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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Peach rootstock

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  • From: Douglas Woodard <dwoodard@becon.org>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Peach rootstock
  • Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:26:14 -0500

John Bunker, about 25-30 years ago when I was living near the eastern end of Lake Ontario, I got a small batch of Reliance peach on Prunus americana rootstock. They were feeble, the leaves were more red than green, and they soon died. Reports I have read state that peach is not compatible long term on Prunus americana. Possibly in ideal soil with ideal care they might last a few years and crop (one I sold to friends in Kingston gave them one crop which they liked and then died) but this is not something for a nursery with a reputation to maintain. I was on Lansdowne clay, which is why I tried them.

A few years back when I was in closer touch with the industry, Bailey seedlings were the favoured rootstock for peach in Ontario. I think Bailey = Indian Cling; at any rate it is an old Indian peach from the U.S. midwest. There had been some work with Siberian C for Kent and Essex counties near Windsor-Detroit, and Niagara Peninsula above the escarpment, but Chui Lum Tao seedlings were regarded as more promising
for these areas in initial trials.

Ragarding plum rootstocks in order of decreasing cold hardiness, Pershore Yellow Egg (hardy to zone 4), St. Julien A (zone 5) and Brompton (5b/6a) are considered compatible with peach and apricot. The late Dr. Gus Tehrani of Vineland Station told me that in his work Pershore Yellow Egg roots tended to grow more on one side than the other and trees on this stock were not windfirm enough for Ontario.

If you want to experiment you might try Krikon Damson, which I think originated in Russia though I'm not sure. Vineland used to have some virus-free material which they had obtained from a U.S. station. It is a notch more cold-hardy than Stanley or Mount Royal, according to Minnesota tests published around 1950.

If you can produce Mount Royal vegetatively it might be good for a rootstock for European plums in cold areas, and might be worth trying for peach as a long shot. Mount Royal is slightly dwarfish and is said to be disease resistant. It survived for lengthy periods at Morden, Manitoba but was killed by test winters.

Prunus tenella or its hybrids might be interesting if you are curious and have plenty of time and land. Muckle plum (ornamental) from Manitoba was originally though to be a bybrid of P. tenella and P. nigra but I understand is now thought to be P. nigra.

Doug Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada


john bunker wrote:
Pete,

We can special order peach rootstock for you. We are also experimenting
with grafting peach onto Prunus americana. We have had poor success spring
whip and tongue grafting peaches. Generally, bud grafting is far more
successful with peaches. If you are interested in more help, please feel
free to contact me.
Best regards,
John Bunker

Fedco
P.O. Box 520
Waterville ME 04903
phone: 207 873-7333
fax: 207 872-8317
<fedcoseeds.com>

"planting trees is good to do" ���



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