Avoid planting the wrong fruit trees, or species that will eventually die. Knowing about some of the best fruit trees for Alpharetta, Georgia yards will help you choose hardy species when planting time comes around.
72tree.com gathered the following list of 3 fruit trees hardy to US hardiness zone 7b and the city of Alpharetta, Georgia.
1. Apple (Malus)
Most apple trees are small to medium-sized trees that grow to heights of 16 to 33 feet, with a central trunk dividing into several branches. This fruiting tree’s foliage is oval in shape and can reach 5 inches long and 3 inches wide.
Popular Varieties: Some popular apple varieties include:
• Honeycrisp
• Fuji
• Gala
• Red Delicious
• Granny Smith
• Pink Lady
Planting: Place your tree in a bucket of water for a few hours or overnight so the roots can re-hydrate before planting. Plant your apple tree properly by digging a hole at least twice the width and depth of the tree’s root system. Look for the graft union on your tree as well as the slight change in color on the bark just above the roots (soil should not cover the trunk above the last roots).
Pruning: Pruning apple trees should be done only when the tree is dormant, between leaf fall and bud burst (typically between early November and late February).
Water Requirements: For an established tree, you won’t need to water it unless you are not getting much rain or there is a particularly dry spell or even drought. About an inch (2.5 cm.) or so of rainfall every week to ten days is adequate for most apple trees.
Fruiting Season: Apple trees set fruit in the spring, and the apples mature from late summer through fall. Each apple variety matures on its own particular schedule, with early varieties like Zestar ripening first.
2. Cherry (Prunus avium)
Cherry trees are typically large and upright, some reaching heights of 36 feet tall. Its fruit is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit), generally heart-shaped to nearly rounded, about 1 inch in diameter, and varies in color from yellow through red shades to almost black.
Popular Varieties: Some popular cherry varieties include:
• Sweet
• Vandalay
• Benton
• Black Tartarian
• Van
Planting: Plant your cherry tree in a sunny site with plenty of air circulation. Avoid planting near trees or buildings that will shade the cherry tree during daylight hours. Cherry trees require deep, well-drained soil. Space larger variety cherry trees 35 to 40 feet apart.
Pruning: Cherry tree pruning is usually done in late July or August when silver leaf and bacterial canker are not likely to infect your tree. However, light formative or cosmetic pruning can be done in early spring as foliage starts to develop.
Water Requirements: Cherry trees should be deep watered every other day for the first week after planting. The second week they can be watered deeply two or three times. After the second week, you can deep water your cherry trees once a week for the rest of the first growing season. Scale watering amounts as needed during times of drought or heavy rainfall.
Fruiting Season: For cherry trees planted in warmer regions, harvest time can occur as early as May. In cooler areas, cherry harvests occur primarily in June and July.
3. Peach (Prunus persica)
The peach tree is a deciduous tree or large shrub in the Rosaceae family grown for its edible fruit-bearing the same name. Peach trees are relatively short with slender branches. The tree’s foliage is alternately arranged, slender (3 to 6 inches long), and pointed.
Popular Varieties: Some popular peach varieties include:
• Santa Rosa
• Red Beauty
• Red Top
• Elegant Lady
• Yellow
Planting: A dormant, bare-root peach tree needs to be planted in late winter, while a container-grown peach tree should only be planted in the spring. Peach trees need to be planted in full sun, and newly planted trees should be staked for the first growing season.
Pruning: Peach trees should be annually pruned in the spring, right when buds swell and start turning pink. Remove vertical shoots developing in the center of the tree at any time. These shoots will block sunlight and airflow from reaching the fruit.
Water Requirements: Peach trees require a lot of water. On average, a mature peach tree will need at least 36 inches of water per year and 35 to 40 gallons per day in mid and late summer.
Fruiting Season: A hardy peach tree will only bear fruit 2 to 4 years after planting, occurring in mid to late summer (June through August).
Fruit Trees in Your Yard
In this article, you discovered several fruit trees hardy to zone 7b and perfectly suitable for planting in Alpharetta, Georgia yards and landscapes.
Knowing which fruit trees are hardy to zone 7b will help you plant fruit trees that will thrive and eventually bear fruit for you to harvest and enjoy.
Ignoring a fruit tree’s hardiness requirements can result in the death of your tree, the loss of your investment, and costly damage if the tree falls on your property.
Sources:
extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1063&title=Home%20Garden%20Peaches
extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-selecting-root-stock-spacing-planting-apple-trees
u.osu.edu/cfaescapstone/tree-fruits/cherries/care-maintenance/
njaes.rutgers.edu/drought/pdfs/BMP-Irrigating-Peaches.pdf
