Benefits:
- Mail Order Fruit Trees within Australia ( Only excludes Tas and NT)
- Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery have been in business for over 30 years.
- Can be used instore
- Does not need to be used in one purchase.
- Sent By Email Instantly so there is no waiting on the mail man.
- Can be printed out or forwarded onto your recipient.
Terms:
- Delievery by Email Only or you can pay full price and have us print it out and send the Fruit Tree Gift Voucher to you:
- Must be used 1 Year from purchase date. ( We do allow reasonable leniency )
- They are treated like Cash and if lost they are lost for good.
For personal use you will need about 4 bushes for the average family of tea drinkers. The bushes need to be planted in a well-drained area. Most soil types will do though they prefer slightly acidic soil. They will tolerate full sun of partial shade, not full shade. Tea likes plenty of water, but will not tolerate standing in water. Fertilize with a hight nitrogen fertiliser, in October and February.
Prune your bushes so that they spread out to form a flattop hedge. Prune in February for the first 3 years then every year in July if in a no frost area, or when the danger of frost has passed if you are in a frost prone area. Prune to about 200mm the first year, 300mm in the second year, 400mm in the third year, when you should be able to get your first crop. Pluck the first two or three leaves and the bud every time they are 5-8cm above the pruning mark at first then use the plucking mark as a guide. You should let your bushes gain height during the plucking season so that they reach a comfortable working height by the end of the season, around early July in the Northern New South Wales and South East Queensland area.
When your bushes reach maturity, in 5-6 years prune out the ‘crows feet’ every year. Then every 5 years give them a deep prune down to 30-40 cm from the ground. Make clean cuts with your pruning.
PLUCKING
You should be able to pluck your 2-3 leaves and bud by about October and then every 2-3 weeks decreasing to about every week in December – January – February – March – April, then extending to 2-3 weeks by June – July. When plucking pull off and discard any old dark green leaf that protrude above your plucking table. You only need the fresh light green new growth to make tea.
PROCESSING
Having plucked your 2-3 leaves and bud, you are now ready to make tea. When your bushes are mature you should get about 1 kilo or more from your four bushes. Thinly spread your leaf out on a withering table which you can make by stretching a piece of Hessian or such over a frame about 1m square or anything similar just so that air can circulate all around the individual leaves. You will need to leave this to wither for about 17 hours in the shade or indoors.
Your tea is withered when you squeeze a hand full and it stays in a ball. Though, this physical wither is not as important as the chemical wither, which must have about 17 hours to take place. Next, feed your tea through a meat mincer, a food processor is not satisfactory for this. Use a fine screen in the end of your mincer, and feed the tea through twice. The tea leaves need to be broken up under pressure in order to rupture the leaf cells. That is why a mincer is best. Alternatively you could chop it with a knife on a chopping board. Then roll it with a heavy wooden roller.
From here spread your tea on a tray up to 25mm thick and leave for about an hour, when it should be turned and left for another hour. This process is called fermentation. After fermentation you are ready for drying. This is the hardest part for the home tea maker to do.
I use an old fan heater mounted so that the hot air comes out upwards. You must be sure not to cover the air intake when you make a mounting frame, over the outlet on the fan heater and about 5 cm away, on the same frame I have a piece of fine .75mm stainless steel mesh which I bought from an engineering supply store. Place your tea on the mesh when it is hot, turning the tea occasionally until it is very dry 3% moisture. Feel some bought tea to get an idea of what to aim for. It should take about 20 minutes to dry 200 grams of tea, which is what you will end up with from 1 kg of green leaf. If you dry it too quickly you will form a crust on the leaf known as case hardening, which will not allow a proper infusion to take place and thus have a very weak brew. If you are too slow with your drying you will stew your tea and it will taste just like that, stewed.
Whatever system you use for drying, you must remove the moisture from the tea with air or you will cook it not dry it.
Store your tea after cooling in airtight containers, if glass store away from light.
GOOD LUCK
The fruit is high in taste, vitamins and iron also they fetch a high price in fruit shops but are low in calories. Choose from thousands of plants in our Online Fruit Tree Shop then enter the code SpringFree to get one free Tamarillo Tree Red.
This very attractive yellow fruit has a flavour like caramel cream. It is definitely a delicacy to those who grow it. It is often very difficult to buy it due to it going off quickly and oxidizing quickly.
We have just updated our Online Fruit Tree Shop with new categories. We use to have categories like Asian Fruits, South American Fruits but thought it was time to update these new categories more along the lines of their uses rather then which country they originated from.
We hope you enjoy this new way of finding which fruit trees will suit you. Also you can use our Choosing Fruit Trees program to narrow down your search even more.
The staff of Daleys Nursery have visited Tropical Fruit World and we highly recommend it. Here are some of the highlights from the fruit tasting session. We hope you enjoy them and don't forget to visit them for yourself.
Conifers come in all different shapes and sizes and are great for landscaping. One use is wind protection. Fruit trees will often go much better if you set up a wind protection with conifers. Another is just to pick one with a shape and colour that you like to make your backyard look great.
You can get a well established conifer in a 140mm pot from Daleys and choose from over 19 different Types of Conifers.
Buy 2 or More Conifers and get 10% Off with the code Conifer10off you don't have to get 2 of the same variety to get this offer you can choose from any of our 19 different varieties.
Paul Daley was born at Daley's Nursery, he has this nursery in his blood, his early working days were spent here in the poly houses and in the grafting shed as a helper for his Dad. As a young teenager Paul worked his weekends and holidays here and spent his free time exploring the surrounding rainforests, when he left school we had to say farwell as we waved him off to new and exciting adventures.
In the last couple of years Paul has travelled through Sumatra and Borneo looking at the deforestation of these islands and the threat to the Orangutans that call these forests home, what Paul discovered on his travels has motivated him into action to secure a future for these incredible threatened species and the forests that are their lifeblood.
Paul entered the DeforestAction: Project Borneo 3D contest to have a chance to spend 100 days in Borneo and to be part of a 3D Action Movie, help save endangered rainforest and Orangutans, create awareness about deforestation, and provide a sustainable livelihood for the local community. We would like to help Paul achieve his fundraising goals and are asking for your help and support.
If you make a donation of $15 or more to help Paul we will give you a $15 voucher to spend at Daley's Fruit Tree Nursery. All you have to do is make a donation on Pauls Action Hub and than send us an email to say you have made a donation, we will reply to you with a $15 voucher that you may spend at your leisure. You will find our email details on the contact page http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/contact.html
Here is the link to Pauls site to make a donation.
http://dfa.tigweb.org/hub/paul
If you would like to read more about Pauls travels through the wet tropics of Australia and though the Indonesian and Bornean rainforests here is the link to his blog which demonstrates his passion for the environment and his skills as a wildlife and environmental photographer.
http://calderacreations.blogspot.com/
I am often asked about the best way to grow pitayas, they are a climbing cacti which require a support structure to grow on. It is common to see them scrambling up trees, however picking the fruit from the top of a cacti covered tree presents its own obvious problems. In my view John Picone has the best technique for growing these interesting fruits getting a bumper crop within reach so the delicious fruits can be easily harvested.
John grows his pitaya's on chest high round posts, they are ideal. The vines reach the top of the post and are allowed to form multiple arms off the top of the post, this way the vines produce bumper crops in a small space. Some of the round posts are connected with a board along the top of the posts which the pitayas are trained along.
And what do they taste like? The pitaya or dragon fruits are delicious, they have a delicate flavour, the flesh is watery and textured with the small black edible seeds. They are lovely eaten fresh out of hand or sliced into a fruit salad. If you are local you will find John at the New Brighton Farmers Market on Tuesdays and the Byron Bay Farmers Market on Thursdays.
In Spring our plants grow fast but often are not Mail Order size and Quality. But now that it is Autumn our plants are ready to be sent to your doorstep which is why we have our March to May Freight Offer which saves you 25% Off Freight.
For the first time we are including Western Australia in this Freight Offer due to more customers from WA placing orders with us making this possible. Thank you.
My Edible's was originally designed to allow each of us to keep track of the trees that we are growing in our home orchards, enabling us to upload photos and share information about how trees have performed in our gardens and how we succeed in growing our fruit trees. My Edible's can be used to record information about fertilizing, pruning and pest control as well as recording your bumper harvests and how you used your home grown fruits.
We are currently upgrading this page to enable everyone to open an account. By logging in you will have access to your last 10 sales invoices with us, showing what you purchased and when. There is also a display of all the plants that you have requested an email or sms notification for so you can keep track of these requests.
We are currently working on a wish list, this will allow you to create a list of plants that you dream about growing, once it is set up it will show you the current availability of all the plants that you want to add to your orchard.
We would love to here any feedback you may have for us about My Edible's and if you have any other ideas that you would like to see on this page please let us know.
There is nothing quite like the taste of home grown strawberries, the flavour and texture of this delicious soft fruit is always best enjoyed straight from the garden. Our bare rooted strawberry runners will be available from mid April. We are taking pre purchase orders now so you can get your orders in early and come the winter months you will be picking your own home grown strawberries. http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/Strawberry-Fragaria-virginiana.htm
The name strawberry is often thought to come from the fact that straw is used as the perfect mulch as it helps to keep the fruit off the ground, however the name strawberry is more likely to have it origins in the old name strewn berry referring to the fact that the runners love to spread themselves from the parent plant.
Description and Origin: An Avocado Tree are large upright trees growing to about 9m, depending on the variety, although vigorous seedlings can reach twice this size if the conditions are right.
The Wurtz is the smallest variety reaching only 4-6m, making it suitable for smaller home gardens.
Avocados are native to southern Mexico. There are three groups of avocado, Mexican, Guatemalan and West Indian. Most of our varieties are hybrids between the Mexican and the Guatemalan, these trees are a little more cold hardy that the more tropical West Indian varieties which are seldom seen in Australia.
Dwarf Wurtz Avocado Tree
Grouping and Pollination: Avocados are split into two groups, A and B, for the purposes of cross pollination. If a variety from each group is planted together they will cross pollinate with each other and each tree will produce more fruit than if grown on its own. The fruits take different lengths of time to mature from flowering therefore the fruiting season will also be extended. If there is only room for one tree the A groups tend be more self fertile and will set better on their own than the B group.
Video: Cross Pollination for Avocado Trees
Video: Can Avocado Trees Fruit all year Round?
The answer to this is no but you can vastly improve the length of time that Avocados come off the tree. We explain it in this video:
Location and Planting: Avocados require a full sun position with protection from strong and salt laden winds. The root system is spreading and competitive and they should not be planting too close to buildings or pathways. They do not like root disturbance so take care when planting to disturb the roots as little as possible, to remove young trees from their growing container, cut down the side of the bag and gently lift them out. Give the tree plenty of room to mature; the minimum spacing should be 6m or more between trees. Avocados are very fussy about drainage and will not accept anything less than perfect drainage. 24 hours in a waterlogged position will kill an avocado tree. Avocados thrive in rich, deep, sandy loam soils with a ph of 6-7. They will not survive in a position with poor drainage. If the planting site has heavy clay soils it will need to be mounded with a large pile of compost so that the tree is planted into the mound above ground level, the mound may need to be 1m tall and wide or more if possible. This is essential for good drainage and the survival of the tree.
Water and Nutrients: Trees grow and produce better fruits if they receive regular moisture. Over irrigation can induce rot which is the main reason that avocados fail. To test to see if irrigation is necessary dig a hole about 20cm deep and test the soil by squeezing it together, if it is moist and holds together do not irrigate, if it crumbles in the hand, it may be watered. Young trees are fairly nutrient hungry and like rich, organic soils. Regular applications of fertilizer with added nitrogen, about 4 times a year will be beneficial. Mature trees need only one application of fertilizer in the spring during fruit set with a reduced nitrogen ratio. Too much nitrogen results in excessive leaf growth at the expense of fruit production. Alkaline soils can result in iron chlorosis which appears as yellowing of the leaves, this can be corrected with applications of chelated iron.
Protection and Pruning: Young trees will need protection from both frost and very hot direct sunlight which can burn the stems and trunk of young plants. A small house constructed of 4 star pickets or tomato stakes wrapped with shade cloth or Hessian will do the trick. On cold frosty nights a hat can be placed over this structure to protect young trees. The Bacon has the greatest cold tolerance of the avocado varieties; this can endure temperatures down to -5 degrees. Once established most varieties can handle -2 degrees with little damage. Young avocados can be tip pruned to encourage a bushy habit. Mostly though, avocados do not need pruning. If the tender green branches are exposed to direct sunlight they can suffer from sunburn and dieback. Whitewash any exposed branches with diluted white paint to prevent this.
Mulching: Mulch avocado tree with a thick layer or organic mulch like Lucerne hay. This not only retains moisture levels in the soil, but it also suppresses weeds, protects the root system from extremes in temperature as well as adding essential nutrients to the soil. Make sure to keep the area around the stem of the plant free from mulch, it should never come into contact with the tree as this can cause the trunk to rot.
Harvesting: Knowing when to harvest the fruits can be tricky, mature fruits will show the following signs; the fruit stem will become more yellow, when the fruit is cut and the seed removed, the seed coat is dry and does not stick to the flesh, it is a dark brown colour, dark skinned varieties will show a change in colour from green to purple. Knowing which variety you are growing will tell you when to pick the fruit. If you are unsure pick only one fruit and leave it for 7-10 day to ripen, once it softens the flesh should be a rich green colour, soft and buttery. If the fruit turns black and wilts it is not ripe and needs to be left longer on the tree. Varieties are harvested as follows: Bacon- March – May, Fuerte- April – June, Hass- July – August, Pinkerton- June -August, Reed- August – December, Secondo- August – December, Sharwill- June – July, Sheppard- February – April, Wurtz- August – October.
A. CARE OF PLANTS BEFORE PLANTING
Place trees in a position that has direct sunlight for at least half the day and protection from strong winds. Water regularly and thoroughly.
B. SITE PREPARATION
If possible, site preparation should begin 6 months prior to planting. The following points should be considered:
1. Fencing the Orchard. This is particularly important if your trees are subject to damage from stock or native wildlife particularly wallabies.
2. For poor soil (i.e. less than 1 metre of top soil and heavy clay soils) Deep Ripping is advised to improve drainage (rip to a depth of at least 45cm). The last Ripping should be down the slope, as deep as possible to help sub-soil drainage. Erosion control will prevent washing out of furrows.
Diversion Drains at top of orchard site are recommended.
3. If soil is too shallow, mounding of tree rows will improve drainage as well as increase depth of topsoil.
4. Green Manure Crops improve the organic matter content of soil and can be ploughed in approx 1 month prior to planting.
5. Wind break trees are very important and should be planted before fruit trees. Windbreaks should be planted along south, west and east sides of orchard, leaving the north side open.
C. PLANTING THE TREES
Most trees can be planted out at most times of the year, provided the following points are followed:
1. If soil is not well drained it is advised to make a circular mound 1.5 metres across and 20-30cm high. This can be achieved by bringing outside loamy soil to the planting site or alternatively mound existing soil. Do Not plant trees in holes in heavy clay soils as the hole will act like a sump and hold excess water.
2. The trees should be watered thoroughly several hours before planting to moisten the root ball. Planting trees out with the root ball dry or partially dry will result in roots being damaged. The site should also be thoroughly watered the day before planting.
3. Make a hole in the soil or mound twice the width of the pot and the same depth as the pot. Remove the tree from the pot and lightly tease roots down side of the root ball and loosen any matted roots at base of root balls. Fill in soil around roots, making sure not to plant root ball any more than 2cm lower than it was in the container. Trees will suffer if planted too deep. Soil should be firmed down well after planting. At least 20 litres of water should be applied to each tree to settle in soil around roots. A saucer shaped depression 50cm in diameter will help hold water when watering in.
Applying a Slow Release Fertilizer at planting will help the young trees off to a good start. This can be applied by scratching into the surface around the young tree. One of the following or a mixture can be applied.
Blood Bone, Dynamic Lifter, Osmocote, Nutricote or Nitrophoska
If mixture is applied, reduce quantities of each proportionally. If soil is acid also apply dolomite or lime.
5. Staking - trees are better off not staked, but if needed, two tomato stakes on each side of tree (30cm from tree) will support tree by using old pantyhose or similar material.
6. Mulching the trees with old straw, hay etc, will stop soil from drying out, heating up, stops weeds from germinating and also adds valuable organic matter. Do Not apply mulch against trunk of tree as Collar Rots may occur. Trees that are susceptible to frost damage are better off without mulch during the winter months, the reason being that bare soil kept moist will absorb heat during the day and radiate this heat at night reducing severity of frost.
7. Grow Bags placed over young trees will give protection during the winter months and allow an early growth in spring. They also protect trees from wildlife.
D. CARE OF TREES AFTER PLANTING
1. Plant tags and ties – It is important to remove any tags and ties. Even a thin string can ring bark and kill a tree as it grows. Ties can be left on to secure a tree to its stake in the early stages but the tension must be frequently monitored. Relocate labels to an adjacent stake.
2. Weed Control - Most important if trees are to grow quickly. Weeds shouldn’t be allowed to grow within one metre of the tree for the first year. After this keep area out to the drip line (i.e. width of foliage) free of weeds. Mulch will control most weeds.
3. Fertilising-Trees will respond to feeding. How often and how much fertiliser to apply will depend on soil type and the trees requirements (refer to Dept. of Ag 'Ag Facts' for specific requirements). If you do not want to use chemical fertilisers consider applying one or a combination of organic fertilizers (e.g. poultry manure, rock phosphate, blood and bone etc).
4. The use of Organic Mulch is very important for healthy trees. Any organic material can be used, e.g. Lawn clippings, weeds, straw etc. Hay, especially soybean stubble is excellent. As the mulches break down they will feed the tree with valuable nutrients.
5. Watering-Setting up a permanent under-tree sprinkler irrigation system is well worth considering. Frequency and amount of watering will depend on a number of factors, but a good watering once a week is a good guideline.
6. Remove any shoots coming from below graft on grafted trees while trees are young. The removal promotes growth of grafted variety only.
6. Pruning-Fruit trees need pruning to produce good crops of fruit as well as keep trees to a manageable size. Most deciduous fruit trees in particular need annual pruning. Pruning also invigorates the tree and encourages new fruiting wood for the following year
