Rootstocks (part 1)

Rootstocks

A rootstock is a plant which already has an established, healthy root system and is used for grafting a cutting or budding from another plant.The tree part that is being grafted onto the rootstock is called the scion. The rootstock is the working part which interacts with the soil to nourish the new plant. After a few years, the tissues of the two parts will have grown together, producing a single tree although both will always remain two different plants.

Not only is choosing the correct variety important but the correct rootstock is important for the success of your trees. Rootstocks are chosen depending on the soil conditions and how large of a tree you may want. Each rootstock has its own positives and negatives. Here is a list of rootstocks to help you make the right decision for your tree. Each of these rootstock are available through the "Tomorrow's Harvest" brand of fruit trees.

Nemaguard (Prunus persica) peach seedling. Use with peaches, nectarines, plums, prunes, almonds and apricots. Root-knot nematode resistant, vigorous, strong tree. Susceptible to root-lesion nematodes prefer sandy soil, susceptible to oak root fungus and bacterial canker, prunes subject to brown line complex.

Nemared (Prunus persica) peach seedling. Use with peaches, nectarines, plums, prunes, almonds and apricots. Root-knot nematode resistant grows better in well drained, sandy soils. Anchorage is good. Susceptible to root-lesion nematodes, oak root fungus, bacterial canker and crown rot. Sensitive to wet soil conditions.

Lovell (Prunus persica) peach seedling. Use with peaches, nectarines, plums, prunes, almonds and apricots. Slightly more resistant to wet conditions than Nemaguard but prefers well-drained soils, slightly precocious compared to Nemaguard and slightly more resistant to bacterial canker than Nemaguard. Susceptible to root-knot and root-lesion nematodes and to oak-root fungus, somewhat susceptible to bacterial canker, prunes are subject to brown line complex.

Hansen 536* (Interspecific almond and peach) Use with almonds and peaches. Extremely vigorous, immune to root-knot nematode, deep rooted and drought tolerant, tolerant of calcareous soil conditions. Intolerant of shallow or poorly drained soil, trees may be excessively vigorous on good soil, susceptible to crown rot.

Cadaman tm* (prunus persica X Prunus davidiana) Use with almonds, peaches and nectarines. Vigorous Peach rootstock for peach, nectarine and almond. High yielding and larger fruit size. Tolerates root asphyxia and iron induced chlorosis. Resistant to root knot nematode. Not good in heavy, wet soils. Prefers warm, well drained soils. Not resistant to lesion nematode.

Cornerstone* (patent pending) Interspecific peach-plum hybrid rootstock. Use with peaches and nectarines. Cornerstone is a deep rooting red leaf rootstock. It has better phytopthora resistant than Hansen 536 and it is more drought tolerant than Nemaguard. The rootstock has increased fruit size on some varieties of peaches. Cornerstone is tolerant of high pH soil and it is resistant to iron induced chlorosis. The rootstock will tolerate heavier soils and is more resistant to crown gall than most almond X peach hybrids.
(Burchell Nursery is the exclusive distributor of this rootstock. A royalty of $.50 per tree will be assessed to all orders.)

Controller 5* (patent pending) Interspecific peach-plum hybrid rootstock. Use with peaches and nectarines. A dwarfing rootstock that will reduce the size of the scion cultivatar to between 50 and 60% of the size of trees growing on Nemaguard rootstock. This increases the efficiency of various cultural operations by reducing the need for field workers to use tall ladders. Moderately susceptible to rootknot nematode and are probably not inherently resistant to numerous soil pathogens.

Controller 9* (patent pending) Interspecific peach-plum hybrid rootstock. Use with peaches and nectarines. A dwarfing rootstock that will reduce the size of the scion cultivar by 90% of the size of trees growing on Nemaguard rootstock. This increases the efficiency of various cultural operations by reducing the need for field workers to use tall ladders. Moderately susceptible to rootknot nematode and are probably not inherently resistant to numerous soil pathogens.


Rootstocks 2, soon to come.

Just chill............

Some of the most common questions that we are asked are, what are chill hours and why are chill hours important and how do they effect my fruit trees?

                                         

First of all, chill hours are the cumulative number of hours of temperatures below 45f that are required by deciduous fruit and nut trees to produce fruit. The hours are tracked during the dormant season, they are measured from November 1 to February 29.

The number of chill hours required varies by the type and variety of each fruit or nut tree. It is important to make sure the tree you choose is appropriate for your particular location. Research the average

chill hours in your location as well as the hours required for the specific fruit or nut tree that you wish to plant. Nurseries will stock trees appropriate for your area, however the chill hours are usually on the Tomorrow's Harvest tag to help you choose your tree.

Chill hour incompatibility can be seen with frequent crop loss due to early bloom and late spring frost damage to the crop. In these situations, the chilling requirement was exceeded. On the other hand, planting varieties with higher chilling requirements than necessary can result in uneven bloom or uneven foliation.

In these cases the chilling requirement was not met.

I hope this helps out when you are trying to pick out the perfect trees for your home. As always, if you have any further questions, please let me know.

Learning Your Fruit Flavor Lingo

Learning Your Fruit Flavor Lingo

So you walk into your local nursery and you just don't know how to describe your fruit taste or what you like. Have you ever heard the terms acid, low acid or sub-acid when it comes to fruit? What do they mean? How do you ask for that particular taste you may be looking for? What are Brix?

Here is a brief description to help you out on your decision making.

Brix  is a measure of the amount of sugar in fruit. The higher the brix the sweeter the flavor. This is measured by a number, for example a peach with a brix of 20 would be considered having high brix or very sweet.

Acid  type fruits are those with a bite. we may refer to them as zesty or having a tart taste.

Sub-acid  These fruits are considered sugary and sweet. They generally do not have the zesty tart taste of an acid type piece of fruit.

Low acid  I generally like to refer to these as a combination between sweet and tart flavors.

Many of the names of Tomorrow's Harvest varieties have their descriptions built into the name. "Ginger Zest", an orange peach with a zesty (acid) taste. "Sugar Tiger, a yellow stripped saucer peach with a sugary (sub-acid) taste. So next time you head into your local nursery, have fun selecting your favorite fruit trees.



Look for fun and tasty varieties such as Fire Ball, Kandi Korn, Pink Perfume or Pumpkin Spice. There are over 35 new introductions for next winter season. You may even be lucky to find a Freckle Face, the number 1 rated nectarine according to S.F. Gate.

Grow Patented Burchell Varieties Right at Home

Now for the first time you can enjoy the full, rich flavor of Burchell bred fruits right at home in your own back yard!

Burchell Nursery has been at the forefront of innovation for over six decades developing and breeding some of the most popular varieties of fruits and nuts for commercial growers across the country. Every tree we grow is a living promise that you can depend on to produce luscious, tree ripened goodness for years to come. So, experience for yourself what thousands of Burchell Nursery commercial growers have come to depend on. Contact us for a list of local nurseries that are selling Tomorrow's Harvest fruit trees. They all have a great variety and can help you choose the perfect trees for your family to enjoy for years to come.

This is Colby enjoying a delicious Burchell peach!