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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] suitable rootstock for zone 4 peaches?

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  • From: Douglas Woodard <dwoodard@becon.org>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] suitable rootstock for zone 4 peaches?
  • Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:19:51 -0400

The late Percy Wright of Saskatchewan mentioned in the Pomona that he had an uncle in a marginal peach growing area in BC who liked to graft a Prairie-hardy cherry-plum (Prunus bessey x P. salicina crosses; Sapa, Sapalta, Dura, Manor for example) into the tops of his peach trees. The theory was that the cherry-plum would influence the peach to go into dormancy earlier and advance farther into its cold-resistance cycle before the really cold weather hit, and the uncle may have hoped that the cherry-plum would give better maximum hardiness.

The late Fred Ashworth, a NAFEX elder and co-founder, reportedly used to bind up the branches of peach trees (presumably pruned small for the purpose; I disremember whether he used dwarfing roostocks) and stack old tires around them. I expect he used some kind of roof on the stack. This was at Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, which I think is classed as Zone 4 by optimists.

Doug Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada


On 27/03/2011 10:58 PM, Mark and Alisha Fehringer wrote:
The question was asked about using Prunus americana, native American plum, as
a rootstock for peach. I budded some peaches onto native plum roots 5-6
years ago with mixed results. Each year they put on a nice growth of 2-4'.
The grafts seem plenty strong as they hold up against our high winds.
However they probably have had at least 90% dieback each winter. Last summer
I mounded some earth up around them to try to get the peach to self-root and
they appear to have overwintered very well this time, but of course I'm not
sure there's a connection. I was going to remove them this spring if they
had severe dieback, but it looks like they might be pardoned another year.

Mark
Northeast Colorado
zone 4 and windy




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