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Fruit & Orchards

Help: Young Nectarine Tree Dead on One Half, Please Advise?

Anonymous Woman

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I planted a bare root nectarine last Winter. It was pretty thick already for a bare root, maybe 1.5 inches caliper. It only had 2 healthy scaffolds on it already, both on the same side, but it never grew any others, which seemed suspect.

There was almost 2 feet of trunk above the scaffolds that I lopped off today because it was unsightly and not doing anything, and I noticed the trunk is dead on one side, and green on the other (the side with the scaffold, see picture).

I cut it down further to just above the lowest scaffold (this might have been dumb but the deed is done) before it was green almost all the way around the sides. Is this tree doomed, or should I leave it alone? It is going to be a privacy screen for my yard, so if it is likely going to die, I should replace it this winter. here is a shot, thanks for any help:

Edit: No other signs of disease or insects

Comments (11)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years ago
Could you show the branch from the side? It is possible it is the stock growing and not the scion but we can't see the graft union.
Anonymous Woman
Original Author
7 years ago
I'll try and get a pic later on today.

In the meantime, some additional info: the "dead" half is more on the side where the trunk is grafted onto the rootstock, the live half is more towards the rootstock and remaining living branch (you can see the rootstock in white paint bulging out underneith it in the top-down view above). I was kind of wondering if maybe it was some kind of failed graft issue. It was also supposed to be a nectarine/plum variety with red leaves, but they ended up being green, maybe that is related to the issue somehow?

Hopefully this info helps, thanks for the response.
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Anonymous Woman
Original Author
7 years ago
more pictures (having sizing issues so sorry in advance if they are huge)
Anonymous Woman
Original Author
7 years ago
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years ago
OK - so that branch is way higher up the trunk than it appeared in the first photo. So it's not coming from below the graft.
Carol Baker
7 years ago
Why the white paint?
How does a nectarine tree provide privacy?
Just curious...
Tim Walker
7 years ago
Also, did you dilute the paint? It needs to be 50/50 with water.
Anonymous Woman
Original Author
7 years ago

Yep I diluted the water and paint mix, it looks more dense/white in the pictures than it is in person.
Carol Baker
7 years ago
but, I still wonder of its purpose,....
Kevin Reilly
7 years ago
People paint trunks usually to prevent sun scald. Some paint trunks will non diluted paint because they think it discourages borers too.
emerogork
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Early this spring, my St Rosa Plum went dead on 1/3/North side, then 1/2 center and I decided to chop it down. It had black Knot on the main trunk on the same side that died first..

I wonder if this is what affected your tree.

The root stock sent up sprouts. I wonder what is growing there now...?

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