Backyard Chill Hours for fruit trees - Microclimates

 

Yarrahapinni Blood 

Guess your backyards Chill hours?

Answer: [My location or District, State] [Chill Hours]
eg. Kyogle, NSW 400 hours

Chill hours are "very loosely" defined as the number of hours below 7 degrees you get in Winter.

If lots of people comment from the same area as you, Then you can use the maths of averaging to get a more accurate picture where you live (Great for beginners) so please all you old hands help out.
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This picture is of a Yarrahapinni Blood Plum and requires 450 chill hours to fruit ( Medium Chill )

What happens if you get it Wrong?
**Too low** - eg. 200 chill hours (Low Chill location)
Answer: Worst scenario is when this plant is deciduous (no leaves) in winter. The fruit tree would think it hasn't got enough chill and may never break dormancy (grow leaves again). Otherwise it may wait too long even into summer to break dormancy and may also die out. Best scenario is where some varieties handle the wrong chill hours very well and may break dormancy and fruit but are likely to do this at unexpected times. Found out by Trial and Error.

**Too High** - eg. 800 chill hours (High Chill location)
Answer: Worst case scenario is during winter you may get 1 hotter than normal day. Since the chill hour requirement has been met it will think it's time to break dormancy. As soon as it does the temperature drops again and the leaves drop and the tree may die this way. Again some varieties handle this better than others and you need to find this out by Trial and error. 

Microclimates and Chill Hours: Just because you live in Melbourne doesn't mean you are high chill and just because you live on the QLD sunshine coast doesn't mean you are low/no chill. We don't mean that some parts of Melbourne have a tropical climate but you may live in a bizarre microclimate location where hot air rushes up early morning and the opposite may be the case in the QLD sunshine coast where you may live in a cold pocket allowing you to grow plants with chill requirements. If so let us all know what successes you have had. #chillhours #fruittrees #plumtree #YarrahapinniPlum

Dwarf Plum Gulf Gold Fruit Tree for Sale

Dwarf Plum - Gulf Gold Fruit Tree is our favourite of all the stone fruit. Yes we know it's a big call. It is Low Chill, (350 Chill Hours) excellent juicy flavour and doesn't seem to attract as many fruit fly as other varieties and fills the branches when it crops. Dwarf Gulf Golds can fruit by themselves but to get a better crop you can match them with a Gulf Ruby Plum Tree. We can't say enough good things about this variety and have done lots of videos on it over the years.

Buy Burdekin Plum Fruit Tree - The Australian Native Plum

For Sale Burdekin Plum Fruit Tree

You are looking at an Australian native plum tree called the Burdekin plum fruit tree. The problem with this plum is it comes off hard and it needs to be ripened away from the air. Aboriginals were said to have taught the European settlers to bury them in the ground which softens them and brings out the flavour. However an air tight container will do the trick. What sets this tree apart from other plums is that once established it can handle a long nasty dry spell common to Australia. Plant a few of these because their shade is splendid. Our webpage on this plum has some great tips on getting the most from this tree left by different people from across Australia.

Video: Plum Tree - Gulf Ruby Fruit Tree

This is a Gulf ruby plum tree and it is a really great low chill plum so it is great if you are in warmer areas. It cross pollinates with all the other gulf series plums. So you can cross pollinate it with a gulf Gold or Gulf blade. They are really lovely delicious plum. Their skin is very waxy and if you just polish it up they are a beautiful bright red skinned plum with yellow flesh. When they are fully ripe they are really delicious but you can eat them fresh off the tree and they are a bit hard and a bit sour but tangy. I think this is a beautiful plum a really versatile plum.

Uses: Preserve them, Bottle them, Eat them Fresh or make Jam.

Buy the Gulf Ruby Plum Tree
http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/buy/plum-gulf-ruby-tree.htm

Gulf Ruby Plum

Gulf Ruby plums, we have had a bumper crop on our gulf ruby plum this year. When fully ripe they are sweet and juicy. Cross pollinate with a Gulf Gold plum and then thin the fruits so the weight of them does not break the branches on your tree. You will still have enough fruit to feed the family, bottle and make jam too.

Why Peach and Plum Trees can Fruit a Years Supply of fruit each Season

Our Peachcot Ora A Tree is always a star performer. It is resistant to black spot and is the perfect mix between a peach and apricot. When it fruits you have more than enough so to get a years supply you just need yourself a food dehydrator that you can pack full and then use them in cakes, breakfast muesli and sweetening up a salad. But of course when eaten off the tree the high water content of this juicy fruit is oh so refreshing.

Peachcott Ora A

Our Plum Tree the  Gulf Ruby needs a Gulf Gold to pollinate it. The two work perfectly together because it is Novemeber and we will have lots of fruit from this Gulf Ruby but when it is finished the Gulf Gold Plum tree will start fruiting.

Gulf Ruby Plum Tree

Fruit Trees Springing into Action

My first Pomegranate Galusha Rosavaya (Best Tasting Fruit) Flowers after only 1 year. Huge Flowers and rich orange,red colour.


In the subtropics where we don't get the right chill hours you can still grow apples you just need the right varieties. I have chosen the Dwarf Dorsett Golden Apple Tree which is already fruiting in my first year since getting them from Daleys.


Apples like cross pollination so I also got the subtropical variety called the Dwarf Tropic Sweet Apple Tree.


My Babaco after many flowers dropping off is finally nursing a babaco or champagne fruit through to completion. After 3 years I am delighted.


I have already repotted the babaco.


The Gulf Ruby Plum gave me fruit last year and looks like it won't disappoint this year. I noticed last year the fruit was on the trunk but this year it is on the branches. Perhaps it likes to fruit on new growth.


I have about many different varieties of blueberry plants for cross pollination. My favourite variety is misty for it's size but some other varieties are better in taste. My advise is don't just get one variety.


The Sugar Herb Stevia only has a limited lifespan but it is easy to uproot a portion of the main plant and then replant as I have done in my Black Sapotes pot. Stevia is sweet and has a strong minty aftertaste.


The panama berry has covered itself into flowers and the smell is overbearing when you are close to this plant. The flowers, fruit and leaves omit a fragrant smell. Best of all it has a long fruiting time except for winter.

My Florigon Mango Tree is grafted and wants to fruit straight away. By keeping this flower it will dwarf new growth and hamper the size of next years crop. Regardless I am going to try and get 1 mango from this baby mango tree.


My coffee plants which I am growing in pots have finished producing their red berries and are pushing some new growth as the weather heats up. I am expecting them to break into flower in summer.


Daleys Dwarf Black Mulberry Trees are the best tasting variety you will get. Far better tasting then the sometimes acidic tasting ones you find in parks throughout Brisbane


This Bowen Mango Flower has got a fungus from the rain we had in Brisbane a few months ago. My best course of action is to cut all the flowers and hope I get more flowers. Then spray them with copper spray and anthracnose spray


I haven't had too much luck with my Red Dragon Fruit cropping perhaps because I haven't chosen a sunny enough position but it is looking healthy. I have recently seen a few dragon fruit farms on the outskirts of Brisbane.