Gardeners with a spot that gets six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day can put it to good use growing fruit trees, according to marthastewart.com. Enough sun helps the trees form sweeter, juicier fruit.
Sunlight plays a key role in building the sugars that determine how fruit tastes, the site reported. A tree that needs a lot of sun but does not get it can produce smaller, less sweet fruit.
Choosing a variety suited to the specific conditions of a plot also matters. With proper care, a tree will develop well and produce healthy, tasty fruit. Trees in bloom can also attract beneficial pollinators that help plants form fruit.
Plums and mulberries
Plums grow well in sun and produce sweet, tart, juicy fruit. Nursery owner David Fried said the tree needs six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day, and that without enough sun the fruit can turn out small, hard and too sour.
Fried recommended planting plums in early spring or late autumn, spacing them about 3.7 metres apart. In summer, each tree needs roughly 19 litres of water every other day. Plums do best in fertile, well-drained sandy loam soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.
Mulberry trees adapt well to different conditions and can grow in partial shade, but they need sun to form sweet fruit and a large harvest. Their fruit tastes like a mix of blackberry, raspberry and dried fig.
With proper care, Fried said, a mulberry tree can yield anywhere from 45 kilograms to several hundred kilograms of fruit a year. It needs sun and fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.8.
Peaches and apples
Peaches need at least six to eight hours of sun a day and well-drained, nutrient-rich loamy soil, said farmer Robert Dickey. Regular pruning improves light and airflow through the canopy, which helps lower the risk of disease and pests and supports fruit production.
Apple trees also grow well in sun. Expert Christy Baldini said almost all fruit trees produce best when they get at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day.
Apples need well-drained soil and annual pruning of interior branches, which improves light access and air circulation and reduces the risk of fungal disease and pests. For successful pollination and a reliable harvest, Baldini said it helps to plant a different apple variety nearby, spaced 9 to 15 metres away.
Figs and pears
Fig trees need six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day. Without enough light, the tree can put its energy into growing leaves instead of fruit, and any fruit that does form may drop early or stay hard, sour and unripe.
In cooler regions, it is recommended to plant fig trees 5 to 10 centimetres deeper than they grew in their container. Figs do best in well-drained soil rich in organic matter, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Clay soils should be avoided unless their drainage can be improved.
Pears need full sun to fruit well and form strong branches. Without it, trees are more prone to powdery mildew, weak branches and poor harvests.
Fried recommended planting pears in early spring in a sunny spot with good air circulation and fertile, well-drained loamy soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Spots where cold air collects should be avoided, since blossoms are sensitive to late spring frosts. The graft union should not be covered with soil when planting.
Cherries
Both sweet and sour cherry trees need six to eight hours of sunlight a day. Without enough light, photosynthesis slows and the tree spends more energy growing branches than forming fruit. That can lead to weak flowering, slowed growth, fungal disease, and fruit that is small, pale and too sour.
Cherry trees need loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. To help the tree get more sun, it is recommended to plant it on the south or west side of a plot.
More tree care advice
Ukrainian outlet UNIAN previously reported on how to help young trees survive hot weather, noting that just a few simple steps can help them keep growing healthily. UNIAN has also reported on six types of trees that specialists say should not be planted in a home yard, including Colorado blue spruce and Leyland cypress.
