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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HillsideDesolate" data-source="post: 4082043" data-attributes="member: 51737">[URL unfurl="true"]https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/home-fruit-planting-guide.html[/URL][URL unfurl="true"]https://extension.okstate.edu/topics/plants-and-animals/crops/fruits-and-tree-nuts/[/URL]Dont worry about getting the trees started before the bees, you are looking at 3-4 years after planting for your first fruit. Even if they did bloom it would be long before your nuc gets here. you actually want to pick off any fruit that forms the first few so the tree puts its energy to roots not fruitAgree on standard or semi dwarf root stock. dwarf trees are dwarfed because the root stock doesn't make roots. Standard root stocks ensure a good root system. To keep trees small prune new growth in summer, larger branches in dotmancy. The general rule is horizontal growth good, vertical growth bad. The fruiting hormone does not like to go up, if that makes sense, horizontal do downwards branches will produce more fruit. Pruning vertical growth to under 1 inch can establish next years fruit spurs.  Different varieties of trees do better with different pruning styles.  I highly recommend espallier, virtually all modern commercial fruit  orchards are a ewSpalliered, it increases production and reduces labor when time to pick.  OSU should have recommendations for rootstocks. Plums and peaches can also grow on their own roots instead of grafting, both are semi dwarfs naturallySweet Cherries are a no go In Ok, they can't tolerate the weather. I have heard of some success with Stella which is also self fruiting and a natural dwarf. Apples and pears have a longer maturity time than other fruit, look for varieties proven locally and disease resistant. The red cedars carry both pear and apple rust fungus. I would suggest varieties on OSUs sheet or other nearby states. you want " southern varieties" that can deal with our increased solar exposure, remember that we are south of Los Angeles sunlight wise. I'm growing Arkansas Black,(no fruit yet) but its triploid meaning it won't pollinate other trees so you need 3 variety for fruit. Apples are not true to seed and have a huge amount to genetic variation, apples from seed generally fall into about 5% good 20% edible 25% edible when cooked and 50% cider and a one in a million Chance you got the next granny smith and are now a multi millionaire. fruit is gonna be about a decade out from seed. Commercially new seedling varieties are tested out by grafting to an existing tree to speed production. Peaches are probably the best variety of fruit for oklahoma, they do so well here that they naturalise. Next best is plums.  I put in European plums in spring and they are growing. My Japanese plums shipped from WA and GA respectively  both sprouted and died, may be our soil, but I will try again. North central Japan is actually close to OK climate wise.  American and Chickasaw Plums are both native to OK and do great here, mine were seedlings from a landrace rather than named varieties.Fruit trees do not like to be started in full sun. Think about a Forrest and how young trees are shaded by the canopy. Plant young trees with a fast growing nitrogen fixing "nurse tree" that will be cut down and munched when no longer needed. . fast growing nitrogen fixers will also help you learn how to prune with no penalty for screw ups and multiple chances a year.  You will also.leave a few of your nitrogen fixers around after your fruit trees mature or use nitrogen fixing shrupb. Also plant white clover as a ground cover in your orchard area. Another trick with fruit trees is to stagger your harvest so everything doesn't ripen at once, there are early, mid and late varieties so you can have a continued harvest throughout the summer, they also overlap bloom times for polination.</blockquote>

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