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.
There is some great reading on first hand experience with cold hardiness from @Olpea at this link:
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.
What rootstock would work best in zone 4b?
Reliance seedlings are pretty good, also Redhaven seedlings. I’m on the north shore of PEI, so use that as a guide.
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.
Thanks
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.
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
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.
Im just trying to get organized for next spring. I appreciate the suggestion.
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.
Keep us posted how they do. So far all peaches have done is tease me and make me lose money.
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.
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.
I found my intrepid taste better with age too, the first year they were good peaches but after 5 years they have great peaches
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.
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.
Did you graft onto K86 rootstock or buy a grafted tree from a nursery? If a grafted tree which nursery? Which nursery?
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.