Experience with cold hardy peaches

My late sister had a peach tree in Valparaiso, IN, for many years that I doubt she ever sprayed or pruned, but it produced lots of peaches. My attempts at peaches in Wisconsin have all been dismal failures.

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There is some great reading on first hand experience with cold hardiness from @Olpea at this link:

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Reliance ripened at least a month ago for me in Ohio. My guess is that your mom’s tree is Elberta, which ripens around this time.

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What rootstock would work best in zone 4b?

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Reliance seedlings are pretty good, also Redhaven seedlings. I’m on the north shore of PEI, so use that as a guide.

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The common rootstocks are Halford, Lovell and Bailey. Bailey is considered the hardiest. Avoid Nemaguard. I have never heard of Citation and ST Julian rootstock being cold hardy.

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Thanks

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You might also consider Guardian. At the fruit expo last year a pretty cutting edge peach specialist claimed his tests showed Guardian was the most hardy of the seedling rootstocks.

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Olpea,

Looking at the article K86 root stock looks interesting - In another post it looked like you might get some peach trees on that rootstock - how did the trees fair?

Spud

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Spud,

I’m sorry I don’t remember that post (which isn’t saying much, as I get older). I don’t think I currently have any on K86, though I believe at one time I did.

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Im just trying to get organized for next spring. I appreciate the suggestion.

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This past winter we got down to -30F and while all the fruit buds were dead, my intrepid peach (planted in 2015) survived with pretty minimal shoot dieback. I had a three year old Madison, 2 year old contender, and 1 year old reliance and PF-8 ball tree either die completely or had enough dieback that I just ended up replacing them. I stuck with the contender and reliance again but am trying veteran and hardired nectarine.

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Keep us posted how they do. So far all peaches have done is tease me and make me lose money.

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I’ve planted and replanted more peach trees than I have harvested peaches. I got maybe 10 or so intrepid peaches 2 summers ago, and they were so good compared to what you can buy that I’ve yet to give up on peaches.

Also blushingstar white peach is one that I planted several years ago that didn’t make it more than 2 winters.

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I think you get an. award with bringing any peach tree through -30f. There was a few years ago a discussion that it was implied that was impossible.

You get three thumbs up from me and an applause.

:+1::+1::+1::clap::clap::clap:

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I found my intrepid taste better with age too, the first year they were good peaches but after 5 years they have great peaches

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I had -33F and 1 peach bud bloomed and set a fruit and that was Saturn.

My Contender (it was only going on year 2) died last summer. That spring was really nasty…i don’t think it was winter kill. I lost more trees last spring/summer then this summer but i don’t have many peaches anymore. I’m trying to figure out a yellow peach to try again.

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I let a k86 rootstock grow out and it is a good size tree now. The thing bloomed heavily this spring. Very hardy tree…it doesn’t set fruit though.

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Did you graft onto K86 rootstock or buy a grafted tree from a nursery? If a grafted tree which nursery? Which nursery?

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I had a donut peach that was on K86…this has been years back now…it might have been one that came from ACN…i just chopped the top off and luckily there was a bud low down that started growing out. I have some grafts on the tree now. Some pluots…not a lot.

I did take some semi hardwood cuttings from the tree over the summer that did grow///are growing. I’m not sure how i want to overwinter them…probably just plant the containers in the ground… I can report back next spring and see how they do.

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