Just a quick question…
I’m still a neophyte to fruit growing so bear with me. I purchased a Redhaven peach last fall and have been keeping it in the garage untill I can plant it in the spring. Unfortunately, the tree started blossoming and the weather is nowhere near being suitable for planting. However, I was curious if a staggered blossoming of the tree is normal. Some buds are in full bloom while others appear near dormant. Would I expect to see this yearly once planted outside? We are talking a sold 4 weeks between blossoming which would be ideal for any late frosts/snow we would get.
You’re not going to see that spread in blooming outdoors. It’s the unusual conditions of being potted and indoors that are causing what you are seeing. The only time you see that outdoors is when the tree is severely short on chilling. That won’t be the case in Z5.
Yeah it’s a bummer, as now the tree is going to be sensitive to cold. If dormant you could plant it even if it’s below zero. Usually I would say plant out as soon as ground is workable, but now that it’s growing, I would say no, you could kill it.
Drew, I’m sorry I have to disagree, but I would recommend against planting at zero weather. I did that once before and the peach roots froze to death before I got them in the ground. Maybe I took your comment too literally, and you meant it more hyperbole.
More to the point of the OP, I would say to go ahead and plant the tree asap. I’ve transplanted plenty of peach trees pretty far leafed out in the spring, and they do ok here. Peach trees are really pretty tough, except for the cold.
I agree with Fruitnut that Redhaven should have a tighter bloom. I think, as he mentioned, it’s probably due to being potted. That’s my 2 cents
Well maybe not as zero, but as long as the ground is workable. That’s what I should have said. I sort of did say that. I doubt it would be workable at zero. . This is not really my advice, it’s from MSU. I did it once and the trees were fine. I planted about right now 4 years ago. All are alive.[quote=“Olpea, post:4, topic:9623”]
I would say to go ahead and plant the tree asap.
[/quote]
So you won’t plant a dormant tree at zero but a leafed out one at 14F is OK? Not sure where OP is, but at Wilkerson Pass near Denver the low is 14 tonight, no relief in sight. I would not plant myself no way. So I guess we can agree to disagree. 14 should kill all the flowers for sure. Zone 5a is almost zone 4, wow tough area you’re in!
See chart
I’m definitely waiting until May to plant. However, I’ll be getting my workout carrying the tree inside and out daily We are getting some unseasonably warm weather though. The next week are highs in the 60’s and lows in the 30’s…not too far from Denver. I was hopeful that there was going to be a spread in blooming of the tree, but not looking likely once planted based off of fruitnut’s comments.
On a side note, we did have a young Bartlett at our previous house that had all the blooms killed by frost. Two weeks later we ended up with more flowers on the tree. Maybe not very many, but it was interesting to see the delay in some buds.
LOL, yeah the fruit tree shuffle! I’m with you brother. I started three peach seedlings indoors, and I’m doing the fruit tree shuffle.
I’m sure Olpea wasn’t thinking of your area, and I was unsure. If lows in the 30’s you could plant, but will probably lose any fruit, well maybe not, you still have closed flowers? You could plant at 30F. I don’t think I would myself, but Olpea has more experience than I do.
Others have reported a spread in blooms before, it happens from time to time. Good luck!
I don’t think I’d wait till May for that tree. It will be too far along by then, unless you plan to give it lots of tlc (including shade).
I wouldn’t be afraid to transplant right now (especially because it’s a potted tree, vs a bare root) as long as it’s not a possibility of 14F, as Drew mentions.
Just make sure the soil drains well (not a problem in your area ) and kill the weeds /grass around the base of the tree.
Looking around Denver, is like looking around the USA, temps are all over the place! Talk about micro environments.
Hey Dan do you get below zero there? Do you get much snow? You’re close to the limit of hardiness for peaches, or could be? If it’s get below -18F that could kill your trees, at least damage the wood.
-18 is a possibility here. However temperatures that low are extremely rare. We do get a handful of days between -5 and -10 each year. I’ll keep my fingers crossed since we are pushing the temperature limits. I’ve seen snow here several times in May, but usually just at freezing so it doesn’t kill much. We can also hit the teens in March so I’ll probably wait until mid to late April to plant.
I see you sort of mentioned that in your first post. I missed that. Sorry about that. Sometimes read and type messages from my phone, or read too fast and miss things. Glad Drew caught that.
Here, I’m moving, digging, and planting trees. A bit different climate than CO this time of year.
Ah, lucky! It’s very tempting here to be planting trees and working out in the yard given the weather. However, I know from experience that things can change dramatically fairly quickly. We’re a zone lower than you, but given your proximity to CO, I’d assume you follow similar weather trends…just a bit warmer.
We are getting some unseasonably warm weather though. The next week are highs in the 60’s and lows in the 30’s…not too far from Denver. I was hopeful that there was going to be a spread in blooming of the tree, but not looking likely once planted based off of fruitnut’s comments.