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This rootstock trial was planted in 2009 at the Kearney Ag Center with Redhaven as the scion variety. It has 8 single tree reps of each of the 15 rootstocks listed below. The same planting was established in 16 other locations within the USA.
The 14 nutrients listed on the right hand side of this page are generally considered the essential soil derived nutrients for all plants. The macro nutrients are needed in much greater quantities than the micro nutrients, but a deficiency in any one of them can cause serious problems.
The most common type of iron (Fe) deficiency in California is called iron chlorosis or lime-induced chlorosis. It is not caused by low iron but by high levels of bicarbonate ions (HCO3-) which frequently occur in high pH soils. Bicarbonate interferes with the uptake and use of iron by the plant.
Manganese deficiency is seldom a problem in stone fruit orchards in the San Joaquin Valley of California (survey). In a cool spring, mild symptoms can be seen on some leaves. These usually disappear as soon as the weather warms up.
Most commercial plum varieties in California require pollen from another variety to set a full crop. Thus, a second variety needs to be planted in the orchard or grafted into trees of the main variety. Beehives also need to be placed in the orchard during bloom.
Many things should be considered when planning a new orchard. Variety, rootstock, training system and planting spacing all need to be decided well ahead of time.
Hundreds of stone fruit varieties are grown in the San Joaquin Valley of California and shipped to many locations around the world. This section provides a brief description of the main varieties grown in recent years.
Keeping nutrients within a certain range is important for proper tree growth and optimum fruit quality. Both deficiencies and excesses of any nutrient can lead to serious problems.
Nemaguard has been the standard rootstock in California peach, plum and nectarine orchards for many years. Recently, a variety of new rootstocks have become available from numerous breeding programs around the world. This section provides information on the characteristics of these stocks.
Peach, plum and nectarine varieties generally set more fruit than can be grown to a desired size, and thus need to be thinned. The common practice is to do this by hand, which can be very expensive.
