To grow a tree from a stone? Such thoughts are visited from time to time by anyone who loves to work in the garden or greenhouse. Especially if in the hands is fragrant juicy peach with delicate pulp.
And if people learned to grow lemons and pomegranates at home, then getting a peach tree is a snap.
To do this, be patient and follow the recommendations of experienced gardeners.
Table of contents
Is it possible and how to grow a peach from a stone?
Choosing planting material
Quality planting material - the key to success. Turkish or Spanish peaches, no matter how beautiful and tasty they are, are not suitable for planting in our latitudes.
Everyone knows that imported peaches are removed from trees long before biological maturity. This is the right approach, because at the onset of technical ripeness, fruits acquire a delicate flavor, retain useful substances and tolerate transportation over long distances.
But the bones of such fruits do not ripenand therefore it is not worth wasting your time and energy on their germination.
Besides, southern varieties will not survive in our climatebecause accustomed to more comfortable conditions. If the seedlings give seedlings, then the seedlings themselves will die without completing the right amount of sunlight and heat.
If you already decided to plant a peach, browse the market in search of local fruits. The seller, who has grown his own product with his own hands, will be happy to tell you how to care for the seedling in order to achieve fruiting.
Fine, if the neighbor in the cottage will share the harvest. In any case, prepare a few bones. The germination of peach seeds is about 25%, some seedlings will die when grown, so the more seeds you collect, the better.
Be sure to ask what tree peaches are removed from. Do not take fruits from the grafted tree, because the characteristics of the variety when grown are unlikely to match the parent.
Only peaches from the own-rooted tree produce planting material capable of preserving species.
Grow a peach from a stone is easier than ever:
Choosing a grade
Zoned varieties will feel better in a local climate, content with the amount of heat and lighting that nature of a particular region can give them.
Even if you decide to plant seedlings in open ground, with proper care they will not be afraid of cold.
When choosing a peach variety, pay attention to the main characteristics.
Winter hardiness If you plan to transplant a seedling into an open ground, choose varieties with good winter hardiness and unpretentiousness to growing conditions.
Self-pollination Many varieties are self-pollinated. But if you want to get a generous harvest, plant a row of at least 3-4 peaches, which will subsequently bear fruit.
Early ripeness - for successful fruiting in summer, it is recommended to plant early ripening varieties (July-first half of August).
To extract pits, prepare large, ripe, soft fruits with no signs of damage, rot or mildew. Free the bones from the pulp, rinse thoroughly under running warm water and dry. Pick stones without traces of pests and cracking.
Choose a method of growing
Gardeners use three methods to grow peach trees from a pit.
Stratification, or "cold way." An imitation of cold natural conditions is created so that the seeds are ready for germination and better picked.
During stratification, shells soften, seeds swell, complex organic substances turn into simple ones and are absorbed by the seed germ.
Extraction of seeds. "Fast way", which is splitting the stone and removing the nucleus. After seed extraction from the seedling, seedlings appear much earlier than during stratification.
Warm way. You can sprout bones in pots at room temperature and natural light.
Cold mode, or stratification, at home
For a successful stratification, it is necessary to create wet conditions for the seeds at a low positive temperature and provide air access. For these purposes, suitable compartment for storing vegetables in the refrigerator or basement.
Stratify seeds as follows:
- Prepare a small, lidless container filled with wet sand or peat. Sand use coarse, separated from foreign particles and thoroughly washed.
- Place the stones in the sand to a depth of 6-8 cm, place the container in a plastic bag with holes (to get air) and put it in the refrigerator for the winter time.
- Regularly check the container, if necessary, moisten the sand or peat from the spray gun. The main thing is not to overdo it with watering, otherwise the seeds may rot.
- After 3-4 months, the bones will “hatch”, and sprouts of future peaches will appear.
- Remove the sprout container from the fridge and plant the seedlings in the pots. Take pots with drainage holes. Use fertile soil from a mixture of leaf earth, peat and humus.
- Place the pots of seedlings in a well-lit area.
- Do not allow a sharp change in temperature. At first, provide the sprouts with a temperature regime of + 10 ° C, putting them on a glazed balcony or veranda.
- A few days later, put the pots with sprouts in the room and maintain the temperature in the room + 18 + 20 ° С. Water moderately when the soil dries.
What is stratification? How to make stratification correctly:
Split and remove seeds
A quick way to grow a bone tree for the impatient. If you do not want to wait until spring emergence of shoots.
Proceed as follows:
- Washed and dried bones split with a knife or a hammer. Work with tools carefully, try not to damage the core of the bone.
- Remove the seeds and put in warm water for 2-3 days for swelling. Replace fresh water daily.
- When you see that the seeds are swollen and increased in size, plant them in separate pots with drainage holes. Select the size of the pot, taking into account that the depth of planting is 4-6 cm.
- After planting, water the seeds and cover the pots with glass or plastic wrap. Ventilate the greenhouses every day - remove the film, wipe the condensate and let's breathe the pots for a while. Remember, excessive moisture causes mold and mildew, which are detrimental to seeds and seedlings.
- After the sprouts appear, remove the film.
Gardeners who grow peach pits note that the seedling’s height reaches 0.5 m within 2-3 months.
How to sprout a warm way
In this method, the peach pits are immediately planted in pots with soil mixture in the hope of waiting for the sprouts to appear in a few months.
Planting technology is simple:
- Prepared seeds hold 6-10 days in the refrigerator. This will be a kind of short-term stratification.
- Remove the stones from the refrigerator and soak for 2-3 hours in a growth stimulator.
- Plant the seed to a depth of 6-8 cm in a moist soil mixture.
- Cover the pots with clear polyethylene or glass, ventilate them daily and wipe the condensate.
- Germinate the peaches at room temperature by placing the pots on a brightly lit window sill. Water as needed.
- When sprouts appear in 3-4 months, remove the film and move the seedlings to a well-lit place without drafts and direct sunlight.
Care for young peach sprouts
In order for the seedlings to survive and gain strength, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for them.
The soil. Use loose fertile soil from peat, humus, sand and leafy earth in proportions of 1: 1: 1: 2.
Lighting. Provide good lighting. With a lack of sunlight, use LED phytolamps,which will give the necessary spectrum and accelerate the growth of plants.
Watering. Water regularly. Reduce watering at the time of ripening and during the rest period.
Temperature mode. In winter, provide a temperature of + 2 + 4 ° С, with the onset of spring during flowering + 10 + 15 ° С, and after flowering + 18 + 25 ° С.
Top dressing. Starting in March, feed the plants with mineral and organic fertilizers every two weeks. Since September, stop feeding. From organic fertilizers, use a nutritious infusion of humus.
Transfer. Replant the seedling as it grows into a larger pot in early spring (before flowering) or in early September.
Crop. When the side shoots begin to grow, and the height of the main trunk is 70 cm, proceed to the formation of the crown.
Fruiting occurs on the side branches of the tree, so you should not allow the seedling to grow up. Spend the main pruning next spring.Annually cut and pinch vigorous shoots.
Planting a tree in the open ground at the cottage
At home, a full-fledged peach grow only from the owners of the winter garden, a cool veranda, a glazed loggia or a greenhouse.
In normal apartment conditions, it is impossible to provide the necessary temperature regime for the seedling, depending on the season. But if all the conditions can be met, then in the first year the young peach will grow to 1.5 m.
Peach transplanting in open ground plan for March next year or the beginning of September. If you plant several seedlings, observe the interval between them in 3-4 meters.
The same distance should be to adult plants, giving a vast shadow, and to the walls of buildings on the site. Place for landing, choose a well-lit, but protected from drafts.
Before planting peach dig a hole about 1 m deep, apply organic fertilizer and dig well. Plant a seedling and tamp the ground. Spit the pristvolny circles with water at room temperature and cover with a layer of mulch or humus.
A plant grown from a stone at home in the first 2-3 years after transplantation into open ground should be given special attention, because it is still poorly adapted to weather conditions.
In winter, wrap a tree with sacking or non-woven material., and insulate the trunk with glass wool. Take care of the root system - so that it does not freeze slightly, cover the soil of the trunk circle with a thick layer of fallen leaves or spruce leaves.
To protect seedlings, regularly prune dried and cracked shoots and carry out preventive treatment with insecticides.
The process of growing a peach tree from a stone is simple, but takes time and patience. With proper care in 2-3 years fragrant and juicy fruits will appear, and the harvest can be collected within 10-12 years.
The cultivation of peaches is practiced even in the harsh conditions of Siberia, so that in our latitudes we can safely take up the experiment.
How to germinate peach bone: