I can’t comment on Clark’s experience with Contender because I have to keep the fungicide apps on for customer preference (cosmetically speaking). So really, few peaches rot under my spray regimen. (TangOs will rot some even with fungicide apps).
I will mention, Contender is fairly fuzzy, which traditionally produces a bit more fungus resistant peach in general. The fuzz not only helps protect against insects, but also fungus.
Clark is close enough to me, we could compare ripening notes on his Contender to make sure it’s true to name. I’m pretty sure mine is because it fits all the descriptions, late and profuse blooming, cold hardy (as far as can be measured for KS/MO temps) ripens in the correct window. Tree form matches. Fruit descriptions seem to match, although I think I once read a description that Contender didn’t have a lot of pubescence, but that was just one source and pubescence can be a pretty subjective characterization.
My experience is that if the peach is grown when weather permits both peaches to be grown in relatively dry weather, Redhaven is a bit better eating quality/flavor. But in times when wet weather prevails during the Redhaven season and Contender is harvested during dry weather (which is more likely than the reverse) then Contender will be better.
I would have to agree with the synopsis on Contender peach. Have grown it for a number of years now. It misses the late frosts well and the fruit is high quality, with a tangy sweet flavor.
This isn’t necessarily the best thread to post this, but for those who graft/bud, fall budding is the way to go in terms of peach propagation in my area.
Last fall, my back was too bad to be able to do all the bending over work to do budding, so I hired a 14 year old kid to do it for me. He was a sharp kid, but no horticulturalistl by any means.
I gave him a quick lesson and let him go. I’m checking grafts today and surprised only one graft in this row didn’t make the winter.
Certainly when I behead and move the grafts, some won’t push, but it’s still a good reminder bud is generally better than graft for peaches. Particularly fall budding.
I told my young helper to bud a couple times on each rootstock for insurance. He mostly did that. If I counted at least one viable bud per rootstock, which survived winter, I counted that as success.
I’m posting it here because out of the roughly 40 rootstocks he budded in this nursery section, half were Contender. My other nursery sections show similar results.
Ha Ha. Tippy you’re such a kind grower. So encouraging and introspective. I read your comments with the same intensity of Good Fruit Grower mag.
I think the soil helps some. It’s on the upper end of organic matter. Lot’s of folks dis it as a disadvantage for too much vigor and water holding capacity, but it dries out quick in our windy scalding summer weather. It produces some nice red wood.
@Olpea
Peaches certainly do grow fast here! 3 years and they are producing peaches in my area. Unfortunately canker and brown rot are equally as robust in this hot humid climate! Mark i agree with @mamuang your an expert peach grower. I grow peaches in small numbers only due to the challenges of canker, brown rot etc…Kansas weather turns on a dime so we will see what spring & summer brings us after the 2019 long cold winter. As soon as i tbink i know the weather it makes a liar out of me. I grow flat wonderful, contender, and reliance and find only reliance easy to grow. The bloom time is earlier but it typically makes a crop of some type here. I get peaches off the other trees but nothing like reliance!
Hi Mark,
I have heard that budding is probably the most efficient peach propagation, so naturally I tried it too. I don’t know why, but I believe the long winter here messes with the bud, as peach buds look great in the fall and then never grow, whether or not I cut the main stem. I’ve tried this dozens of times and they never make it through the winter, although apples have no problems with the same graft. Most of my stone fruit budding efforts have failed here. Spring grafting is going well though, so no worries…
Hey Mark, can you tell me how old those peach trees are in your row shown in the photo. I’m also curious - are they seedlings from some of your harvested fruit seeds or are they from some of the popular rootstock seeds like Lovell, citation, guardian or whatever?
I did my very first buds last fall, but I put them onto much smaller seedlings. I had some luck but my biggest problem was rabbits ended up cutting most of them off about 2 inches above the ground- I’ll protect them next year.
BTW- that would be a risky place to grow trees in my area…looks like they are under big transmission power lines. Around here you never know when the power company will come spray a strong herbicide to keep it clean under the wires. Is that not a problem there?
Those trees are in the pic have been growing for one season. In other words, the pits were planted in fall of 2017, germinated spring of 2018 and grew over the summer. I plant pits every fall for the next fall budding.
The pits aren’t anything special, just peach drops I squish on the ground and throw the pits in a bucket. Then take a shovel and make a crack in the ground, drop the pits in the crack, and push the crack closed with my foot. I’ve read that later season peach pits germinate better than early season peach pits, so that’s what I use.
Re: transmission lines.
It’s possible the power company may come on the property and cut or spray those young trees. But if they do, we are going to have problems. The easement for the power lines is very old. If I remember right, it was granted in the 40s.
I’ve read the easement and it clearly says the owner can continue farming the property under the power lines. The nursery trees are part of my farming operation. They don’t get very tall, and I move them after they are successfully budded.
So far the guys who spray for the power company have been respectful. They have called before they enter the property to spray. I’ve warned them not to spray my agricultural crops (I also have blackberries and tomatoes under the power lines). They haven’t sprayed any crops yet. But there is the possibility someone would be less respectful, enter the property and spray everything under the lines (it’s a big easement - 160’ width).
If that were to happen I would demand payment for the damage. If restitution was not made, I’d probably take them to court. I’m not one who would sue for any little thing, but I probably would for that kind of wanton damage. And to make sure they didn’t do it again.
Hi Roy,
You’re right, I do bud right at the end of August. I look for forecasted temps to be below 90f for the high and bud then. If it’s too hot I wait until the temps come down a bit. I’ve found that temps above 90f cook the budded grafts. I try not to wait past mid Sept. though. That’s getting too late for the buds to callus.
I’ve found the window for fall budding peaches is pretty narrow. Too early and the grafted buds won’t survive the winter. Too late and they won’t callus in.
The fall budding isn’t always quite this successful, but generally very successful. We had some really great weather for it last fall.
Digging up and moving the budded trees is pretty stressful, so I get a few buds which won’t push. When I’m able to leave the trees where they are and just behead, then they will almost always push.
Yes and no. I’m for sure ready for some consistent warm weather, but we are behind on things which need to be done. We are building new tomato cages, which takes some time. We need to get more done on the deer fence. Get a pre-emergent down for the sweet corn. Then there is planting. We have 150 tomato plants coming in. Those don’t take long, but we have to stake up Wall O Waters and fill them. We have 100 new blackberry plants coming in. We have quite a few new trees to put in, which isn’t hard except where we are planting next to existing trees we’ve cut down. That takes a PTO post digger to grind through the roots of the old tree. And of course we need to get some pruning going.
I guess I just made a mental to-do list, which I’ve needed to do. Thanks!
I feel like I’m taking all your time lately, but I really wanted to ask about this because I just have no experience with pre- emergents but always wanted to try it. Certainly the big boy corn growers here use it but I know nothing about it on a small garden like mine. (4 75 foot rows). Every year it feels like even if I till my soil the day I plant my corn, by the time my corn comes up I am already in trouble with weeds. If a pre-emergent would hold them back even a week or two it would help.
You know well that I don’t currently have a sprayer other than a little 22 gallon small electric pump and a backpack sprayer. Could I spray pre emergent with those? How much help is it in postponing weed growth? Is it quite expensive? I think I understand it to be something other than glyco, is that right? Do You spray it onto the dirt, right? And it doesn’t hurt the corn seed?
I’d just appreciate anything you can tell me about using pre=ermergent on a small garden.
BTW, I’m thinking of trying round up ready sweet corn this year. Seems like that might be even easier than using a pre-emergent and then weed controls- just let the corn come up along with the weeds and then spray everything with glyco and the corn survive and weeds don’t. Am I missing something?
Small garden plots are tough, because as you mention, most of the pre-emergents are tailored to larger plantings.
Even for me, the pre-emergents are sold for bigger acreages. I use the two components for Dual Magnum. I can’t remember off the top of my head what I paid for them (maybe a couple hundred dollars?) but I think the containers cover lots more acreage than I plant.
If you want to use these chemicals, send me a PM and I will get you info on the specifics.
In terms of RoundUp Ready sweet corn, I did that one year. It really doesn’t require a pre-emergent because you can spray the emerging corn with RoundUp to kill the weeds.
The drawback for you may be the quantity of seed required. Most of the time at least one acre of seed is the minimum purchase. Corn seed is good a couple years, or perhaps a little more, so you may be looking at 1/3 of an acre planting at a time.
A few years ago I planted 3 acres of it. It’s really easy to grow. RoundUp will kill most weeds and leaves the sweet corn planting looking and growing good. As a bonus, most RR sweet corn also has the Bt gene, so you don’t have to worry much about root worms or ear worm.
All that said, I’ve given up on RR sweet corn. It’s just too expensive for me. It runs about $350 an acre for the seed. Too much money for me. Pre-emergent herbicides are much cheaper, and a few insecticides on the silks are pretty easy and cheap. Plus customers tend not to like GMO corn. So I don’t think I will be buying any more RR sweet corn.
Kevin, Olpea,
I’ve used Dual Magnum on sweet corn and on a few other crops. Works really well on grasses. A friend here grows RR ready BT sweet corn. As long as no one asks about GMO he doesn’t tell.
I also use Prowl H2O on asparagus, row centers for green beans and winter squash.
Treflan also has an extensive veg and fruit label.
Be sure to check replant times on the label as the pre’s can have effects on next years crops.
If you store your chemicals carefully. they will last many years.
I had a chance to look at what I’m using on sweet corn as a pre-emergent. I’m using the generic Dual II Magnum called Visor S MOC II. Depending on soil texture, the rate is 2 pints/acre. It comes in 2.5 gal. jugs. As Chikn rightly points out, it controls grasses (and pigweed).
The other tank mix partner I’m using on sweet corn is Meso Star. It controls a wide spectrum of broad leaf weeds. The rate is 7oz./acre. It comes in a gallon jug.
I think I paid about $300 total for both products.
