Sunday, November 17, 2002		Garden Life

For peach harvest next summer begin planting this winter
Satish Narula

IT may seem odd to see a photograph of a laden peach tree in this season since its fruit-bearing period is April-May. But it isn’t out of place if one considers the fact that winter is the time to prepare plant saplings of these trees. So get into the act and start the preparations now.

Trees like the peach, plum, pear, grapes and phalsa are all deciduous in nature. They shed leaves during winter when they go to `sleep'. It is then that these can be planted bare-root, without the hassle of carrying the earth ball along with the root. Amongst all the fruits mentioned, the peach and plum are the earliest to `wake up' and are planted up to mid-January. Pear, grapes and phalsa are ‘late risers’ and are planted till mid-February.

One reason plum, peach and pear trees look good in home gardens is that when they are laden with fruit they look beautiful. Their blooming twigs are also popular with ikebana freaks. A fruit-bearing tree itself has immense ornamental value.

There is, however, need for extreme precaution when it comes to purchasing saplings of these plants. Not many people know that there are two types of varieties, the hill varieties and those suited for the plains. Many a time I have come across such plants that have profuse flowering but bear no fruit. Enquiries reveals that the plants were purchased from some local unidentified source. Such nurseries at times procure plants from nearby hill areas. These plants require a particular chilling period after which they flower but fail to bear fruit in the plains, as other conditions are not met. it is best to buy these saplings from some reliable source like Punjab Agricultural University and its nurseries, nurseries of the state department of horticulture or government-registered nurseries.

Curious to know which varieties are suitable for the plains? Partap and Florida Prince are the semi-cling stone varieties of peach that ripen in April and the Earli Grande in the first week of May. Trees of the Partap variety are not very massive and can be planted at small places. The fruits of all these varieties have red blush. Shan-e-Punjab also ripens in the first week of May, has red blush on fruit and can be kept for a long period of time due to firm texture of flesh.

In case of plums, Satluj Purple is compatible with Kala Amritsari. The fruit of Satluj Purple is crimson with thick skin and yellow-orange flesh. It is sweet in taste. Its fruit ripens in the second week of May.