Especialidades JA/Fruticultura/Respuestas
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2
Hardiness determines the extent to which a plant or tree can tolerate cold or heat. Normally this is measured in cold such as "plant hardiness to 27 degrees." This means that below 27 degrees the plant will begin to be effected by the cold, starting with freezing of leaves and or fruit.
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- a. Manzanas
- b. Melocotones
- c. Peras
- d. Ciruelas
- e. Cerezas
- f. Naranjas
- g. Una elección equivalente que crezca en su área, no mencionada en las anteriores
All of these trees require full sun and well-drained, deeply fertile soil. The hardiness zones and spacing vary depending on the variety of tree. They all require a soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5 except the orange tree which requires a lower pH.
4
In horticulture dwarfing is considered a desirable characteristic in modern orchards, where genetic dwarfs may be selected and propagated, or more often, scions are grafted on to dwarfing rootstocks. Almost all modern apples in commercial use are propagated as dwarf or semi-dwarf trees for ease of picking and spraying, and higher productivity per unit of land.
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Fertilizing
Fruit trees should be fertilized in early spring before they bud or sprout leaves. If the soil pH is above 7, use a 21-0-0 fertilizer or ammonium sulfate. If the soil pH is below 7, use a 15-5-10 fertilizer. A general rule of thumb is to use one pound of fertilizer for every inch of trunk diameter. Fertilizer can be spread on the ground around the tree and scratched in with a rake. The fertilizer should be laid down in a ring extending out so that it covers all the ground beneath the tree's branches. The inner portion of the ring should extend to within about one foot (30 cm) of the trunk.
Spraying
Spray trees with fruit tree spray when the flower petals begin to fall off and repeat every ten days until they are ready to harvest. Do not wait for insects to invade, but rather, keep them at bay before they get a foothold. In early spring while the tree is still dormant, you should spray it with dormant oil. Dormant oil is a highly refined petroleum product which is diluted with water prior to spraying. It suffocates scale insect, spider, and mite eggs that may have overwintered in the tree.
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6a
For plants pollen is what causes reproduction. Some plants are either strictly male or strictly female while others have features of both sexes and can self pollinate successfully. Pollination is the transmission of pollen from one plant bud to another.
6b
A pollinator is the object be it an insect, bug, animal or weather that transmits pollen from one plant to another. Bees and humming birds are the two most well known pollinators.
6c
Nut trees such as pecans and almonds require a pollinator, but most others can benefit from them as well.
7
Rodents, especially voles, tend to feed on tree bark when other sources of food are exhausted or difficult to come by. Sometimes they will eat a band of bark encircling the trunk of the tree, and if this happens, the tree will die.
This can be prevented by wrapping wire mesh around the base of the tree. The mesh should have openings between an eighth and a quarter inch (3 - 6 mm). It should extend 30 inches (75 cm) above the ground, and 3 inches (7.5 cm) below the ground.
It also helps to pick up dropped fruit and mow around the trees during the summer, so that rodents are not attracted to the orchard.
8
You can use any fruit for this, but it is probably easiest to find multiple varieties of apples. Apples are available in many countries all year round. If you are teaching this honor to a group, buy one apple per person, getting as many varieties as you can. Then cut each apple into slices, and place them on plates. Label each plate with the name of the apple variety it holds. Then have a taste testing party.
References
Wikipedia articles:
Other Sources:
- http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=4885
- Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. Grow It Guide
