Peach trees are unique in that they have a very hard time sprouting a shoot unless there is an actual live visible bud. I'm not saying it never happens, just that is usually doesn't. Many times larger peach trees from a nursery have what may look like buds lower on the trunk, but in fact, these buds are dead. By cutting your tree back, if there are no live buds, you basically have a stick. That one of the trees wants to throw up a sucker instead of budding out, is a clue that there are probably not any live buds on the stick. That you're in CA and it's still not leafed out is a bad sign. Don't give up hope yet. Get rid of the sucker and wait and see what happens, it may yet grow a shoot from the scion.

Olpea, I think you may have hit the nail on the head. There are scions on the stick but I don't think any of them are live buds. I didn't know they needed to be live and assumed that if there was a scion that it would send out new growth from that scion. The devil as always is in the details and that info was not in the extension instructions! On closer examination of the scions there are either no buds or what look like dried out buds. My master gardener friend suggested I dig them up and take them back to the nursery where I got them. Of course I special ordered these trees and I doubt they would have the same variety with which to replace them.

How long would you give them to send out new shoots before giving up all hope?

Clair,

I understand now that your trees do have some branches on them. When I read your original post, I was under the impression that you trimmed the trees back to whips (no side branches). I can only say that it is very unusual for all the buds on all the branches to be dead. So I'm going to have to back track and say I'm not sure what's going on. It still portents something strange that they haven't leafed out yet and are throwing suckers. If they were planted shortly after purchase, and watered as needed, I think I'd take them back at this point (assuming they've been in the ground a while). Who knows how they were handled from the grower to the nursery. If it's a hassle to take them back, keep the growth below the grafts trimmed off, and wait on the portion above the graft. Scratch under the bark with your fingernail. As long as it's green there is some hope. Once it's brown, it's dead.

Clair:

It is difficult to be certain about what happened to your stone fruit trees, since none of us have seen them and there does seem to be some misunderstanding of terminology (scion is anything above the graft/budding point).

But it does seem you may have been snookered by your master gardener friend. Across-the-board advice to cut newly-planted nursery stock back to knee height (which in the case of my knees is about 20 inches) may not have been wise without looking at the stock to ensure there were viable buds below that point. If you take these trees back to the nursery, they may simply tell you that you cut off their trees and killed them, and they would have a good case.

I guess the point of your UC Davis-inspired exercise was to promote very low branching on the trees, but on peaches and nectarines it doesn't have to be as low as 20 inches, and newly planted stock needs to become established before it is radically pruned. Peaches and necs should be grown to a low open center, with wide crotch angles. I don't know whether you would define that as a "bush", but it is pretty easy to keep stone fruits at 10 feet or less with annual summer pruning. There is plenty of time to train and shape a newly planted tree after it is in the ground and growing well.

Trees planted in January in California that have not leafed out by April are dead, not much doubt about it. Rootstock growth is another very bad sign. You are going to have to replant if you want to grow these trees, but this time find a source of more practical advice. Master gardeners perform a useful public service for free, and I don't want to criticize all of them, but there are a few who should not have been promoted beyond apprentice.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

IMHO I would never prune a new planted tree, I would leave all growth on until the next year when it has become more established, then prune. As long as the tree is alive it may bud again... but will take time; I would not give up hope on a tree until after one year, I have had trees that I could swear were dead; but next spring started growing again ( not from the rootstock but the graft ) and yes the rootstock sent up a lot of suckers I had to cut off.

As you have very little chance of getting your trees replaced, I would continue to care for what you have. Often adventitious buds may appear as long as there is pressure from the roots. Be sure to remove any growth beneath the graft IMMEDIATELY as soon as seen as this growth will take the pressure off any possible new buds. Al

I have always recommended cutting trees back to the knee for home gardeners.

The limited space that most homeowners deal with does not allow for large trees in the average backyard. I feel 10 foot tall is too tall. I keep trees at 7 to 8 feet with the canopy beginning at 2 feet. This allows for a 5 to 6 foot fruiting body. I recommend pruning in the summer to keep the tree open for air circulation and sun penetration. With practice this can all be done without a ladder.

In saying that, I also recommend that this be started using trees 5/8 inch or less in diameter. 3/4 and above quite often do not have viable buds and can struggle to push and adventitious bud. When selecting larger caliper trees I recommend trees that have low branching already established. Still I recommend cutting the tree back to promote the development of a bush style tree.
As far as the situation that tudorrose is dealing with I have had the best results with shading the tree to get latent buds to push. I can only guess that dehydration is a factor in getting advantitious bud to push. You might try something to block the midday to afternoon sun. I have had luck just putting a chair to the south/southwet of the tree.

I think that the master gardeners do a fine job and in most cases get it right. But growing anything can be very involved and knowing and understanding it enough to advise people is an on going process. Keeping in mind that most are volunteers. As with any new growing experience I think that it is a good idea to research an ask as many questions as possible.

Off the subject a tiny bit: I have peaches that do not start to branch within a couple of feet of the ground, but would like them to, for the reasons edlo mentions. Is there any way with peaches to get buds to push from farther down the trunk, or must I do a chip bud?