Nectarine tree still hasnt leafted out

8b Tacoma, Wa

I planted a bare root nectarine around march. It hasn’t leafed out, but every time I scratch it it is still bright green in the cambium. And if I give it a tug I can tell the roots are fighting me leading me to believe that it’s still alive. I chopped it down further (24" or so) and put a cheapo greenhouse over it because I had read about sweating, but that hasn’t seemed to do anything.

I have two as well I bought on sale couple months back. One died and the other still scratches green. Some people on here have had luck with them leafing late, but all of mine died in the past.

When does stone fruit usually leaf for you in your cool climate?

Even if roots are dead, the trunk could be green for some time. I’ve stuck cuttings (no roots) in the ground to serve as a post to hang things, and remarkably I’ve observed those cuttings to look alive for even a few months. I would think in your cool weather, that effect would even be boosted (like refrigerating scions).

Did you scratch the trunk closer to the roots?
Good luck with the sweating.

Hi Justin
If you got it from a nursery you may want to contact them to see if they warranty it and what they require to replace. By now it should be fully leafed out. I have a newly planted dwarf Frost peach that came bareroot in March. I potted it, placed it in my greenhouse and grafted per this schedule:
3/3/21: Grafted Frost free semi dwarf tree with Q1-8, Belle of Ga, Red Haven, Black Boy and Oregon Frost free and covered inside Greenhouse. Uncovered all 4 on 3/22 before Cancun. On 4/11 took outside greenhouse, on 4/12 I removed the bud seals leaving the graft rubber intact and planted the tree. First pic below with all grafts in full growth mode.

Second pic is the top graft of a Mericrest Nectarine on one of my Puente Adara cherry plum grafted onto a Lovell peach rootstock. All in very full growth mode.
You should not need a greenhouse this late with 100 F temps, you probably should remove the sweat house.
Dennis
Kent, wa

Well damn. It was bright green ALL the way til about half and inch from the soil line. Then solid brown.

On a side note a espaliered pear which I gave up on because it never leafed out and the labels of variety’s flew off, just leafed out like crazy in literally the last day.

1 Like