Xtremehorticulture

Don’t Bet on Good Fruit from Rootstock Suckers

Q. I had an old peach tree of about 30 years die. We cut it down and had it removed. Last year several suckers sprouted from below the ground. They have different leaves so I know it is not peach. What are they? Should I leave them alone and allow them to grow? A. Having a 30 year old peach tree is quite an accomplishment! They are normally a short-lived tree as far as fruit trees go. Peach is hit very hard by borers and may start to decline around 12 to 15 years of age. A 20 year old tree is really getting up there in age. Rootstock on apricot             When you purchase a peach tree from a nursery it is grafted (budded) onto a different tree called the rootstock. Basically, there are two different trees joined together; one is grown for its fruit and the other is grown for its roots.             Frequently, the tree selected for its roots does not produce particularly good fruit. That is not the reason it was selected. It was selected because its roots had some particular quality that was desirable for the entire tree.             Remove these suckers from the base of the tree. They will grow but the fruit produced will be low quality compared to the peaches that you enjoyed for so many years.             

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Yes, Remove Citrus Suckers

Q. The low temps this winter affected my citrus trees.  Most of my new growth is on the suckers.  Should I remove them?  Or just let the tree be.   A. If you look at the trunk of the tree you should see a bend in the trunk or “dogleg” where the top was budded or grafted on to the rootstock. I doubt if it is on its own roots which would mean you would see no bend or dogleg. Graft or bud union creates a “dogleg” on the trunk. Anything coming from or below this bend should be removed and kept off. Whenever you see any type of growth at all from these spots it should be removed. If you let this growth develop it will rob growth from the part of the tree you want to keep and eventually dwarf or kill the good part of the tree. Next you want to allow the lowest branches to develop from the trunk at a height you want these branches to remain. The distance these lowest branches are now will be the height they will be in ten years from now.  If these are too low then move up the trunk to a place where you want the lowest limbs to develop. Remove any of these unwanted lower limbs completely from the trunk by cutting them as close to the trunk as possible. You can do this now if you want or you can wait until next January or February if there is fruit on them. I am not sure which citrus you have but if it is lemon they should probably be harvested in December.  Birdseye view of limbs radiating from the trunk of a young fruit tree to provide balance. Try to find limbs to keep which are coming from the trunk going in different directions. Hopefully you will find one limb going north, one south, one east and one west (I think you get what I mean by going in different directions as this will give the tree “balance” and reduce shading of itself). On the limbs coming from the trunk, remove shoots going straight up or straight down. This leaves shoots that spread out in a fan (horizontally or laterally) but remove shoots that are growing up or down. This allows for better light penetration inside the tree and helps distribute fruit production throughout the canopy rather than just on the perimeter. I hope this helps.

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Young Apricot Leaves Drying Up and Liquid Oozing

Q. I planted a Blenheim Apricot in March.   At first it did not seem to take but within four weeks it began showing growth whereas all the other fruit trees took almost immediately.  Its been doing fine until just recently when I noticed some of the leaves on the main truck were drying up.   I check the moister level regularly.   Looking closer at the graft there seems to be some liquid oozing out.   Enclosed are some photos of the liquid, drying leaves, and tips of higher leaves.   Any thoughts on what I’m up against.   Rootstock is Citation Hybrid if that helps. All my other fruit trees planted in the same general area are doing just great. Iron chlorosis, inter veinal chlorosis, or yellowing between the veins typical of new growth when iron chlorosis is present A. Some great shots and I would like to post them on my blog. Your photos tell a nice story I dont get to tell very often. But first lets look at the obvious and the is the discoloration of the leaves. The yellowing between the veins is called “interveinal chlorosis”. Chlorosis just means “yellowing” so it is yellowing between the veins. The most common reason for this in our alkaline soils is nutritional and frequently it is a lack of iron. Other nutrient deficiences that can cause similar types of chlorosis can include manganese and zinc deficiencies. I would guess this is an iron problem. The picture of the sap at the place where the rootstock (in this case Citation) meets what we call the scion (in this case yours is Blenheim apricot) we see some damage. It is very close to the bud union or dogleg (where the two meet). Bud union or dogleg. Where the Blenheim apricot was budded or “grafted” on to Citation rootstock and sap The damage may have started at the time of planting and is most likely from sun damage or sunburn. This area should have been painted with whitewash or any diluted white latex paint. Dilute 1:1 with water. Or you can put anything in front of that area that would give it some shade until the tree puts on some canopy and shades itself. You can use wooden shingles, cardboard, anything to cast a shade on the trunk. Usually, if the trunk gets sunburn then it is highly likely it will also draw borers to the damage and you will get borer damage there. It is very likely this is what you are seeing. YOu can find out easily by bending the canopy of the tree over. If the trunk breaks, it will break at the borer damage and you will most likely see them there. If it does not break when you bend it, it may just be sunburn. If the sunburn is not extensive, it is posssible it could heal itself but rather unlikely. You may have lost the tree. Interestingly, this dunburn and damage at the dogleg can also lead to the chlorosis or yellowing of the leaves as well. The sunburn damage can interrupt the flow of nutrients including iron up the tree and the interruption may be enough to limit the supply of available iron and lead toward iron chlorosis. However, some iron chelate sprays on the leaves a few times, along with a teaspoon of Ivory liquid per gallon of spray, may be enough to green the leaves up. I would guess 4 to 6 applications made in the wee hours of the morning when it is cool. Next time whitewash the trunk at the time of planting or provide some shade on the trunk until the canopy gives enough shade to protect itself.

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