Tony:

I can't get your photo URL's to work.

As for your peach tree, I would advise grubbing it out and planting a new tree of a good, named variety. I would suggest Contender, a fairly new variety which is cold hardy. It doesn't help that we don't know your location, but my 3-year Contender is full of peaches this season - about 50 - that are sizing and coloring up much faster than other varieties, even Reliance.

I have done both, and growing peach trees is a lot easier than raising bees. But it does require some minimum level of attention, particularly soon after planting. Your tree may have failed at the graft, you didn't notice it, and the rootstock sent up more than one shoot that grew into what you have. There is a time to cut your losses, and that time may be now, since you don't know if this tree will ever produce, and if it does, what kind of peach quality you might see. Earliness in a peach is quite an advantage in the Eastern climate (if that's where you are) since the peaches ripen before brown rot conditions become intolerable. Adams County Nursery sells Contender, and Cummins in New York State might sell it too.

After you get your new tree up and growing, you will have to learn to prune and shape it properly, and to protect it and the peaches from insects common on stone fruits. But if you can raise bees, I know you can do this, with maybe a little help from your friends.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks Don, Sounds like good advice. I was able to get the pictures up by copying and pasting the portions below if you want to give it another try. So what do they use for fruit tree rootstocks?

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x222/berkshirebee/IM000625.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x222/berkshirebee/IM000627.jpg

Don-

You think contender will make it here in Southwest WI? Reliance does great and i swear a lady i use to know grew "Redhaven" a couple blocks over. I'm really interested in another variety, I have four Reliance trees right now.

I'd also start over. Peach trees bear so young, that you'll have peaches in no time.

I have two Contender peach tree that made it through a winter in North Dakota, I am sure it will be fine in WI. Although one tree flowered, I didnt get any peaches to stick on, which I believe is normal for a two year old tree. both trees are growing like a weed this summer, I am hoping to have peaches next year. I still have not pruned them and I still dont know how or when to prune it. I think I will leave it alone this year and try to prune it next spring???

troman

My 2 year in the ground Reliance has got to be 10ft tall. Its amazing the amt of growth this summer. Its holding about 10 peaches, it did drop a few earlier this spring.

Thanks for the heads up. Contender is on my list this winter!

I know you guys got a little off track, but did anyone look at the pictures to see if it actually a peach tree?

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x222/berkshirebee/IM000625.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x222/berkshirebee/IM000627.jpg

Tony:

An overall photo of the tree would be helpful, but from what I can see of those leaves, they do not look like the leaves on my peach trees. You still have not told us your location, a fact that can be very useful for people trying to help you. There are several rootstocks commonly used for grafted peach trees, including Halford, Lovell, and Guardian. None of them will grow good peaches. Occasionally, you might find a peach tree grafted to seedling, which might grow acceptable peaches. The place to find out which rootstock you have is the place you bought the tree.

For Frank: Don't let that Reliance get any larger than 10 feet tall. Prune that baby down, concentrating on removal of growth in the tree's center, and spread the branches. You can do it now, right now, especially if it has a few nice peaches that are shaded by the growth. If Contender survives in North Dakota, it will find SE Wisconsin to be almost tropical. I have to say these are the first peaches I have seen, with the tree in its 3rd leaf, and I can't give you an opinion on their flavor. But they sure look good, and at the rate they are growing will be the largest peaches I have ever grown. Looks like an average of about 3/4 lb. each. I expect to have some go to a full pound each. Big peaches are heavy.

For Troman: Don't let your peach trees put on too much upward growth. It will make it more difficult to thin, spray and pick them when they set fruit, which might be next season. It's not rocket science. Just take your pruners and go to work. I prune my trees at any time of the year they need it, and always prune off a lot of new growth on top just after thinning (early June) to allow maximum sun penetration on the fruit. Peach trees grow more fruiting wood than they need, which leads to the need for much more thinning work the following season. And spread those branches, by hook or by crook.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Tony, those are definitely not peach leaves and they don't even look like any peach rootstock I have ever seen. If they are a fruit tree I would say they are some kind of pear tree.

Scott

{{gwi:120103}}

{{gwi:120105}}

Looks like an Asian Pear to me.

Thank God For Don!

You always have very good advice for everyone. Thanks for taking the time to give your expert advice to all of us!

I know this probably should be on another forum, but we already have started something!

Don just to get it straight you have for the first time planted a Contender peach tree and this is the first year you have gotten peaches from it? Are those the ones you are talking about being 3/4 of a pound? Please keep in touch how these will taste when ripe.

I know I will need to prune because I am amazed at how much grow there is. I am glad you said you prune anytime they need it and it doesnt hurt them. I am just scared to prune and kill the tree after it made it through a winter here dont want to put any more stress on it. I should take a picture of them to show you. Since no one here in North Dakota can help me because no one has ever grown a peach tree before that I have asked. My growing season is different than everyone else on here. I am fairly new in general to gardening so I am taking all your advice.

Thanks again Don for the advice, if you are ever in North Dakota look me up!!

Thanks to everyone for your input. I live in north western Mass. I contacted Gurney's where the tree came from. The company went bankrupt and was bought out in 2002 so their records only go back that far. I will look for a local nursery.

Thanks for the info as always Don.

The bark on that tree looks like cherry. I have a young July Elberta that fruited then became sickly. I pruned it back radically last winter and it's flush with leaves and very healthy this summer. No fruit, of course, due to the cutting.

Photos posted here show an apple tree. These require cross-pollination to bear well.