Thoughts on Bella Gold

Yes, they need to grow out. i like getting trees that size as you can train them well. Well one rule about pruning never take off more than a third of the tree. i myself would just let this one go for a bit.
Well except that long branch i would get it in line with the others. Try to keep branches at the same length so it’s balanced and symmetrical. Not always possible! After a few mistakes you get better at the pruning! After a few years I have more of a feel for it now and can see what i want to do and what to leave and what to cut off.

Just watched the new youtube video from Dave Wilson nursery and even Tom Spellman admitted that Bella Gold has been hit or miss in terms of fruit set and production although this year it looks good for him.

Around the 6:45 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG6_3Wd0ECA

Hit and miss coming from a salesman = we’ve had little fruit. In a great fruit set yr it doesn’t need thinning = the darn thing doesn’t set unless the stars align.

Before that he’s thinning by pruning. That’s a good idea. However in CA where it doesn’t freeze in spring he could have done better and much faster by winter pruning. We’ve had pics here lately of much better looking bloom and trees shaped by winter pruning. Look at blueberrythrills trees post 59 here: 2016 Peach Tree Pruning - #57 by tonyOmahaz5 Much better looking trees for CA.

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That’s exactly what I thought when I heard that. Seems like mostly miss.

I came away from the video not thinking too highly of this fruit tree as well.

The stars aligned on mine. LOL.


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Looks good ITWM. Is this the in ground tree you mentioned earlier with 10 fruit? How big would you say the tree is?

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Yes. It’s about 4 feet tall; and about six feet away from my F1 Moorpark apricot. Both trees bloomed at the same time.

Now I need to buy a refractometer.

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I counted sixteen fruit on this tree. Not bad for this small tree!


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Considering the tiny tree size do you think your are over cropping it?

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These are too much, and Yes I am jealous:open_mouth:

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I think I am. But I won’t thin it, I’ve been waiting to try these peacotums since the 2005, when they were first mentioned in an article.

You should remove half in that last picture. But whatever it’s your fruit. Just give us a brix if you can. Too much fruit will lower the brix and mine not overcropped were still only 15-17.

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Can’t over cropping a really small tree also stunt it’s development too?

If they are low brix, I will use them for pies…peacotum pie.

It might…

That’s a serious issue say with apples on M27. But I haven’t seen it happen on my stone fruit in an area with a long growing season. What I have seen is severely over cropped apricots killed by mid winter cold. That was in Amarillo where it usually hit zero to minus 5.

The weatherman doesn’t have severe cold and does have 4+ months growing season after BG harvest to grow more tree and replenish carbos in the tree.

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