Grafted Fruit Trees in Texas

• Grow citrus in southern and coastal Texas. Tom Brakefield/Stockbyte/Getty Images

  Almost any type of fruit will grow in the Lone Star State, and if you want high-quality, abundant fruit, Texas A&M University recommends that you plant a grafted variety. Grafted trees consist of a rootstock of one hardy variety and the limbs from another, which bear fruit. The actual graft looks like a small scar part of the way up the trunk of the tree. Grafted trees bear faster and better than trees grown from seed, and are more resistant to cold, insects and disease. Purchase 3- to 4-foot bare root seedlings for planting in January and February, when sap runs slowly and trees suffer less transplant shock.

Stone Fruit Trees

• Peaches, plums and nectarines are all stone fruits, meaning they have a pit or stone in their centers. Nectarine cultivars such as Sun Red, Crimson Gold and Redglobe offer small-, medium- and large-sized fruit from late April to mid-July. Sun Red should only be planted in north and central Texas, USDA zones 6 and 7. For plums, plant two cultivars to ensure cross-pollination and fruit set. Bruce, Allred and Methley are hardy for zones 1 through 6. For peaches, plant Springgold, Sentinel or Harvester. Peaches are self-pollinators, so you only need to plant one to get fruit. Ask for rootstocks that are nematode-resistant, since this can be a problem for peach trees in Texas.

Pome Fruit Trees

• Apples and pears are classified as pome fruits, with thin skins and cores that hold seeds. Because they need cooler temperatures to produce fruit and won't produce in hot, humid areas of the state, they should be grown in north-central Texas for best yields. Apple cultivars include Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala and Granny Smith. Orient, Moonglow, Ayres and Warren are all types of pear cultivars. Texas A&M recommends Calleryana and Old Home rootstock trees for best results, and warns that Asian pear cultivars are susceptible to fire blight.

Citrus Fruit Trees

• Citrus is best grown in warm, coastal areas of southern Texas. Most citrus fruits have a rind and juicy, sectioned fruit with seeds at the center. Sour orange is the most common and hardy citrus rootstock for Texas, and can support a wide variety of orange, grapefruit, lime and lemon grafts. For oranges, Valencia and Hamlin are common in the state. Grapefruit varieties include Marsh, Ruby Red and Star Ruby. Lemon cultivars include Meyer and Eureka, while limes recommended for Texas include Tahiti and Mexican. Citrus trees require cross-pollination to ensure a crop, so plant more than one cultivar of each.