Peach-tree Borers!

I’m not aware of oak root fungus being an issue in the northeast. I just did a search and UMass and Cornell don’t even seem to address the pest. Can you find any commercial guidelines that do? It is apparently an issue for southern growers and has been for a very long time in the west.

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Ok, maybe it’s a different species or strain of Armillaria that doesn’t exist here. I just know I see a lot of Armillaria mellea in the woods on my mushroom forays. From what I’ve read, it’s more of a species complex than a true species, so there may be some regional variation in pathology. If it’s not a known issue in the NE, that’s good enough for me.

Thank you.

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Bob Purvis often has Manchurian apricot seedlings that he sells: https://purvisnurseryandorchard.weebly.com/

Two years post-graft on Manchurian, my apricots look good and healthy. Other purchased trees did not fare so well; Tomcot on Lovell and Early Blush on Myro did not live long enough to produce any fruit.

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I wonder if cots I’ve bought on “seedling” rootstock were Manchurian. Adams usually sells them on seedling of some type of cot.

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I’ll have to check his site again over the winter to see if he puts them up. Most places selling Manchurians seem to be selling them as their own thing, rather than as rootstock for something else, and charge accordingly. In the meantime, I guess I’ll change some of my Lovells to Myro 29c in my order.

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To the best of my recollection, Bob does not advertise the rootstocks. He does not grow the rootstocks, he orders them from somewhere unbeknownst to me (I think there there is a large minimum number of rootstocks that he buys). Call him- that is your best bet.

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The Early Blush that died was from Adams. They put it on Myro.

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Man, l’m so spoiled with standard e-commerce! It doesn’t even cross my mind to call anyone anymore, or that they might have additional items not listed. I’ll give that a try.

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Lovell is also susceptible to Armillaria.

Apricots on myro can produce a fragile graft union with breakage possible in high winds.

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Thanks for the good info! Just when I think I have things figured out…
I think I’m going to try to source seedling Manchurians. If for some reason I can’t, I am in a sheltered location, so I shouldn’t have to worry too much about the wind. I really appreciate all the good advice here. I’m just starting out on my grafting adventure this spring, and all the variables can be pretty dizzying.

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This does happen, but I think it’s pretty rare. Here is an excerpt from the book “HARTMANN AND
KESTER’S PLANT PROPAGATION. PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES” about the use of Myrobalan as apricot rootstock:

Although successful high-yielding apricot orchards grow on this rootstock, some instances have been observed where the trees have broken off at the graft union in heavy winds or where die-back conditions occur. Nurseries often have trouble starting apricots on myrobalan roots. Some of the trees fail to grow rapidly and upright or else have weak or rough unions. After those weaker trees are culled out, the remaining trees seem to grow satisfactorily. This rootstock is useful for apricot when the trees are to be planted in heavy soils or under excessive soil moisture conditions.

Apricot seedlings is a good choice for light, well-drained soil:

Seedlings of local apricot cultivars are best on good, well-drained soils. Seeds of ‘Royal’ or ‘Blenheim’ produce excellent rootstock seedlings in California. In the eastern United States, seedlings of ‘Manchurian,’ ‘Goldcot,’ and ‘Curtis’ are recommended. In Europe local selections are used. Apricot root is almost immune to the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.). In addition, it is somewhat resistant to the root-lesion nematode. It is susceptible to crown rot (Phytophthora spp.) and intolerant of poor soil-drainage conditions. Apricot roots are not as susceptible to crown gall (Agrobacterium tumefaciens), as are peach and plum roots. Apricot seedling roots are susceptible to oak root fungus (Armillaria) and highly susceptible to Verticillium wilt.

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That’s another good vote for Manchurian. I definitely have light soil, and last I checked, NH is in the East.

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Interesting paragraphs Stan. We get pretty high winds here, so we pay careful attention to trees which face potential wind issues. If there is any weakness to wind, it will be proven here. I once had several apples on M7. Every time I turned around the wind was snapping off those trees at the union.

The other day we had a wind storm which blew the neighbors baby pool over a quarter mile on our property and only stopped because it hit the fence.

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If not for that fence, it would fly straight to Oz! :wink:

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Those winds are one of the few things I don’t miss about living in Kansas. It was almost impossible to keep vegetable seedlings from drying out. We could go from torrential downpour one day to bone dry soil the next. It was especially a pain because my community garden plot was three miles out of town.

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I just got some traps and very confused by when to put them out.

The traps instructions suggest “early spring” and “shortly after petal fall […] May 15th”

Meanwhile my extension website states:

The use of pheromone traps baited with the synthetic version of the female’s sex pheromone will assist in better timing of insecticide applications in the landscape and nursery. In early June place these traps near host plants, and note when they’ve captured the first adult male peachtree borer. To effectively manage this pest, you should apply a registered insecticide formulation according to label directions 7-10 days after the first male was captured in the trap.

I would put them out in mid-late May. There is no one time when these guys come out, and oddly enough the further south the later they tend to come out (they come out relative to the first fall frost which is later in the south, not the spring degree days like most bugs). I have had emergences in late May and well into June.

… this all reminds me that it will soon be time for me to paint my trunk bottoms with the neem/linseed/sesame oil combo I have been using. In the last year I found only one infected tree.

BTW when using the traps I found that nearly all the borers I trapped were dogwood borers. I don’t think they infect peach trees but the same pheromone seems to lure them. Anyway if your traps are totally filled don’t necessarily be concerned unless they are peach tree borers. It is easy to tell the two kinds apart by the different color and striping.

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Haha, funny you say that

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Question! Did you put the traps near the peach trees or far away from them?

The trap instructions had recommend the seemingly impossible placement of a) eye level b) 2’ from the outer ends of branches and c) ~2’ away from any foliage

I guess that could be interpreted as right next to the tree?

Also found this video:

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