Fruit Trees for Zone 2/3

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by TYW, Aug 29, 2004.

  1. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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  2. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    What is your guys opinions for about these trees?

    Acording to the source they are either zone 2 or 3
    M-604 Apricot
    Westcot Apricot
    Early Gold Pear
    Ure Pear.

    They have other plant but I found the ones above the most interesting.

    I found these plants on this website:
    http://www.jeffriesnurseries.com/p41-46.pdf
     
  3. northerngrapes

    northerngrapes Active Member

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    They will grow just fine in this climate. Big problem with any apricot here is that they bloom early and get hit by frost most years. The pears are fine here but don't expect great quality.
    cheers
     
  4. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    I have a silly question but if you need two different trees for pollination. Can you graft one into another so you can get the two different flowers on same tree? That way they would pollinate each other.

    If you cannot get the prunus nigra. Can you graft the prunus nigra on the other tree?
     
  5. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    It appears the answer was here all along LOL.
     
  6. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    The answer is yes you can. You can bud/graft various cultivars onto your tree as long as they are in the same genus. The different cultivars can act a pollinators. A member on the citrus forum now has over 80 different types of citrus fruits growing on one citrus tree. He has accomplished this by grafting and budding. - Millet
     
  7. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    Thanks, now I'm interested ins seeing that Kimera citrus LOL. Any pictures?
     
  8. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    Hello Zone 2/3 folks,

    My question is this: any of you have suggestions of sources of hardy fruit tree budwood?. I'm always looking for any hardy varieties of common fruits that may be headed towards extinction as well as exotics that grow up here.

    Pipestone
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2008
  9. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    Well, if you read the tread and search the net you will see we have a challenge finding prunus nigra. I don't think is on brink of extinction but it is not commonly sold a garden stores.

    I might get a pembina and I will try to graft a prunus nigra on it. That could be next year project.
     
  10. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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  11. northerngrapes

    northerngrapes Active Member

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  12. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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  13. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    I'm interested in the westcot since I like apricots and I have Nankin cherry already in my yard.

    I wonder if I should plant it in a less sunny place where it might delay the flowering or If should plant it in a more sunny place where it would receive more heat.
     
  14. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    The best information I have on apricots says that if you are colder than zone 7 you need to plant them on a North facing slope and mulch them to keep their roots cool. The reasoning behind this is that they are precocious bloomers and you need to keep them dormant as long as possible in the spring. Hardiness doesn't seem to be their issue up here: blossoming too early and then freezing apparently is. In reality I wouldn't know: my apricots (Westcot, Morden 604, Cowley, Scout, Manchurian, and some seedlings from Heaver, Capilano, and Sunshine Farms at Kelowna) have never died back, but they haven't blossomed either! I'm told that we should expect one crop every five years on apricots.

    And my kids and I like the Early Gold, Ure and Golden Spice pears just fine. They aren't Bartlett in taste or size, but they are still pretty good.

    Sarah
    Zone 3b
    Mulhurst Bay, AB
     
  15. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    Thanks for the repply.

    I heard today on CBC radio that we should water our trees because we have not received much snow and because a chunk of ice on the roots is good for them.

    Therefore, the city is watering their trees.

    This contradicts what I have read on the internet that we should not water our plants during this time of the year so they can harden and get ready for the cold months.

    I have not watered my trees since almost two months ago.

    I have:

    Nankin cherries, Evan's Cherry, Blueberries, Valiant grape, St.croix plus an unknown variety of grape.

    I also have roses, some ornamental bushes and couple of small trees.

    Should I water any of these ones?

    Sorry, but I'm a rookie on gardening.
     
  16. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    I'm a rookie too, just on a huge (2500-3000 trees!) scale!

    From what I hear: Don't water from mid August to mid September to encourage trees to stop growing and harden off. Then water in really well about mid October so they hit freeze up with big ball of ice on their roots.

    This year is troubling me a bit. It was so very dry all summer and so late into fall that I'm afraid all my watering-in is already gone and we still haven't hit freeze-up or snow cover. I really don't know what you should do; but I can say that if I could, I would water mine again now (maybe Sunday :-). I'm told that most of our winter kill is actually due to tissue dehydration and not actual hardiness issues, so I would personally err on the side of wet rather than dry.
     
  17. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    I'll water mine today for the last time this year.

    Stupid questions:

    How you water 2,500 trees by yourself?

    Which species do you have?

    Thanks,
     
  18. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    Right now I water with a hose and sometimes 5 gallon pails for the trees on the end of the rows when the hose won't quite reach! And that explains my inability to water this time of year when the hoses are all rolled up or frozen! The plan is to put in drip irrigation in 2010. We started working on that last year by putting in a huge dugout and to make sure it actually fills and holds water (it does).

    I am currently experimenting with named trees and seedlings of:

    Apples, Crab Apples, Apricots, Sweet Cherries, Sour Cherries, Cherry Plums, Haskaps/Honeyberries, Peaches, Asian Pears, European Pears, Plums (European, Japanese, Hybrid, Wild, and Feral), and Wolfberry/Goji Berry.

    If you are interested, send me an email address and I will send you my list of named varieties.
     
  19. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    wow, you have a lot of plants.

    What is your business?

    I'll water mine today.
     
  20. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    No business yet: we haven't produced more than we can eat yet. But once everything (including my 6 kids!) grows for a few more/10 years I'm hoping to capitalize on the organic "Hundred Mile Diet" in some sort of U-pick/We-pick/farm sales/farmers market sales/value added products: not really ruling anything out at this point! I certainly have plenty of people waiting to buy stuff without having anything to sell or advertised yet!

    Sarah
     
  21. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    Very good. Are you close to Edmonton?

    How did you pick your varieties of trees?
     
  22. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    We are about 45-50 minutes south-east of Edmonton. This year we picked all 2 gallons total by hand and don't really plan to change that method in the future... that's what the 6 kids are for! lol

    I keep meaning to post (and I don't think I have yet!) that DNA Gardens carries what they call "Pure wild plum seedlings" for those who are also looking at plum pollination issues.
     
  23. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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    Which fruits have you produced so far?

    Any grapes, plums, apricots, cherries, or pears?
     
  24. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    The Valiant grape produced a bunch of very nice clusters, but they didn't ripen last year (we had a few ripen the year before). We have had a few handfuls off our oldest Evan's cherry tree and ditto for our oldest Carmine Jewels and Crimson Passions. One of our Early Gold pear trees put on a few pears last year and then nothing this year. Mostly we have been sampling various different apples: some of which seem to be mislabelled! I think my favourites from our orchard thus far are Collet (supposed to make outstanding pies, wouldn't know as ours didn't last that long!) and September Ruby. I have also tried (at the Devonian Garden Fruit Grower's Festival) and highly recommend Zestar and State Fair.
     
  25. Granrey

    Granrey Active Member

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