This time of year I think about moving trees which I know I shouldn’t do because it sets them back and removing trees which may be unproductive or for other issues. I am in 7a in Virginia and wanted to get your opinion on four fruit trees.
The first is Fantasia Nectarine. The tree is productive but all the fruit rots. It is on its fifth leaf and is growing well however I do not want to put a lot more time into this tree if I can not control the rot problem. I understand that I may need to spray more. Has anyone in my area been successful with this tree.
The second is Blenheim Apricot. I have not noticed rots on the fruits but it is not very productive and I may need to be more patient. The tree has escaped early frosts.
The third is a Flavor Supreme pluot. I have two trees and they are on their fifth leaf, about 7 ft tall and 5 ft wide. The trees are not productive. This year I received one pluot and that was stolen by a animal.
The fourth is a Burbank plum. Also in it’s fifth year in the ground. The tree is over 7ft, seems to be growing well and is healthy but I only received several fruits from the tree.
I have been thinking in the long run I would like to limit needing to spray and I know that I can not have edible stonefruit in this area without spraying. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I learn so much from this site.
I’m currently doing the same. I have a lot of stone fruits slated for removal this year. Flavor Supreme is one I am removing. Many have stated cropping issues. I get tons of flowers and a good set that drops all every year. Gone. Blenheim I am leaving a little longer, but I have not had a good crop yet as well. Here nectarines have been more troublesome than peaches. I’m in Va also and I can tell you rot is the main issue I have been fighting with stone fruit. It’s bad and without spraying it is almost certain you will lose most or all of the crop to it. There will be a fair amount of loss even with spray. You just have to decide how much time and money you are willing to put into it.
@Robert Thanks. I have added some jujubes and persimmons due to low maintenance. It is interesting that I have had some success with Spring Satin. I appreciate your advice.
I considered getting spring satin. Others have reported some success with it as well. For me the varieties that ripen earlier in the season have been less of a fight for me.
The apricot and plums do set, and surprisingly the plums have few disease problems. PC and OFM are all over the apricot though.
Consider some figs and mulberries if you don’t have them already. They do well here, and mulberries in particular are really good. Figs have a serious problem with wasps and insect damage in general unless you pick them a bit early.
I would get rid of them all, IMO. I have learned over the years the time you think you should get rid of a fruit tree is the time to do it. If I delay deciding I waste time because I always end up taking that tree out. Waiting, for me, never helps. It just delays the inevitable result in the end. If you decide to try something else you are starting off fresh.
For me, yes and no to waiting. I was definitely going to remove my spindly golden delicious with small bland fruit. I gave it one more year. This year the tree had at least 30 really nice sized apples after thinning. I compared them to about ten other varieties and I actually liked them best. Now in the frig, they are a tasty treat. Glad I waited.
My mutsu on the other hand has been a disease magnet. Poorly formed, little vigor, no apples. I had no qualms about yanking it out.
Some might just need another year or different management. Just my experience, limited though it might be.
Glad you waited for the Golden Delicious apple for one more year. They taste great compared to the store bought Golden Delicious.
I had heard about Mutsu being a disease magnet. I really like the ones I get in the store for making apple dumplings. I think I will pass on growing a Mutsu tree here.
I have a Honeycrisp apple tree I get little or no fruit from it. The most apples I have ever gotten was 6 apples one year. It has been planted since 2013 or 2014. I keep giving it “one more year”. So next year I am either going to rework the tree or take it out completely. The rootstock is good it just is a very non prolific tree.
For me Honeycrisp was a total bust. It didn’t get enough chilling and never set a single fruit. In fact it didn’t grow much and barely bloomed. Besides that the fruit I bought in the store was usually a real disappointment. Crisp yes but very low on flavor. I’m eating Goldrush now and consider it a much better apple. It sets heavily every year and holds all winter in the fridge.
I wish I could grow Goldrush here in my orchard. I do not think it would not get the right amount of ripening days before it got too cold to finish ripening correctly. I hate to waste space for a Goldrush tree if it will not ripen correctly.
I have two Honeycrisp on two different rootstocks. One has grown just about none while the other has grown about the same as other apples. Neither have set any fruit though.
I have two honeycrisps planted in 2009 that are doing great. They alternate years and give me 75-125 apples each, though neither are really that big - maybe 6-7 feet wide and 9-10 feet tall. It took 5-6 years to get them established.
In northern Utah you get about 3-4x the chilling that we do. Honeycrisp is well known to do better in cold winter areas than in the south. It comes from MN, that’s where it does well.
Some of those ‘loser’ fruit trees can offer the varmints some eating…and maybe they’ll bother my preferred apples/other fruits less.
(Plus, can press them for juice or make a pie or something.)
I do fine with my Honeycrisp (middle of Shenandoah Valley) and the big pick your own Orchards in Winchester (e.g., Marker Miller) do fine on Dwarfs and M26’s. Key is to match the rootstock to the soil and recognize that Honeycrisp trees can be brittle. For example, I get a bushel or more on dwarfs, but I do not run try to be organic - too much insect, fungus, and fireblight pressure. In a few years I will see how I do with 890’s from Cummins.
