Fruit Trees for Zone 2/3

This weekend the temperature was -45 C. I wonder if there is a way that I can know if my plants are still alive.

 

There is nothing to see until spring! I wouldn't spend much time worrying about your trees not surviving as they are amazingly resilient. I'm in zone 3b, but I've got a Cox's Orange Pippin apple tree (widely accepted as a tender zone 5) that made it through last winter where we hit -45 C, not counting the wind chill! All it lost was the terminal bud and considering that I planted it last spring, that could easily have happened to a super hardy tree. And don't be in a hurry to yank out trees that don't seem to be growing in the spring. We have had several apple trees (different years) that didn't leaf out until almost July. I was told that late leafing out can indicate water stress so we kept them well hydrated while we waited. All the trees eventually leafed out just fine although several months after the rest of the orchard.

 

I asked a friend of mine to recomend me plum and he suggested Mount Royal Plum.

This plum is good for Zone 3 and is self fertile. All that I have found on the internet matches his advice.

Does anyone else has experience with this plum?

 

I bought one in a 5 gallon pot at Canadian Tire spring of 2006 and it came thru last winter just fine, but it did not blossom last year. They are supposed to be super plums: dark blue skin with a blue bloom and greenish yellow flesh. It is a clingstone, but some strains are almost freestone when ripe. Flavour is listed as sweet, moderately rich and of good quality for eating fresh, preserves and jams. It ripens September 2. It was a chance seedling discovered in Quebec, tends to stay small, moderately vigourous, upright, almost annual bearer with a good tree producing 40-65 kg in Quebec. Listed as the best of the blue plums tested at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa even though it takes a long time to harvest because of the size (medium 21.3 g) and because the fruit tends to stay firmly attached to the tree on a short stem even when fully ripe. It is susceptible to black knot (do we get that here?), self fruitful and there are different strains of Mount/Mont-Royal.

 

Mount Royal will do well in sheltered locations of zone 3. It has nice quality fruit .
I have seen about a dozen trees in this area. Some of the guys at DBG fruit growers
group have it and it has mixed results. Still worth a try as the quality is really good.
It can suffer winter damage in our area so make sure you have a nice sheltered site out of the wind.

Cheers

 

If I had known about this plum last year, I would have planted then.

It's never late, I'll plant it next spring with a westcot apricot as well next to it. LOL

 

Howdy Sarah,
You are correct in your discription of Mont Royal except the ripening period. The plums turn blue in the eand of August or early September but they are not good for eating till at least two weeks later in the Edmonton area. For jams you are better off with cherryplums than Mont Royal.
On your question of black knot, yes this disease is all over the place in Edmonton and some parts of Alberta and is creating havoc for those growing Maydays. LANTA is very concerned.
Peace
Thean
PS. Mont Royal tends to be biennial in Edmonton.

 

Thean,

Which cherryplum would you recomend?

Thanks,

 

Howdy Granrey,
I found Opata to be the hardiest. The set back is its jam lacks color. Adding other varieties or other colorful berries will improve it. Sapa makes one of the best unfortunately Sapa is not very hardy but it should be ok for you since you are in the city. Having said that, Sapa is a weak grower - tendency to sprawl on the ground. This makes it extremely easy to cover it with leaves in fall for protection. The hiccup is the berries will be lying on the ground and most will rot before you can pick them. Others you may want to try are Sapalta, Manor, Epsilon, Convoy, Dura. Compass. To make jam with cherryplums, just use same amount of pulp to sugar. No pectin is needed.
Peace
Thean

 

I have stated the wrong source of my Mount Royal plum. I actually got that particular plum tree from Cannor Nurseries located just North and West of the Devonian Gardens. My other favourite local nursery is Arber Greenhouses located between Millet and Wetaskiwin on highway 2A. They both carry a good variety of large fruit trees: apples, crabapples, cherries, apricots, plums, and pears. I don't recall either on carrying cherry plums though. I've found some of those at both of the Boughen Nurseries (SK and MB) which also have good websites. Canada's Clonal Genebank also carries a large number of cherry plums, but I don't know if they ship budwood or rooted plants. I'm going to inquire.

 

How does the M. Royal Plum Tree looks like in appereance (weeping, straight, ect)? If you could post a pic would be excelent.

 

Howdy Sarah,
The Canadian Clonal Repositiry has the largest collection of cherryplums in Canada. I do not know what their policy is like now. They only ship scionwood. There is a small fee. DnA has about 5 selections of cherryplum. I think Littleapple in Saskachewan also has some. Check their websites. UofS has a collection of Dr. Paterson's work for their own breeding program.

Howdy Granrey,
Mont Royal is a rounded, erect bush or tree. Heavy production every second year eventually cause it to have rounded crown.

Peace
Thean

 

I've ordered from CCG several times and haven't had to pay for anything yet! They do have a huge collection and I just heard back from Margie Luffman that they do only ship budwood of the Cherry Plums.

Sarah

 

Hi Thean, I'd like to chat with you off list but don't have any nos. I'm still at same place.
John D Brooks, Ab.

 

Howdy John,
Thanks for your note. I moved out of Brooks after quiting my job in 2007. I'm now living in Edmonton. Please e-mail me.
Peace
Thean

 

Hi Thean, I don't have your email address. Mine is still the same if you kept it.
Tks,
John

 

I need spring to come soon. I have some plants to try out and I need to see if my current plants survived the winter. LOL

 

I really misspoke when I said there is nothing to see until spring. A close look at some of my peach branches shows that they look 'dried' with some discolouration and little longitudinal wrinkles in them: that part is definitely dead! And two of my 4 Asian pears are black to just above the snow line: also definitely dead! Also looking forward to spring. Are you coming to the Devonian Botanic Gardens Seedy Saturday on April 18th? It's nice to be in a greenhouse trading/buying grafting material and learning from the local masters while it's too cold outside to garden much.

 

Hope you'll not dismiss the Thunderchild as "for looks only". When fully ripe, the fruits on ours are delicious. They are tiny, but great for stand-in-the-garden daydreaming -- rather like eating popcorn.

 

I'll do my best to be there.

I don't want to check my plants, I'm afraid to know they are dead. This winter had very cold days.

 

Dumb question, but can someone tell me what or where is the DNA Gardens? Doesnt sound like a regular greenhouse. :) Thanks in advance. Still trying to get my plums to produce.

PS: Just about to start pruning the fruit trees, I assume that it is a good time before they start to grow again.

 

Howdy TYW,
DnA Gardens is in Elnora on Highway 21, somewhere east of Aidre. You can google search for her website.
Peace
Thean
PS Hope you are done with your pruning. With this rain, it will be too wet to get into the garden for another few days.

 

Just a small update on my plants.

The nanking cherries are flowering now and the evans cherry might not be too far behind.

Now to my grapes.

The saint croix and the unknown varieties are probably dead as all the wood is rotten, I did not unplant them hoping for roots to be alive.

regarding the valiant. it does not have any sign of leaves coming out as it has only couple buds left (and these buds look dead to me)on the main trunk.

I took a piece of the top of the trunk, just to see how trunk is inside. The edges are green but the center is hollow. I did that couple days ago and I see water coming out of it everytime I look a it.

is it alive?



I also planted 3 honeyberries (two borealis and 1 berry blue). THe berry blue is flowering and the other two are not. I guess I might have to wait until next year to get some fruits lol.

The 3 bushes are small.

 

Hi to everybody...I'm new to this forum, hope to learn lots! I live in North-Central Alberta, halfway between Grande Prairie and Peace River. I ordered some Ranetka r/s from a supplier in Aldergrove, put 'em in the ground about 2 weeks ago, and then it snowed for 2 days straight. I figured that was the end of them. It's still chilly in the evening here, down to only +2 or worse at night, but they appear to be okay! I cut my lawn for the first time today (bundled up in polar fleece), but there by golly on the rootstock are little red buds. I also planted a windbreak around my property (larch and Colorado Blue Spruce - no pine trees, thank you Mr. Pine Beetle) and they look like they survived a late May snowfall, too! I haven't moved my tender plants from the greenhouse to the garden yet; they may spend their lives in there at this rate. So, in answer to the question of "how will I know my plants suvived the cold?", I guess my response would be, wait and see. The old timers up here assure me that this is a typical Peace Country spring, and I have no choice but to agree with them - but it gives me the shivers to think that I'm reluctant to put a garden in until the beginning of June. The best news is, first frost is usually late August!! I wish everybody a happy spring and lots of produce...Patty

 

Thean
You mentioned that naking cherry is self-sterile and need another nanking cherry for pollination. My white Nanking cherry bloomed but no fruit and that may be because there was no other nanking cherry around. If I air-layered my white cherry to get another one of the same Whaite nanking cherry, will it help in pollination or does it has to be another cultivar of nanking cherry for pollination?