Dwarf Peach Tree for Bonsai?

[dalberti]

Hey all,

I picked up a Dwarf Peach Tree from the Nursery a few weeks ago. It's done pretty well and has responded well to the shad cloth I have it under (the sun is intense this time of year).

I was wondering if anyone has done one of these for Bonsai. I thought I'd give it a shot since it was very inexpensive to buy.

Another question I had was if I should be concerned with how some of the leaves look. Some are quite yellow and have small holes - nothing major and just on a few of them.

Any advice is helpful. Also - when should I repot this thing? I figured I should just let it grow and adapt to the move for now.

Thanks
Mike

 

[sorce]

Nice.

Looks like a fun enough project to me.

With a right good start at that!

If repot it in Spring.

Inside for winter?

Sorce

 

[Coach]

What variety is your peach? They are all over down here in Texas. I just planted a "saturn donut" peach in my back yard in February. If you don't already know about peach trees magnificent spring blooms you are in for a TREAT! Ours actually begin blooming in late January/early Feb. Bloom phase lasts about 30 days, then large narrow leaves push through and the pinks are gone til next year. Below is a pic of a saturn donut peach in bloom

 

[jk_lewis]

Be prepared for every insect and fungus known to mankind.

 

[dalberti]

Sorce,

Thanks for the advice. yeah, I was wondering when I should repot it - Most likely when it's recovering from winter going into spring, correct?

Coach,
I'll have to double check the exact variety when I get home! Your picture looks FANTASTIC - I am excited for the future of this tree. What time of year do you typically repot?

jkl,

I'll be sure to keep a close eye out!

 

[Coach]

Can't give you any advice on repotting. My peach is a yard tree not a bonsai...it's actually the centerpiece of my bonsai garden.

The large long leaves made me shy away from trying to make a peach bonsai...but I have always been tempted to try because when they are aged and in their naked phase showing off ramification and bark and blooms they remind me of cherry blossom trees and are stunning.

In my yard I share the fruit with the bugs...they immerse themselves and you can literally hear them feasting ...I don't mind it at all...I just keep them off the other trees

 

[Cypress187]

Grow it fat, chop it low.

 

[dalberti]

Can't give you any advice on repotting. My peach is a yard tree not a bonsai...it's actually the centerpiece of my bonsai garden.

The large long leaves made me shy away from trying to make a peach bonsai...but I have always been tempted to try because when they are aged and in their naked phase showing off ramification and bark and blooms they remind me of cherry blossom trees and are stunning.

In my yard I share the fruit with the bugs...they immerse themselves and you can literally hear them feasting ...I don't mind it at all...I just keep them off the other trees

Coach,

Thanks for the reply. I guess I will start the repotting in the spring of next year, at least into pots that aren't nursery pots. I see what you're saying about the leaves. I don't quite mind how they look but they are rather large. Also, I'll keep an eye out for bugs. I'm definitely a newbie when it comes to fighting off insects and taking care of these types of trees ha!!

 

[dalberti]

Grow it fat, chop it low.

Cypress,

Thank you

I've actually picked up a small nectarine and another peach tree. The first two pictures are the Nectarine and the second two are the -new- peach tree. These are very inexpensive where I bought them so I thought I'd buy a couple more.

For pruning those long branches (or any branches for that matter) on that second peach tree, am I safe to do it soon and during the summer? What is the general rule on -when- I can do it? They are out of control!

Thanks! Any critiques/advice is MOST welcome.

 

[M. Frary]

See the weird know at the base of the trunks? Those are where the peach scion has been grafted onto something other than the peach tree on top. Almost all fruiting,flowering,ornamental trees you find are like that. It might be some kind of peach probably not the kind that has been grafted up top.
You might be able to layer it off and grow it on its own roots.

 

[coppice]

I would look at other prunus with smaller leaves. There are a platoon of smaller plums that aught to fit your needs.

This is (as will be every other prunus) exclusively an outdoors tree.

 

[Cypress187]

You should prune most tree's before the leaves come out (spring), so summer is waay to late in most cases for big chops.

 

[dalberti]

See the weird know at the base of the trunks? Those are where the peach scion has been grafted onto something other than the peach tree on top. Almost all fruiting,flowering,ornamental trees you find are like that. It might be some kind of peach probably not the kind that has been grafted up top.
You might be able to layer it off and grow it on its own roots.

Wow, valuable information, thank you! I just read up on what you're talking about. It totally makes sense. If you were in my situation, what would you do? That's probably a loaded question.


coppice,

what would you recommend? I don't mind the big leaves on these - but I am newer and don't know every variety. Thanks for the advice - these are definitely staying outside.


Cypress,

I appreciate your input

 

[M. Frary]

Well if I wanted a certain tree for bonsai and the only ones I could get were grafted onto something else I would look into layering,either ground or air for that particular tree. If it was a good candidate I would try it. If not then I would then learn how to make a killer peach cobbler.

 

[dalberti]

Well if I wanted a certain tree for bonsai and the only ones I could get were grafted onto something else I would look into layering,either ground or air for that particular tree. If it was a good candidate I would try it. If not then I would then learn how to make a killer peach cobbler.

Hahaha. I really appreciate the advice and it's made me look into air layering. It appears quite advanced but there are plenty of "how to"s out there for help. I suppose it would be great practice for me to try this on these relatively inexpensive trees.

Would you not try to make these "grafted" trees into Bonsai? What are the specific drawbacks?

Thanks for answering my millionth question.

 

[M. Frary]

Because most times the bottom or rootstock grows at a different rate than the top. The transition from rootstock to the scion usually always shows because of the different growth rates.

 

[jk_lewis]

Because most times the bottom or rootstock grows at a different rate than the top. The transition from rootstock to the scion usually always shows because of the different growth rates.

That depends on the species. Speaking very generally, for trees with rough bark, grafts may not show so badly. If the tree has smooth bark, however, the graft scar may show up much more clearly.

 

[dalberti]

Thanks for the information . I've been doing some research on the grafting of fruit trees - very interesting stuff.

I'll attach three images of one of my dwarf peach tree. I had an idea (because I really like the trunk of this one) to possibly cut off the grafted portion of this one.

in my first image I've drawn an arrow to where I think the graft took place. The other images are just different sides to the tree.

It's clear that the top portion of the tree and the bottom are completely different simply by just looking at the growth rate on the branches (you'll notice how crazy long and spindly the lower ones are).

Any thoughts on this project? I'll include a picture of the entire dwarf tree as well.

 

[M. Frary]

Yep. That's the graft point. Are there any branches growing out of the trunk of the rootstock?. They all look like it is suckering out of the base.

 

[dalberti]

Yep. That's the graft point. Are there any branches growing out of the trunk of the rootstock?. They all look like it is suckering out of the base.

Yup! There are a couple. (third pic in on my last post).