Variety recommendations and scion requests

General Fruit Growing
#1

This was my first whole year of growing fruits trees and it was a blast. Planted some varieties before I knew much about rootstocks, ripening times or other stuff, but thanks to California weather and couple of tips on thinning and watering I picked up here, the results weren’t bad. I tried my hand at grafting with Citrus and Loquat and all of them failed. I’m determined to try again with stone fruits early next year. I have a few tight spots left in the garden for new trees and I’d also like to graft some varieties on existing ones. Let me know your opinion on my initial list below

  • Peach - Have a PeachyKeen tree which is great, but I’d like to extend the season with some grafts. I was thinking of the following varieties - Stark Saturn (Donut), Indian Free and a toss between Kaweah/O’Henry. Many in this area (San Jose/Bay Area) swear Baby Crawford is great, but I went for K/O as they are late season and we get peak sun in Aug to get better brix

  • Nectarine - New tree. Thinking of SpiceZee NectaPlum. I can graft Honey/Arctic varieties on it later (the ones for which the patents expired).

  • Plum/Pluots - Have a Satsuma tree and its a keeper. It came with a Santa Rosa graft which I plan to retain as well. I tasted FlavorKing sooo many times at the farmers market from different vendors and my taste is consistent but different to almost everyone here (probably matches the one critic, @scottfsmith). It exactly tastes like fruit punch or really sweet Santa Rosa. Somehow I prefer the latter which is more complex. I will still venture a graft of FK on Satsuma to see if the home grown fruit will be different from the farmers market. I hear Lavina is great but mostly by east coast folks. I’d still like to try grafting it. For the new trees, I’m thinking of getting Emerald Beaut, Emerald Drop and as an experiment Bavay’s Green Gage (not sure if I have enough chill to fruit this one).

  • Cherries - Have a Stella cherry tree, but I’d like to graft some early varieties. I am thinking of grafting Black Tartarian or Craig’s Crimson. I had the former at Andy’s and it was one of the best. I’d also like to try Royal Rainier. There are other early, low chill varieties whose patents are expiring next year, but I can try them later in the year.

  • Apricot - New tree. Will follow @bleedingdirt’s advice on another thread and plant Cot-N-Candy and may graft Blenheim on it next year.

What do you think of the varieties above? Any other recommendations? Have sent (or will do soon) PMs to the local folks - @Girly, @Stan and @fruitgrower for scions. Will contact others if I don’t find something locally.

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#2

I suggest going to a CRFG scion exchange in January/February.bb

#3

Thanks, yes, I plant to attend the scion exchange. This year they are not allowing plums/pluots or other crosses in the exchange and from what I heard, personal trades are still fine.

#4

Is that printed somewhere?I know they don’t want patented varieties or things involved with quarantine.bb

#5

Karl mentioned it in the SCV CRFG meeting last week. Of course the patented varieties and the ones in quarantine (e.g citrus) are not allowed. They mentioned plums and its crosses are not technically under quarantine (seems the inspectors purposefully used a different term) but they are not allowed in CRFG exchange due to Plum Bud Gall Mite concern. Here is the section of the email that explains it

Prunus species such as . . .
NO plum (Asian & European)
NO apricot
NO almond
NO crosses of any of those three, thus, NO Pluots, Plumcots, Apriums, Pleury or Pluerries or Cherums, Peacotum, Nectaplum (most of these latter are still under Patent so should Not even be an issue, however as crosses they are OUT, Patent or not), plus others interspecifics that I don’t even know the name of at this point.

At this time, AND subject to changes down the road, peaches, nectarines, and cherries are still OK to collect. bring, exchange. Bearing in mind, that even this could change if the the pest is found in trees of those types.

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#6

Your variety selections seem spot on! All great choices. Cant think of anything else to add.

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#7

Note that the full ban on these species is only for the Santa Clara chapter’s scion exchange. Exchanges by other nearby chapters don’t have this ban, but will not receive scions for these species that were in previous years collected at the Emma Prusch park and Andy Mariani’s orchard. These contributions constituted a very significant portion of the available scionwood and will be missed, but people can still bring scionwood from their own trees.

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