bunch rots, bees and wasps
during harvest, PM, DM
MUSCADINE AND BUNCH GRAPE PRUNING
MUSCADINES AND BUNCH GRAPES
Cultivars to consider: Black Beauty, Carlos, Noble, Supreme,
Eudora, Black Fry, Dixie Red, Golden Isles, Late Fry, Magnolia, Regale, Sterling
Bunch Grapes Cultivars to consider (need to think about
PD): Fredonia, Niagara, Norton, Victoria Red?,
Villard blanc
STRAWBERRIES
STRAWBERRIES Strawberries are planted in 30-inch-wide raised
beds
Space beds 4 to 5 feet apart
Space plants 12 to 15 inches in two staggered rows 12 inches apart
STRAWBERRIES Growing systems
Annual production on black plastic: plant in fall, harvest in spring
Matted row: rejuvenate beds by allowing daughter plants to grow
Most common pests Slugs, birds, deer, Botrytis (gray mold), anthracnose
BED TYPES
STRAWBERRIES
Cultivars to consider: Cardinal, Sunrise, Dixieland, Pocahontas,
Tennessee Beauty, Comet, Earliglow, Chandler, Camarosa, Ventana
UPCOMING STRAWBERRY WORKSHOP Early to Mid-May (tentative date is May 13-14) Location: Choctaw, MS Registration: Not yet, but info will be sent to all
county extension offices when ready Purpose: To educate potential growers on how to
produce strawberries
Sponsored by a grant from Wal-Mart Foundation
TREE FRUITS
APPLES AND PEARS
APPLES AND PEARS Require two varieties for cross-pollination
Trained to modified central leader
Most common pests
Fire blight Cedar apple rust Summer rot Aphids Scale
APPLES AND PEARS • Use semi-dwarf root stock
Space semi-dwarf 10 to 12 feet apart If unsure of rootstock, plant 20 ft apart
RECOMMENDED APPLE AND PEAR VARIETIES
Apples Red Chief, Early Red One, Cumberland Spur Smoothie, Stark Golden Delicious, Firm Gold,
Ozark Gold Arkansas Black-spur type, Granny Smith, Fuji,
Gala, Royal Gala, Jonagold
Pears Hard: Kieffer, Orient, Baldwin Soft: Ayers, Moonglow, Maxine, Magness, LeConte
PEACHES
PEACHES • Space plants 15 to 20 feet apart, and allow 20 feet
between rows
• Rootstock • Guardian, Nemaguard, Halford
• Prune plants to open center
• Most common pests:
• Brown rot, scab, scale, stink bugs, plum curculio, peach tree borer, root rots
PRUNING
RECOMMENDED PEACH VARIETIES • Early, cling
• Springold • Bicentennial • Surecrop
• Mid, free • Sentinel • Harvester • Redhaven • Majestic • Ruston Red • Dixiland • Redskin
Late, free Ouachita La Jewel
Rootstocks Guardian Lovell
RECOMMENDED NECTARINE VARIETIES
Nectarines (by ripening date) Durbin, 850 chill hours Karla Rose (w), 650 chill hours Juneprincess, 850 chill hours Roseprincess (w), 850 chill hours Redgold, 850 chill hours
UPCOMING GAP/GHP WORKSHOP February 17 in Starkville
Introduction to Good Agricultural Practices and
Good Handling Practices
Free! (and you get lunch and snacks)
Interested? Contact me.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Mississippi Fruit and Nut Blog http://msfruitextension.wordpress.com/
My email: [email protected] (best option)
My phone number: 601-403-8939
Twitter: @EStafne