Years to Fruit

@clarkinks
In your post, I believe you are referring to scionwood grafted on in-ground rootstock?

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@Richard

That is mostly true yes. Dwarf and standards are normally grafted. Cherries such as the canadian prarie cherries , hazelnuts, brambles etc. normally are not grafted. I am just making that distinction for the benefit of newer orchardist reading not for Richard since he knows that.

I wasn’t thinking there would be a difference in whether the graft was done in-situ or not.

Just thinking I don’t know if the age of the rootstock on a grafted tree would start the clock for fruiting maturity or the actual age of the fruiting wood itself from when it was grafted.

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@Shibumi

@Richard is trying to clarify i think what we are discussing grafted or seedling trees. As an example quince rootstock with pear grafted on will fruit quickly. A seedling pear takes many years. Everything else is in between. Johnny appleseed planted many seeds but some were better than others no doubt. At my farm i would go back and graft over the bad ones with the good ones. Those trees might take 14 years to fruit or 3 years. You never know with a seedling tree they are genetically unique.

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Aaaahhhhh.

I think everything I’ve ever bought from stone to pome fruit has been grafted so…

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@Shibumi

There are advantages to both grafted and ungrafted. Carmine jewell cherries are not grafted and quickly spread through suckers at around year 5

Blackberries like these are not grafted and spread through the ground quickly.

Pears like these rootstocks i grafted after they grew out and established roots. The scion i graft to the rootstock determines how long it takes to fruit primarily. The rootstock once established as long as its a known type produced in a certain number of years. Seedling rootstocks can influence years to fruit though.

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@clarkinks

Did you cross streams? I mean threads? You last answer, though interesting, seems to be off this topic.

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@Shibumi

No it is relevant believe it or not. Grafted versus ungrafted fruits makes a difference in not only how it is propagated but also in years it takes to fruit. A carmine jewell cherry takes a few years to yield a couple of fruits. A seedling of carmine jewell might take 2 years or 10 years or a few years like the parent.

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@Shibumi
Like you, all my fruiting trees except figs are purchased as a cultivar grafted on rootstock. Also, nearly all of the rootstock are clones (rootings of roots!). So my apple on M-111 has not had its clock set by the rootstock. Instead, the roots need to develop a resource capacity before the plant as a whole can produce significant crops.

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Thanks for all the replies to a rather esoteric question.

I had thought of naming the thread “Years to Ovulation” but was afraid it wouldn’t be funny to everyone…though it truly is an apt statement.

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@Shibumi

You might also enjoy these threads since rootstocks determine more than just the number of years until a tree produces fruit. Choose your rootstocks wisely!

When I obtain a bareroot fruit tree, it typically flowers and sets at least 1 fruit the first year. A crop though takes 2-5 years.

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Thank you @clarkinks and @Richard

:+1:

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Thats exactly how I feel. I have a list of trees/grafts with a mark fruited or not and one fruit gets it on the list. Having said that, I have a large 8 year old McIntosh on MM111 that has exactly one fruit–it’s first. I think we had a party to celebrate. Sorr of a coming of age party. :grimacing:

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I was at OGW few weeks back to pick up some starts. I saw stone fruits in 1 gallon pots with golf ball size fruits attached to them.

I was there yesterday and saw them as well. Keep in mind that a row of nursery stock contains a lot pollen source.

My experience with apples… is that some are just eager to fruit and some take their time about it.

Gold rush and Novamac are just super eager to fruit. Year 2 for me.

Akane and Hudson Golden Gem… i have 4 year olds that have not bloomed yet. Going to summer prune them again this year.

Espellar or limb bending and summer pruning should speed things up.

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Does it mean the young plants set and are growing the fruit because of cross pollination and not due to their self-pollinating trait?

I’m expecting a good crop of nectarines, pluots, and apricots in the second leaf. I’ve done that before. Not a big crop but 10-40 fruit per tree. Basically, all the fruit that the tree can support without excessive bending. And I’ll likely tie up the branches if that’s an issue.

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I had a massive crop of apples on dwarfing rootstock in CA in the second leaf. I was amazed. Quality wasn’t very good because I did it by pushing water and fertilizer like there was no tomorrow. I’d say 30 lbs per tree.