In my greenhouse with little wind and no bees, peaches set better than nectarines. The set on nectarines can be improved by wetting them with water once or twice a day during bloom. I think that must help move the pollen from the anthers to the stigma.
I also have poor set outdoors on both peaches and nectarine. Some was freeze damage but I think some is lack of chilling. They bloomed but didn’t set and no freeze after bloom.
All my trees are in the open, and this year we had a lot of rainy and windy days during bloom, so I don’t think the lack of pollen movement was an issue. Most of the peaches set as if they were channeling their inner blueberry. 
Nectarines are completely different in this aspect.
Nope. Same old poor set. Wet years, cool years, dry years, high chill years, low chill years. Ive topworked just about all my nectarines over to peaches. With exception of Arctic star, which sets ok, doesnt size worth a darn, but I enjoy snacking on. Of zero commercial use tho.
I never noticed a difference between peaches and nectarines.setting. Both set well. All gardening is local! I get about 80 on each of my two trees. I probably thinned 150 off.
I’m doing a lot of grafting so expect a smaller number of fruits this year, as some fruiting wood is going to be cut off. Actually a lot as I plan to graft like a beast.Takes are low as all know, so I will be doing a lot to at least get one of each cultivar.
Last year my Nectaplum had few flowers, not sure why? But it set almost all of them, so i got about 30 fruit. This year it’s loaded with flower buds like all my other trees usually are. Something killed many of the buds last winter. Not sure what?
My nectarine is on Lovell rootstock that I bough from big box store. It has never had any problems of setting fruits. My peaches ( reliance, July Elberta) were brought from starkbro, don’t know on what root stocks. Both set fruits well too. However, the more I look at my July Elberta ripe date which is consistently the last week of August, the more I suspicious the tree I received isn’t July Elberta that I have ordered.
Yes, my comments are only as pertains to nectarines in the Phoenix valley. I continue to try new types of nectarines but other than arctic start…none set enough to be worth growing. And arctic star doesnt size right for me.
Spice Zee is getting the topwork treatment soon. Huge mature tree, massive bloom, crap set. Yet another dave wilson looser.
I would be curious as to why nectarines don’t set well in the west. And why us in the east never knew it was a problem. I noticed that peach trees are fairly weak trees, and can bend or even break with a heavy load. Arctic Glo does not. The wood appears strong, Funny how different nectarines are from peaches, yet the same species. It is believed the first nectarines were sports. Now we breed new ones.
. Maybe try wetting the flowers a few times. I have heard this is a technique with some plants to transfer pollen on self fertile plants. Rain and humidity seem to help fungal spores, maybe pollen too? OK, I see this sort of thing was suggested already. Oh well, nothing wrong with some good peaches instead!
Eric,
Your sentiments about nectarines match mine, the exception being that many nectarines set decently here. But, it’s difficult to produce a good looking nectarine, and harder to produce a good tasting one. I used to have about a dozen varieties and now down to about 4.
I hear you Alan. I visited San Diego twice last year, and I loved it, however; I very much missed the dense greenery that we have here in the NE. When I returned back to DE and saw all the lush surroundings, I felt like my soul was returning back to me…
We have thrips here. The one really good fruit propagation nursery in town swears that our nectarine issue is thrip damage. Ive looked into spraying for thrips but it means likely massacring alot of bees during our bloom. And I still doubt its the issue, im quite sure the scarring on set nectarines is thrip damage but personally I dont think its the issue with crap set. Meh, nectarines…ill just do without. Peaches are just so damn easy.
Every time I get the temptation to plant more nectarines, I have an 800# I call, attend meetings, share my struggles. They talk me down.
Same here, if we can get past the weather.
We have 3 days coming up with 70+ temps which will bring a lot of blooms out, then Weather Underground is projecting 24.
Re: this spring weather, I had a fellow grower text me, “Be a farmer they said. Grow peaches, it will be fun they said!”
Any farm ground for sale in AZ?
Your scarred fruit is most definitely thrips damage! In order to fight thrips you should spray spinnosid on your nectarine bloom once it is at early petal fall, dead bug jacks is your spray. Spray your blooms in evening so you will not impact the bees, one spray is enough! You will be blessed with beautiful nectarines!! If done in evening you won’t even kill a single bee!! Nectarines are my favorite fruit, besides June Pride Peach!!
That is a good idea about the spinosad at night! Luckily thrips are not an issue here.
I could use this for raspberries though, so thanks! They are always in bloom!
Yep, but its so expensive round here that about all that’s getting planted are subdivisions.
Nectarine farm just doesnt have the same cache!
Love the look of those peach trucks!
Trucks live forever in the desert. My first landscape truck was a 65 Ford 1-ton with a rack body and a lift gate. It only had about 70 grand on it when rust sent it to the grave about 8 years ago. It spent its early years below the snow belt mostly parked in a garage. They didn’t change those 350’s much between 55 and 65.
Arizona is legendary for its rust free vintage autos. We have that 49 thats pictured, also a 1941, a 1948, a 1964 and a 1966. All are Arizona farm trucks with exception of the 66. It was a california truck and does have very minor rust. The 1941 is the most remarkable. Absolutely rust free after nearly 80 years !
My two nectarine trees appear to be setting almost no fruit. It was the first year I was going to get a real crop. I picked most blossoms off last year but missed a few and they set fruit. Very high insect and disease pressures here though. The Peachtree nearby has no trouble selling fruit. Unfortunately it’s in rough shape due to a pruning job.
