I have high hopes in pistachios as a cold hardy “exotic”. They definitely more cold hardy as I thought. No Problem with 5F.
But as mentioned in other post they have problems with humidity.
In my experience even the new budded branches can survive slight frosts in the spring.
But I would better not protect them in winter especially not with plastic sheets, because the humidity increases.
I had only one setback a female tree died back to a little over the grafting spot but grew back.
All in all cold hardiness seems not the problem but humidity. But even so last year we had a pure raining year with a century flood and no fungal diseases
Anyway all my attempts to graft them failed.
Dormant rootstock actively growing scoin.
Dormant dormant…
All kinds of grafting techniques.
I used some other Pistacia rootstocks (pistacia chinensis, pistacia terebinthus…
(Also other more distant related rootstock where I was sure they will be not compatible, but I was desperate to find a rootstock which can handle the wet soil)
Does maybe someone know a special technique how to graft Pistachios.
Same here. I have a pistachio that died to rootstock and I have tried multiple times to regraft it. Grafts have taken and grown well for a season only do have the grafted area die over winter. And yet I keep trying.
I had luck, that the one of the female pistachio died almost to the graft spot back, but a little over the graft spot it budded again.
I was thinking to plant one directly on the house wall, because it would have a little roof over her head, I put in the summer all plants there which should be protected from to much rain, the soil is very dry there.
But I’m afraid some roots start growing in the walls.
I‘m sorry that your pistachio graft dies in the winter.
Does the buds for grafting coming from a tree which is in winter inside? Or from a tree which survives outside in your climate?
I made some „expensive“ experience with asian persimmons which came from nurseries in zone 9. some struggled or died.
Much less died even it was an one year old tree, but propagated from trees in zone 7
My trees are all in the ground I will cut some wood in the spring and try again. I am also going to try grafting a male branch on a few females for better pollination.
They have been down to minus 10 a couple of different years and down to zero every year. They will never be pretty like the southern New Mexico or Arizona trees but they keep on trucking.
Pistachios are fully hardy in zone 7A. I used to have some long time ago(in 2016or so). You can buy them cheap in Spain, not sure how much they are now but I was paying about 12-15Euro per named varieties back then. Bought about 20 trees for my friends and myself
I know, it’s the same here, daylight robbery, that’s why I wrote you. They sell Kerman which is not suitable for our short season at all (but can ripen here). If they at least offered earlier varieties…
The early ripening, think larnaka and mateur were earliest. but as I said I know a guy who has kerman and it’s ripening for him here (not sure if every year though). One friend said there is even a big pistachio orchard in slovakia. I am not growing any nuts no more, family is too lazy to crack the shells, I gave up with them
Thank you so much! I will definitely reach out to the nursery.
Sorry that you gave up on nuts. I’m not the biggest nut fan but pistachios I like very much, that they are cold hardy is very appealing to me.
I assume it is a bit of work to roasting them…
?