Donskoy peach frost-resistant in the Middle Lane - my reviews and care
PEACHES IN MORDOVIA - VARIETIES, GROWING AND CARE
You say it's impossible?
They are thermophilic, and our cold winters will be destructive for them.
At present, through selection and selection, varieties have been obtained that can be successfully grown (of course, with special care and cover) and yields of tasty and aromatic fruits in the far north.
Having started looking for the right varieties of peach, we managed to acquire the Donskoy frost-resistant and Voronezh bush. The seedlings of these varieties arrived to me by mail in the spring of 2019 from nurseries in Michurinsk and Voronezh. The seedlings of these peach varieties were grafted onto a wild apricot stock.
I planted the obtained seedlings in large pots, at the first experience of growing a peach, I decided that a tub culture for studying and mastering this culture would be much better for me. In this variant of cultivation, valuable seedlings, which were difficult to get, can be put in the first winter for the winter in a room where the temperature is about zero.
My first disappointment: it turned out that a frost-resistant Donskoy peach seedling came to me with a dead root system. Obviously, the seller dug in the seedlings for the winter and did not cover the roots, as a result of which they died. I had to cut cuttings from this seedling for grafting, but what to graft on? I didn't have a peach stock. But the seedlings of the Siberian species apricot grew on the site, I decided to try to graft on it, suddenly what happens. The root system of the Siberian apricot was powerful (three-year-old seedlings). Got two vaccinations, not really hoping for success. A week later, the buds started growing on the grafted cuttings, which meant that both grafts had successfully taken root.
The Voronezh bush variety remained to grow on the rootstock on which it received it from the seller.
By the fall, my grafts of Donskoy frost-resistant on a Siberian apricot grew a meter high, formed in the form of a miniature tree, but the "Voronezh" did not grow much and looked poor in comparison with the Donskoy.
Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica), by its nature, is a small tree up to 3 m tall, characterized by increased resistance to frost and heat. It is beautiful during flowering, adorned with its foliage in summer and autumn, its fruits are small and not at all edible. So you can use it as an ornamental plant and experiment as a rootstock.
The Siberian apricot ends its growing season early, at the beginning of September its leaves begin to turn red-orange and soon fall off. This also affected the peach grafted on it: by the end of August, the frost-resistant Donskoy peach on this rootstock shed its leaves and prepared for the upcoming wintering. The Voronezh bush variety at this time still had green foliage, and the shoots were just beginning to ripen.
In the first winter, I decided not to leave the valuable peach varieties in the ground, they grew in pots, and with the arrival of stable cold weather, I transferred them to the vestibule of a heated greenhouse, where the temperature in winter on frosty days does not drop below minus 5 °.
Studying the experience of amateurs who grew peaches in the ground in nearby regions, I noted the basic rules for myself.
1. The first is the shelter of the root system, it is more prone to frost than the crown.
2. Winter-hardy peach varieties withstand severe frosts, but still flower buds below minus 20 ° do not withstand well.
The crown of the peach, and other southern crops, in our area does not tolerate a dry cold wind.
Given these features, for planting a peach, you need to choose a place well protected from the winds, where it is noticeably less frosty on the site in winter.
My peaches hibernated in the greenhouse vestibule. Variety Donskoy frost-resistant - with a good crown on the rootstock of Siberian apricot, which, according to all data, should give a high winter hardiness to the peach, too. "Voronezhets" looked like a twig, unsightly, perhaps that is why it was called bush.
In winter, I looked after the earthen clod, and when the soil dries up, I sprayed it with water.
In February, the sun began to actively warm up, the temperature in the vestibule rose to constantly above zero. My young peaches woke up from winter sleep, buds started to grow, it became noticeable that buds began to protrude on all branches. A week later, the peach trees dressed up in airy pink dresses. In early March, I began to open the door to the greenhouse vestibule in the afternoon. The first bees that woke up after wintering found my blossoming peaches and hummed joyfully, flying over them, collecting nectar and pollinating the flowers.
With the onset of warm weather, I moved the peaches into the garden and during the season I constantly monitored the soil in the tubs. Watered and fed if necessary.
After abundant flowering, many ovaries crumbled, on each bush at the Donskoy and Voronezh ones there were 4 ovaries left, which began to ripen. Moreover, the first fruits began to ripen in the Donskoy frost-resistant variety - in the second half of June. The sign of ripening became known immediately: from afar came the unique aroma of peach, so strong that it just called to pick and eat.
Having tasted my peaches, I immediately appreciated their advantages in comparison with the imported southern ones. The Donskoy frost-resistant variety turned out to be not only an alluring aroma, but also an excellent taste, melting fruit pulp, an easily separable stone. Voronezh bush was not in a hurry to ripen yet, its fruits continued to grow and fill, they were noticeably larger than those of the Donetsk resident.
The fruits of Voronezh began to ripen only towards the end of July, the aroma was less pronounced, and the taste was disappointing, against the background of the Donskoy, the skin of the fruit was much rougher, and the stone was poorly separated from the pulp. But nevertheless, the beautiful and large fruits of the Voronezh bush grown in our garden, of course, delighted us.
What influenced the early ripening and good taste of the fruits of the Donskoy frost-resistant? The influence of the rootstock (Siberian apricot) or the genes of this cultivar originally laid down? This will show the further cultivation of the peach. I'm going to try different rootstocks.
And in the future I will try to grow peaches in the ground and hope to get big yields.
We also recommend reading: Technology of growing a peach in the form of a bush in the middle belt of Russia and the Moscow region
PEACH IN THE MIDDLE STRIP - VIDEO
© Author: A. LUKSHIN Mordovia
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- Peach in a cold climate + help peach after frost
- Technology of growing a peach in the form of a bush in the middle belt of Russia and the Moscow region
- Peach - how to plant and trim properly
- Peach growing - planting and care: advice of a specialist
- Peach and apricot in the middle lane - growing planting and care
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