Fruit trees for moist landscape?

Are there any fruit trees or shrubs that will grow well in a very moist area that may flood occassionally?

My response would be to not plant them IN the ground, but ON the ground. You dig an inch or 3 deep, set the plant in it bare root, and "fill" it up with soil around it so it sits on a hill like. Than mulch it deeply.
That way it always has some dry roots when the floor is under water.
Don't forget to water a bit more in summer though, they also dry out faster in summer!
I planted several fruit trees like that, partly because we have drenching winters here, and partly because the soil had other roots so I couldn't dig too deep.

Take a look at my trees if you like. They have grown so much this year, the roots find their way!
http://mrschristiecolla.spaces.live.com

Christie

I've been trying to think of a fruit you find in a swamp and I'm stumped. Cranberries grow in bogs but they won't grow where you are. You could use raised beds made out of pressure treated lumber. ???

There are several rootstocks available for wet soils. Any fruit tree can be found grafted onto any rootstock.

That's easier said than done. If I go into my local nursery and ask them for wet root stock on whatever tree I'm sure I'll get a strange look. That's over my head but I'm sure if you know what your doing you could pull it off.

You might try the Mayhaw tree. I have seen them grow wild in some really swampy areas.
Oldude

Muscadines? I really don't know. What about planting a weeping willow with stuff around it? It will suck up the excess wet.

Thanks, everyone! I might try growing close to the surface like Christie said.

Christie - your yard is amazing! How do you keep weeds down with so many plants? Are you weeding every day?

There are lots of trees you could plant, willow, river birch, cypress etc.

Check with U of Florida extension. Many of the tropical fruits appear to like wet feet, including some citrus.

Besides the few strands of grass here and there, I don't have weeds. The backyard, that's another thing. We have bindweed that just won't go away! It is a clean piece of land right now, we are making plans for planting it, but I will have to get to the bindweed first, it is a nasty, nasty weed!
Christie

PS; sorry if the rootstock idea was a bit far fetched; I have easy acces to different rootstocks, so it didn't occur to me not everybody is as fortunate or fanatic about trees as me...
But the planting "on a hill" will work, it does for me, and we have rain for 4 to 6 months here at times.

Hey, what about a banana tree?

This may be helpful.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/nursery/430-026/430-026.html

Bananas like water but will rot in standing water.

figs seem to like the water...i have several tropical fruit trees on a built up yard, they are doing great!

I have 3 Satuma Orange trees that are doing well, really loaded this year. Water stands on their plot, and if more than a day, I run a sump pump about a foot deep in a hole, centered between the plants.
I also have a Fuyu persimmon in the ground nearby that is doing extremely well. There are several large wild persimmon trees in the nearby area. All of my several fig trees seem to do fine with any amount of water, and I frequently get Bananas, which need a lot of water.

trois

I think if it were me I would build the beds up so the roots can escape drowning......I am on heavy clay and plant most things in built up beds filled with a sandy soil mix ....even avacado will grow that way.....with built up beds you can grow almost anything.:)

There's a thread here somewhere from about a year ago about rain gardening, too. You might google that.

I read an article or book that had a list of fruit trees that do well in wet areas, dry areas, shade etc. I will try and find the list this week end.

I have a wet area in my yard and I have planted guavas and jaboticabas in that area and they have grown great. Jaboticabas grow on river banks in Brazil and will survive periodic flooding.

DW