Alachua, FL (September 13, 2022) - Mast orchards are a great way to attract and hold more wildlife while improving habitat, and the more variety of plants, the better the result. Soft mast species like pears, apples and crabapples help bridge the nutritional gap between summer's succulents and fall's hard mast. Chestnut Hill Outdoors offers enough variety of each that there's at least one, and often several suitable to most any habitat or climate conditions.
Apples
Chestnut Hill Outdoors offers three apple varieties, each differing in chilling requirement - the degree of winter temperatures necessary to induce the tree to break dormancy and begin flowering and bearing. Each is also better suited to different Plant Hardiness Zones.
Arkansas Black apples are better suited to slightly cooler climates, while Pink Lady apples do better in warmer temperatures and Winesaps fall somewhere in between. All can produce fruit in 2-3 years, depending on climate and care received during and after planting. Like all apples, they require at least two trees for pollination—however, the more variety, the better the mast production.
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Crabapples
Native require little care or maintenance after planting and have high survival rates because they are placed in their natural environment. They're also cool, hardy to USDA plant zones 6-8, and produce an abundance of small fruits favored by deer and other wildlife.
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Pears
Pears often get overlooked by landowners but not by wildlife. They provide a great gap-filler in the mast calendar when herbaceous vegetation is maturing and dying and hard mast has yet to drop. Varieties like the Flordahome Pear provide fruit as early as July and August in southern Plant Hardiness zones (8-10). The pineapple ear reaches peak production in August and September in zones 5 - 9. Then the Spalding and Kieffer Pears take over from September through October in similar zones. Several other varieties may be more suitable to your particular soil, moisture and climate conditions, and all are listed and described on the Chestnut Hill Outdoors website: www.chestnuthilloutdoors.com
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Chestnut Hill Outdoors is more than just a nursery. In order to ensure you receive the maximum benefit from their products, they also provide sound advice and instruction on proper planting and care. And they ensure the plants you receive are suited to your regional climate. For more on the varieties listed above and all Chestnut Hill Outdoors products and how to care for them, visit ChestnutHillOutdoors.com, or call (855) 386-7826.
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