I have had weeks old scions try to set fruit….lol
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The tallest tree that I transplanted, though probably not the biggest, was an ironwood tree. My father had just told me that what he’d really like by the walkway up to the house was an ironwood, but they took so long to grow. Within a couple days I saw one while turkey hunting not that far from home.
When I saw it I knew it was a sucker off of a shallow root next to and crowding the mother tree, I only had a pair of limb clippers with me but I just knew it was all I needed i was so sure that I could pull it out of the ground that I didn’t even use two hands, I basically picked it up with the roots and clipped other off from the main tree easily and broke off a smallish taproot thingy and carried it home, it was about 18 feet tall but probably not even 2” at the base, and had about a 2 foot squarish flat root system which was basically sitting on top of the ground originally, I buried that mostly 8” deep in fertile soil, tied the tree up with a rope stretched between the dying wood apple and a stake up hill, and of course I pruned off about half of the leaves without taking off many branches; and it’s been completely and boringly content, in those two summers it barely dropped a single leaf, barely grew, and apparently didn’t care at all that it had been moved, I’m sure it was busy growing roots, but I didn’t see any reaction from it at all.
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I use growth hormone and taking cutting in Spring when it’s not so hot. I don’t bag it or cover it and I use 1 gallon container. I made 3 cuttings.
I have 2 plants in the ground and another one in a container because I don’t have room to grow it in the ground.
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It’s the old grown dog vs puppy problem. Obviously, imho, it’s better getting a puppy. Then you get to see them grow up and you can train them to follow your instructions.
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Zone 6,
The peaches look very nice
Your example of a peach tree was not the best case. Peach trees grow so fast, you get peaches fast in any case. I planted 3 Red Haven “twigs”, cut out the central leader and had my 3-4 future scaffolds starting at 15 inches off the ground. And I got 2 peaches that same year…..bonus
By the end of summer, they were 6 feet tall.
professional orchards plant twigs, shaping the trees for the future is far more important than a few peaches early. It is fun though
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My limited experience supports this. The fastest growing tree I’ve planted so far (an asian pear) also happened to be the one that started with the most thorough root pruning. It came from the store that way; I wouldn’t have thought to chop off so much of the roots. But the tree liked it apparently.
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I’m not after the 20-year mark. I need fruit now! At my age, never know when this will be my last season. If I was a kid, then maybe would have a mix of twigs and bigguns.
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That is great! Red Haven seems to be one of the fastest growing peach trees from my limited experience.
I picked some of them today. The squirrels got into one. Left me the pit on the step! Cannot fool around too long with such low production due to late frost this season.
I have to have some home-grown peaches. Store-bought peaches are garbage.
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i put in a reliance 2 years ago and it was maybe 3 feet tall with one or two branches. last year it took off, made a grocery bag full, and was nearly 5 feet tall.
i pruned over winter and this year it’s taller than me at 5 and a half feet and covered in fruit.
peaches are super fast. i feel like if you want fruit right away they are just the best
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