FN, if I had the ability to control my environment as you do or even if I lived in the dry west, I'd probably take a more clinical approach to brix levels. I am grateful to you for your observations as what I've learned from you will certainly affect my fruit thinning methods next season. I used to actually favor the more hidden peaches to keep them from bird view! When peaches are described as "rubbery" I think you'd be misled to interpret it as the common definition in describing food. I think it's about the texture being more firm but not where it's difficult to chew. The Adam's people wouldn't be embracing these clones if they didn't enjoy eating them. The problem with the whole schtick of connesseurship is that the further you go to get the greatest tasting stuff the more your standards of what is enjoyable go up. People used to choke on dust and often face starvation for the 3 months it took to travel across the country- now they complain about the airline food! Anyway, this is what I tell myself when I start to get jealous of your amazing ultra-sweet pluots.

If you have good eyes you can open up the blossom and you will clearly see if you have a nectarine or a peach. The tiny fruit of a peach is covered in fur. If you check the colour of the velvety lining of the inside of the blossom you can tell if you have a yellow or white fleshed fruit. The inside of the flower is deep orange in yellow fleshed fruit, and a much paler yellow to white in a white fleshed fruit. I learnt this as a nurseryman checking for mix ups in clients orders (I never told them what I was doing) If its a nectarine your chance of having a good variety is quite high. If its a peach with white inside the flower it could be one of the nematode resistant rootstocks, no good to eat. If its a peach with bright orange inside the flower it could be a canning peach. I quite like eating canning peaches fresh they are great flavour. The reason you often get canning peaches as rootstocks is that the seed is easy to get in bulk from a canning factory. You might notice an excess of U,s in my posts indicating I am not from the US, so some of my info could be a hemisphere out

Oh, I forgot to mention that orig owner said tree is 10 yrs old,,don't know variety,,also had what I interpreted as peach curl that didn't do anything about since didn't know what it was,,bore good fruit, but not every year. 1/Thinking that planting second tree for "insurance" is good idea. DO YOU THINK RAINTREE NURSERY IS GOOD FOR BAREROOT TREES? Reading lots of posts last night. 2/Can I do any preventative things to stop any peach borer or that gel moth from every happening? 3/Regarding the little tree that maybe rootstock...can I find out by digging between the 2 trees since only 3 ft apart, to see if any root links them? Trying to see ASAP if that baby tree should be pulled out since it is multi-trunked etc. Could I put new tree in that hole (or big tree hole if doesn't pan out) while waiting the 2-3 yrs after serious pruning to see if it will bear any decent fruit? That way by the time I know I can already have another on the way. Is it bad to replant a 2-3 yr old nectarine/peach (newbie tree) should this main one fizzle out? Just thinking outloud and know you guys are much better at this in real life than anything I could read from previous posts or in books. Thanks again, Nicole

Fruitnut, I am not really trying for crop. This tree is so small and so few branches. I try to make it a little bigger and full. I read different message through internet search, some said can fertilize till end of July, some said only fertilize once in the spring. I understand the risk of late season grow . My biggest question is whether the newly grown branches will be old enough for the winter if I put some liquid fertilizer when I water the tree .