Best Rootstocks for Desert Fruit Trees ?

9 years ago

Hi everyone! I'm wondering what rootstocks work best for fruit trees in the desert? I'm in Tucson and would like to hear from anyone who's had success growing fruit trees in Tucson or Phoenix. I currently have Plum, Pluots, Pluerry, Peach, Apricot, and Aprium trees and I believe they are all on Myro 29c. Are there any other rootstocks that out perform Myro 29c here?

Featured Answer

cwlucking

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

I think one of the main issues is that Citation is very sensitive to drought, so if you go to San Diego for a couple of weeks next July, just make sure the neighbor kid doesn't forget to water your peaches every few days. It's all a big experiment, your watering-setup, microclimate and particular soils might be awesome for Citation. You'll know by 2018 whether they are a success or not, might as well give them a chance if you already planted them. If not, maybe you want to consider trading them in on something on Nemaguard, Lovell, or one of the fancy rootstocks that RSI Growers uses.

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Comments (8)

cwlucking
9 years ago
I'm in Phoenix. My most successful stone fruit are on Nemaguard, though last spring I put in a SpiceZee on Lovell, which I've heard works well. My Santa Rosa Plum on Myro29c is sorta middling. I'm pretty much sold on Nemaguard.
nhoblitt
Original Author
9 years ago
I didn't know you could get SpiceZee on Lovell; mine is on Citation and it has not done well at all. As far as I can tell Citation is not good for hot climates at all.
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cwlucking
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I believe Citation is regarded as a poor rootstock for our soils & climate. Dave Wilson produced a limited number of SpiceZees on Lovell last year as a special bulk order that fell through, and they were then distributed to retailers - i ordered mine from RainTree nursery. They are advertising they will have it again this winter: http://www.raintreenursery.com/Spicezee_Nectaplum_Lovell.html
iandyaz
9 years ago
Ugh.. of course I read this after I bought 2 trees on citation haha. Has anyone ever had one grow and thrive here? I wonder if it's a lost cause or if I can just give it enough water to be happy.
nhoblitt
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Citation does fine with frequent watering, but drought will induce dormancy. I went a day or two long on watering my SpiceZee this spring while it was in bloom and it dropped all of it's flowers.
iandyaz
9 years ago
That's good to know. One reason I went for the citation is I read that it loves lots of water and the spot I have planned for it, I lost 2 peach trees because I think they got too much water. It's in a low spot of the yard and water runs down there there after rain. It drains fairly fast but it gets runoff from a few container plants as well.
nhoblitt
Original Author
9 years ago
If it gets frequent water it should be fine, but Citation is not tolerant of inconsistent watering. My SpiceZee on Citation is in a 24in box and I water it with a hose and admittedly I haven't been consistent with it this year. Last year I was better with my watering and it grew like crazy.