Mystery Fruit Tree

[Caddis]

Hi,

I was wondering around a poorly kept nursery last week and found a small tree (36" tall) way in the back. The tree looked like it was perhaps an apricot, peach etc. It had a large nebari relative to it's size with three main trunks. I asked the nursery keeper what kind of tree it was and he responded, "I have no idea, where did you find that?" He sold it to me for $8.00.

The tree has three main trunks with lots of flexible new shoots in convenient places. Here is my question: It is very warm here in southern California right now and the tree is beginning to leaf. I would like to prune it back hard and re-pot. Not knowing exactly what kind of tree it is, is this a good idea at this time? Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

 

[tmmason10]

Hi,

I was wondering around a poorly kept nursery last week and found a small tree (36" tall) way in the back. The tree looked like it was perhaps an apricot, peach etc. It had a large nebari relative to it's size with three main trunks. I asked the nursery keeper what kind of tree it was and he responded, "I have no idea, where did you find that?" He sold it to me for $8.00.

The tree has three main trunks with lots of flexible new shoots in convenient places. Here is my question: It is very warm here in southern California right now and the tree is beginning to leaf. I would like to prune it back hard and re-pot. Not knowing exactly what kind of tree it is, is this a good idea at this time? Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

Welcome to the site, there are a lot of knowledgeable people here that can help you out. But I am pretty sure they will need some pictures of the tree for an identification. Close up of a leaf would help.

 

[daygan]

Not knowing exactly what kind of tree it is, the safest time to repot, as I understand, is before leaf-out, when the buds are just beginning to extend. I would recommend not repotting yet. Give us some pictures of your tree and we'll see what we can figure out and maybe give you some more specific advice.

Helpful pictures would be:

1. Close up of the entire leaf, with a clear image of the leaf margin
2. Bark
3. Close up of buds (if there are any left)
4. Close up of branches / branchlets

 

[Caddis]

Lets see if this worked??

 

[Caddis]

OK, the previous photo is of the leaves just starting to emerge. This one is of the base and roots.

 

[Caddis]

Another of the branches and emerging leaves.

 

[daygan]

decent pictures - can you get anything bigger though? It definitely looks very Prunus-ish to me. Does it release gummy sap? That would be another indicator that it's probably Prunus, I think. I'm no expert, but I've seen my share of cherry and peach trees. I think the exact species shouldn't make much of a difference regarding when to repot, but I'll let others with more experience chime in on this one. In the meantime, here's some good information regarding general care of bonsai trees of the Prunus genus: http://bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Prunus.html . Repotting information is third in the list.

 

[Caddis]

I tried larger photos but they wouldn't post. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Caddis]

One more photo

 

[Caddis]

I figure with the leaves coming in I'm running out of time to prune and re-pot if it's not too late already?

 

[Ang3lfir3]

certainly looks like a prunus of some variety... possibly a peach ... (just a guess)

I see no harm in repotting now and reducing the top.... don't go crazy, however prunus in general are pretty tough birds and if you give it some decent protection from wind and hot sun for a few weeks it should do fine... you say you are in So Cal so I would guess its probably time .... I've already had to start repotting larches here in WA ...

I would also note that IF it is a peach you won't grow it for its summer view as the foliage is not attractive... your interest will be in its winter image and its spring flowering .... this is common with many prunus as there are very few non-ornamental varieties that have attractive foliage... so don't be surprised

 

[dpowell]

Looks very similar to a peach I have. I would repot soon if you're going to, but they are very tough. The one I have I collected from my backyard in march last year at the same time I did a trunk chop leaving just 1 small sucker. It responded very well and is very hardy. I just replanted it a week ago as the pot was brim full of roots.
I can't say how it's going to do as bonsai yet, but it's a nice trunk to start with so we'll see.

 

[dpowell]

Looks very similar to a peach I have. I would repot soon if you're going to, but they are very tough. The one I have I collected from my backyard in march last year at the same time I did a trunk chop leaving just 1 small sucker. It responded very well and is very hardy. I just replanted it a week ago as the pot was brim full of roots.
I can't say how it's going to do as bonsai yet, but it's a nice trunk to start with so we'll see.

 

[Caddis]

The tree is badly root-bound with little soil and will need to be transplanted either way. The question, I think is, can I prune for style before I re-pot?

 

[edprocoat]

Generally speaking when you trim the roots you need to reduce the foliage. I know nothing about fruiting trees however, so I am sure someone here will be able to help you as they are some very knowledgeable people here.

ed

 

[daygan]

Generally speaking when you trim the roots you need to reduce the foliage.

Ah, actually, I think there are some who would say otherwise... It's my understanding that that was sort of an old-school "old wive's tale" that has since been found (by some) to be inaccurate... Unfortunately, I don't have much personal experience yet (going on barely a year now, and I haven't done any root pruning yet on any of my trees), so I'll let others put in their own two cents as far as a "yea" or a "nay" ...

 

[Klytus]

Could it be a Nectarine?

 

[Caddis]

Looking to make a decision this weekend as I don't want to let it get into full leaf before I prune for style and re-pot. Any other input?

 

[Caddis]

I'll post photos of the tree pruned and potted this weekend.

 

[Caddis]

OK, after a lot of consternation I finally pruned and re-potted this fruit tree. I cut it back to about 2 feet high and removed all the logical branches. I left quite a bit because I'm still not sure of what style I'm going with. (Any thoughts?). I also set two guide (guy?) wires to try to create a little separation between the two main trunks. I also wired two of the main branches to try and get some movement as the tree is otherwise very straight. I figure I'll leave it like this for the rest of the year and prune for style next year?