HELP...Santa Rosa Plum Tree flowering in Nov

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by celica, Nov 13, 2005.

  1. celica

    celica Member

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    Hi...I am new here (I had posted yesterday, but did not register so my post never made it on.
    I need help....I bought & planted a bare root Santa Rosa Plum Tree (semi dwarf, not standard...said would grow to 12 to 15 feet) from Home Depot in Feb....now in Nov (just 9 months after planting), it has not yet went dormant, still has leave on BUT the smaller twigs are producing white flowers (one of the larger branches as a couple flowers as well. What do I do? I don't want to hinder the change of it producing flowers at the proper time (inSpring like around March & then producing fruit in Summer)...It said it was self fertile...so if I leave the white flowers on, will it possibly produce fruit (it may be a 2 or 3 yr old tree as the trunk seemed much larger than the other santa rosa plum trees they had there were).....BUT I don't want to ruin the chance of it flowering in Spring after it comes out of dormancy....it seems weird that I planted this bare root santa rosa plum tree in February & now just 9 months after planting it has white flowers when it should be going dormant.....what should I do? If ANYONE could please respond, I would truly appreciate it. This is my first time posting, so please help....I live in Southern California where I believe my tree should not be flowering until around March or April & then would produce fruit in Summer (if is at bearing age). Again...anyone, please help!
    Thank you & have a great night! :)
     
  2. Relax, take a deep breath, exhale. Your mild climate probably just made your tree feel like it was Spring. I'm not sure if your tree will ever go dormant if your area never gets very cold. Trees/plants respond to the weather rather than the calendar. There is not much you can do. Just see what happens.
     
  3. Part of the problem could be if you applied slow-release fertilizers when you planted the tree or if you have given your fruit tree any fertilizer when it should start becoming dormant. Fruit trees that are planted in the late summer/fall should not be given fertilizer due to the fact that they still think there is time to grow new roots and produce fruit while instead they should be slowing down and getting ready for a winter's rest. With Southern California's warm mild climate I can see how this might be happening. I wouldn't worry about it too much. About the fruit for this winter or even next summer that might come, it is best to pick off all the fruit of your fruit tree the first year after planting anyways to give the chance to the tree to establish its roots and prevent too much strain.

    Best of luck!
     
  4. celica

    celica Member

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    Thank you both for your reply & information.
     
  5. Ottawa-Zone5

    Ottawa-Zone5 Active Member

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    Celica
    I planted a multi-graft Pear tree last spring and one of the grafts (Bartlete) had a few bloom buds in late August that seemed funny (so late). It became fruit but the squirrels got to it first. I was told that over the year it will adopt to the local climatic calendar. I wonder if your Santa Rosa is doing normal cycle now.
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Withholding fertilizer from a tree recently planted in deficient soil will not help it at all. Timing of root growth etc. regulated by seasonal conditions. At the appropriate time overwintering buds at branch ends open and send hormones down to root ends, prompting growth of new roots. Existing root ends elongate in fall, when overwintering buds are first formed and a chemical signal is sent to the roots, just like in spring.

    Barerooted stock is customarily planted at end of winter/early spring in cold climates because barerooting kills the fine roots, resulting in no root activity until spring - when new roots appear and start the recovery of the root system.

    Top growth of barerooted stock is often stunted the entire first growing season after planting because the root system is not well restored until the annual elongation phase the first fall after planting. You can look at field-grown stock that was barerooted or balled in burlap at one point and see a section of very short top growth indicating a year when they were dug. On kinds like pine trees with nodal growth this effect can be especially easily seen, there being a long internode with a very short one following immediately again by a long one.
     
  7. Ottawa-Zone5

    Ottawa-Zone5 Active Member

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    Ron B
    It may be a coincidence or it proves your point that "Top growth of barerooted stock is often stunted the entire first growing season after planting because the root system is not well restored until the annual elongation phase the first fall after planting that the cherry trees I planted in spring of 2006 did not change in size until this recent summer when they took off (with good normal growth).
    The same thing can happen to some potted plants as well and the reason is that some garden houses buy bare-root trees (& roses) the same year, plant them and store them for a few weeks in greenhouse like environment for early leafing and bring them out to sell. I found such cases when moving the plant from pot to the ground hole, the potting soil broke loose showing recently pruned roots with no fresh root growth. It was obviously a bare root tree planted very recently and I paid premium price of a potted tree.
     
  8. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Yes: It's typical for top growth to pick back up the second spring after planting. It's also common for retailers to prune roots of barerooted stock back when potting them before placing them in the sales yard. Even so some roses manage to throw out long growths that will become a nuisance if these are not sold early enough in the growing season. I don't take this as an indication that these kinds were not stunted by root loss as the same specimens might've grown a couple yards or more otherwise.
     

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