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Old 11-04-2005, 09:11 PM
AutoTracer
 
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Default peach tree failed to flower

Last year I bought a peach tree (I think in march) and it was covered with
flowers which eventually fell off before the leaves started to grow. The
tree yielded lots of fruit last fall.

This year the tree has grown lots of leaves but I never saw any flowers.
Why did the tree fail to bloom this year? What did the nursery do to get it
to bloom before I bought it? Am I just being impatient?

The tree is a grafted onto a 4 foot tall standard and is planted in a half
wine barrel. Watered regularly and only occasionally fertilized with
16-16-16. Spot is plenty sunny and I live in central CA (SF bay area).



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Old 11-04-2005, 11:01 PM
Travis
 
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Default

AutoTracer wrote:
Last year I bought a peach tree (I think in march) and it was
covered with flowers which eventually fell off before the leaves
started to grow. The tree yielded lots of fruit last fall.

This year the tree has grown lots of leaves but I never saw any
flowers. Why did the tree fail to bloom this year? What did the
nursery do to get it to bloom before I bought it? Am I just being
impatient?

The tree is a grafted onto a 4 foot tall standard and is planted in
a half wine barrel. Watered regularly and only occasionally
fertilized with 16-16-16. Spot is plenty sunny and I live in
central CA (SF bay area).


Transplant shock perhaps.
Why not put it in the ground?

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5
  #3   Report Post  
Old 12-04-2005, 10:34 PM
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It is a dwarf and was labeled as appropriate for container growing. No sign
that the roots have become bound at all. I must need to figure out a more
precise fertalizing schedule.

Oh well, This would not be the first plant to skip a year of flowering after
coming in from a greenhouse lifestyle. A year of non fruiting will give it
a chance to increase the canopy which didn't seem to increase at all last
year.


"escape" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 19:11:40 GMT, "AutoTracer"
opined:

Last year I bought a peach tree (I think in march) and it was covered

with
flowers which eventually fell off before the leaves started to grow. The
tree yielded lots of fruit last fall.

This year the tree has grown lots of leaves but I never saw any flowers.
Why did the tree fail to bloom this year? What did the nursery do to get

it
to bloom before I bought it? Am I just being impatient?

The tree is a grafted onto a 4 foot tall standard and is planted in a

half
wine barrel. Watered regularly and only occasionally fertilized with
16-16-16. Spot is plenty sunny and I live in central CA (SF bay area).



your problem is the barrel part. Fruit trees, unless they are dwarf, need

to be
planted in the ground. You could never provide enough fertilizer in a

container
for it to fruit properly and set.





Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a friend?
http://www.animaux.net/stern/present.html



  #4   Report Post  
Old 12-04-2005, 11:32 PM
sue and dave
 
Posts: n/a
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I'd have a couple of questions for the nursery where you purchased this
tree---

First would be, what are the chill requirements of this particular cultivar
( and is it right for your location)??

Second would be if having such a full crop last year over stressed the tree
so that no fruiting buds were set last fall.

Just 2 pennies.

Sue
Western Maine

"AutoTracer" wrote in message
ink.net...
It is a dwarf and was labeled as appropriate for container growing. No

sign
that the roots have become bound at all. I must need to figure out a more
precise fertalizing schedule.

Oh well, This would not be the first plant to skip a year of flowering

after
coming in from a greenhouse lifestyle. A year of non fruiting will give

it
a chance to increase the canopy which didn't seem to increase at all last
year.


"escape" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 19:11:40 GMT, "AutoTracer"


opined:

Last year I bought a peach tree (I think in march) and it was covered

with
flowers which eventually fell off before the leaves started to grow.

The
tree yielded lots of fruit last fall.

This year the tree has grown lots of leaves but I never saw any

flowers.
Why did the tree fail to bloom this year? What did the nursery do to

get
it
to bloom before I bought it? Am I just being impatient?

The tree is a grafted onto a 4 foot tall standard and is planted in a

half
wine barrel. Watered regularly and only occasionally fertilized with
16-16-16. Spot is plenty sunny and I live in central CA (SF bay area).



your problem is the barrel part. Fruit trees, unless they are dwarf,

need
to be
planted in the ground. You could never provide enough fertilizer in a

container
for it to fruit properly and set.





Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a

friend?
http://www.animaux.net/stern/present.html





  #5   Report Post  
Old 13-04-2005, 12:15 AM
AutoTracer
 
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Default

Chill requirements? Are you saying that some cultivars may require freezing
weather to get synched with the season. We had no freezing weather at all
this year just lots of rain. I know some seeds like to be frozen for a
while but a tree?

I was going on the assumption that local nursuries generally sell varieties
suited to the local conditions. We have lots of microclimates but the
nursury and myself should have similar winter conditions. I should look
into where the tree was originally propagated it may be from the central
valley (fresno area) where it gets a bit colder at night in the winter but
is generally hotter in the summer. I think I still have the tree tags.

Since plants like this sell much better when in flower, I'm sure the nursury
had some sort of trick they pull just before putting them out for display.
It was afterall sold in a 10gal pot and now it is in a much larger
container.





"sue and dave" wrote in message
...
I'd have a couple of questions for the nursery where you purchased this
tree---

First would be, what are the chill requirements of this particular

cultivar
( and is it right for your location)??

Second would be if having such a full crop last year over stressed the

tree
so that no fruiting buds were set last fall.

Just 2 pennies.

Sue
Western Maine

"AutoTracer" wrote in message
ink.net...
It is a dwarf and was labeled as appropriate for container growing. No

sign
that the roots have become bound at all. I must need to figure out a

more
precise fertalizing schedule.

Oh well, This would not be the first plant to skip a year of flowering

after
coming in from a greenhouse lifestyle. A year of non fruiting will give

it
a chance to increase the canopy which didn't seem to increase at all

last
year.


"escape" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 19:11:40 GMT, "AutoTracer"


opined:

Last year I bought a peach tree (I think in march) and it was covered

with
flowers which eventually fell off before the leaves started to grow.

The
tree yielded lots of fruit last fall.

This year the tree has grown lots of leaves but I never saw any

flowers.
Why did the tree fail to bloom this year? What did the nursery do to

get
it
to bloom before I bought it? Am I just being impatient?

The tree is a grafted onto a 4 foot tall standard and is planted in a

half
wine barrel. Watered regularly and only occasionally fertilized with
16-16-16. Spot is plenty sunny and I live in central CA (SF bay

area).



your problem is the barrel part. Fruit trees, unless they are dwarf,

need
to be
planted in the ground. You could never provide enough fertilizer in a

container
for it to fruit properly and set.





Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a

friend?
http://www.animaux.net/stern/present.html









  #6   Report Post  
Old 13-04-2005, 01:22 AM
sue and dave
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"AutoTracer" wrote in message
ink.net...
Chill requirements? Are you saying that some cultivars may require

freezing
weather to get synched with the season. We had no freezing weather at all
this year just lots of rain. I know some seeds like to be frozen for a
while but a tree?


Chill requirement does not mean " freezing". Can you Google on " peach
tree chill requirements" ?? Chill hours are usually below 45 F.
Requirements vary all over the map, wholesalers sell all over the map.

I was going on the assumption that local nursuries generally sell

varieties
suited to the local conditions. We have lots of microclimates but the
nursury and myself should have similar winter conditions. I should look
into where the tree was originally propagated it may be from the central
valley (fresno area) where it gets a bit colder at night in the winter but
is generally hotter in the summer. I think I still have the tree tags.


Your tree is grafted onto a rootstock. Definitely ask your nursery where
the tree came from. If they bought the tree in a wholesale transaction
from an inland purveyor, most likely the chill requirement was met in the
winter before you purchased.

"A bit colder at night" could make all the difference between enough chill
hours and not enough. Even when dealing with low-chill requirement fruit
trees, placement within a microclimate could be important... if your peach
is in a half-barrel on concrete or blacktop, or sited close to your house,
the night time temps could be significantly warmer than on grass, away
from the building footprint and thermal shadow.


Since plants like this sell much better when in flower, I'm sure the

nursury
had some sort of trick they pull just before putting them out for display.
It was afterall sold in a 10gal pot and now it is in a much larger
container.


Well, believe as you like, no skin off my teeth, but there isn't much "
magic" a nursery can do ( beyond refrigeration for the winter) to make a
peach tree flower if the flower buds weren't formed during the previous
season's growth and hardened during dormamcy. No fruiting spurs=no buds=no
flowers.

The other question I posed still stands.

There is a good chance your peach put all its resources last year into
ripening a heavy fruit load after transplanting and had nothing left to
create new fruiting spurs ( ie-- "new growth")

you did say

Oh well, This would not be the first plant to skip a year of flowering
after
coming in from a greenhouse lifestyle. A year of non fruiting will give it
a chance to increase the canopy which didn't seem to increase at all last
year.

Fruiting trees like peaches (and pears, plums, apples) don't live a "
greenhouse lifestyle", they need real world conditions, including adequate
dormancy, pruning to enhance productive growth, thinning of crop yields
to ensure resources for the following years crop.

I thinks its great you have a specimen you can watch and learn from . Just
be patient and do the learning, asking, experimenting.

Sue






  #7   Report Post  
Old 13-04-2005, 01:46 AM
AutoTracer
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Thanks for your "Peachy" advice. Pretty much what I was looking for.


"sue and dave" wrote in message
...

"AutoTracer" wrote in message
ink.net...
Chill requirements? Are you saying that some cultivars may require

freezing
weather to get synched with the season. We had no freezing weather at

all
this year just lots of rain. I know some seeds like to be frozen for a
while but a tree?


Chill requirement does not mean " freezing". Can you Google on " peach
tree chill requirements" ?? Chill hours are usually below 45 F.
Requirements vary all over the map, wholesalers sell all over the map.

I was going on the assumption that local nursuries generally sell

varieties
suited to the local conditions. We have lots of microclimates but the
nursury and myself should have similar winter conditions. I should look
into where the tree was originally propagated it may be from the central
valley (fresno area) where it gets a bit colder at night in the winter

but
is generally hotter in the summer. I think I still have the tree tags.


Your tree is grafted onto a rootstock. Definitely ask your nursery where
the tree came from. If they bought the tree in a wholesale transaction
from an inland purveyor, most likely the chill requirement was met in the
winter before you purchased.

"A bit colder at night" could make all the difference between enough

chill
hours and not enough. Even when dealing with low-chill requirement fruit
trees, placement within a microclimate could be important... if your peach
is in a half-barrel on concrete or blacktop, or sited close to your

house,
the night time temps could be significantly warmer than on grass, away
from the building footprint and thermal shadow.


Since plants like this sell much better when in flower, I'm sure the

nursury
had some sort of trick they pull just before putting them out for

display.
It was afterall sold in a 10gal pot and now it is in a much larger
container.


Well, believe as you like, no skin off my teeth, but there isn't much "
magic" a nursery can do ( beyond refrigeration for the winter) to make

a
peach tree flower if the flower buds weren't formed during the previous
season's growth and hardened during dormamcy. No fruiting spurs=no

buds=no
flowers.

The other question I posed still stands.

There is a good chance your peach put all its resources last year into
ripening a heavy fruit load after transplanting and had nothing left to
create new fruiting spurs ( ie-- "new growth")

you did say

Oh well, This would not be the first plant to skip a year of flowering
after
coming in from a greenhouse lifestyle. A year of non fruiting will give

it
a chance to increase the canopy which didn't seem to increase at all last
year.

Fruiting trees like peaches (and pears, plums, apples) don't live a "
greenhouse lifestyle", they need real world conditions, including

adequate
dormancy, pruning to enhance productive growth, thinning of crop yields
to ensure resources for the following years crop.

I thinks its great you have a specimen you can watch and learn from . Just
be patient and do the learning, asking, experimenting.

Sue








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Old 13-04-2005, 02:26 AM
 
Posts: n/a
Default

AutoTracer wrote:
Chill requirements? Are you saying that some cultivars may require freezing
weather to get synched with the season. We had no freezing weather at all
this year just lots of rain.


You didn't say which part of the Bay Area you are in, but in San Jose
we definitely had some overnight frost (which our guava tree doesn't
appear to have survived).

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