Author Topic: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?  (Read 3269 times)

chris1

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Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« on: September 13, 2019, 12:44:54 AM »
Rumor has it I can grow peaches here. What varieties and can I still put them in ground now or should I wait?  Thanks so Much!

AndrewAZ

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2019, 01:20:51 AM »
Varieties I have in AZ zone 9b.  Bonanza, Florida Prince, snow queen nectarine, sun red nectarine, mid pride.

achetadomestica

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2019, 07:14:23 AM »
Low chill peaches
The best peaches I have ever eaten. They are smaller then Georgia peaches
but much sweeter. Florida glow is a white fleshed peach that is one of my favorites.
They also ripen in the Spring before mango season. Tropic Beauty is also a good one
that produced real well. Most of these peaches need around 150 chill hours which we
don't usually get where I am at. The peaches still produce yearly. If you get a tree I would
plant it now.

Botanicus

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2019, 08:50:56 AM »
UF has bred many low-chill peach, plum, & nectarine varieties. I like 'Tropicsnow' a very good white flesh peach, and 'Sunraycer' nectarines the best out of the varieties I've planted.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/MG/MG37400.pdf

Tropheus76

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2019, 09:05:37 AM »
They are subject to diseases and insta death more than any other tree I have had. No really, I have tried them numerous times and they just die. My coworker up in Leesburg had a vibrant healthy one producing lots of fruit for about 3 years and never came back after winter. I will not be trying them again. I am in east Orange county by the way, right on the border with Brevard.

mangomanic12

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2019, 11:27:44 AM »
Hey Botanicus, thanks very much for the link . How can a regular citizen get a few scions from the UF. ? What is the process?
I'm in Phoenix Arizona and a friend of mine has Huge Nectarine and Peach trees i would like to graft a few of these  low chill varieties on.
Let me know.
Mike!!

chris1

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2019, 11:31:23 AM »
Thanks everyone for the info. The UF link was very informative as well. I would really like to find some of those locally. Anyone know of a place where I could buy UF peach varieties near space coast Florida? Thanks so much!

achetadomestica

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2019, 12:49:00 PM »
In Florida it is important to buy trees on the right rootstock. I think it's called
Floridagaurd. I have eaten allot of good peaches the last almost 10 years. I have had
issues but not enough to abandoned growing them. I currently am only keeping 2 trees
and one of them the Florida Grande flowers well but has set very few fruit for 2 years.
I have grande and Florida Glow scions if interested just pm me. I would not graft them
in Florida except on the aforementioned rootstock. I have read that they only live 10 years
or so and I know they are heavy feeders and grow fast. It's a wonderful fruit for march and April
before mangos kick in. I have seen low chill peaches for sale at Home Depot and Ace hardware
down this way? Fruitscapes and Echo has them in SW Florida.

Dangermouse01

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2019, 02:50:49 PM »
Anyone know of a place where I could buy UF peach varieties near space coast Florida? Thanks so much!

If you can wait until April 2020, the Brevard Tropical Fruit club have them for sale at their tree sale at the Melbourne Auditorium.
This year they had: Florida Grande, Florida Prince. Tropic Beauty, Tropic Snow and Tropic Sweet.

BR

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2019, 10:57:49 PM »
You can definitely grow peaches in 9b, but in order to get consistent fruiting you MUST get enough chill hours every year. People are growing low chill peaches commercially in central FL and if the winter isn't cold enough it cuts production by three quarters. Peach trees also need to be replaced every 7-8 years, so missing a couple fruiting seasons really sucks.

chris1

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #10 on: September 14, 2019, 12:18:15 AM »
Thanks everyone for the great info. I bought and planted a Florida prince from a local nursery. I would love to plant another variety with a ripening season of a slightly different time. I can get tropic sweet and tropic snow locally. The rest take a drive. If either of these are good choices please let me know I will plant one. Thanks again you all are excellent and the input is appreciated.

strkpr00

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #11 on: September 14, 2019, 11:53:49 AM »
Tropic Beauty grows the largest fruit, UF Sun really produces a lot in my location 10B. Fruit Fly devastation is real for both. UF Sun wins because it is earlier and less maggot damage.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2019, 05:21:32 PM by strkpr00 »

chris1

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2019, 02:40:40 AM »
So an update to this thread. Based on the advice and info I received here I have planted Florida Prince, Florida Belle and tropic sweet. I am looking for a tropic snow as well and that will round out the collection. I am hoping to provide updates on which, if any, fruit well. I have no problem replacing a tree that doesn’t produce well after a couple years but I like the idea of being able to try several and see which ones I like the most. Thanks everyone for your input.

JakeFruit

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2019, 08:52:10 AM »
My neighbor has a tree that puts out some delicious peaches, I saved a few pits last season in hopes of grafting to the seedlings. Luckily, I did a fair amount of research before I started and realized you HAVE to use rootstock that's resistant to a root-knot nematode found only in Florida. The more I read, the more I realized growing peaches here is more perilous than I had hoped. I abandoned the pursuit. In the last season, I've observed what looks like a systemic fungus growing out of the trunk of that neighbor's tree. Leaves are yellowing and the tree is putting out random, single blossoms. Definitely stressed, I'd imagine it's going to slowly die over the next few years.

echinopora

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #14 on: October 03, 2019, 03:25:20 PM »
When our peach tree eventually dies I’ll probably replace it with a more climate suitable tree, but....
It’s pretty warm here (I have soursop, mamey and even a purple Mangosteen seeding outside without protection) and the peach does ok. It’s a multigraft if UFO, sunraycer, a local plum selection and a nectacot.

There are a few PDFs on the web from the low chill stone fruit association of Australia that provide some tips that seem to work.

- don’t winter prune. Try to do all the hard wood pruning soon after harvest and restrict yourself to removing water shoots over the rest of summer. Because the low chill tree never really goes dormant, pruning over what should be winter just re-invigorates the tree when you are trying to slow it down.
- I’ve been using lime Sulfur twice in winter/spring. Once in late winter to finish off any old leaves that are hanging around, once in early spring at bud swell. Last years diseased leaves are next years spore factory.
-fertilise nitrogen heavy in spring and then treat the tree like your mango. More potassium and gypsum, antifungals same time you do mango for pm and anthracnose. I use mostly just potassium bicarbonate but sometimes copper if rain and humidity are putting heavy anthracnose pressure on the mangoes.

Rob

echinopora

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #15 on: October 03, 2019, 03:56:08 PM »
Here are a few photos the tropicals and temperatures at our place. Both are out of their ideal climate but do ok. We’re in the middle of the worst drought on record for our area (less that 10% of normal rainfall over the last 4 months and pretty dry the 12 before that. In the dry the peach looks a little better than normal and the tropical trees a bit worse.

I’m to lazy to change the order of the photos but the jack is having no trouble, soursop it just starting to drop the old leaves and do a spring push. Mamey is hating the dry and strong winds lately. Direct seeded Mangosteen made 2 winters unprotected but slow as molasses. Peach has a little shot hole but has gotten no antifungal after lime Sulphur. Still have to thin 60-80% of fruitlets. Sometimes the poor flowering is a blessing because it saves thinning.




















chris1

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #16 on: October 04, 2019, 08:41:59 PM »
Excellent photos! Thanks!

345 desoto

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #17 on: December 18, 2020, 09:39:14 AM »
Brand new member, Tony deFoster, here.  Wife and I have retired to Port St. Lucie, and we have been knocking ourselves out looking to buy a Florida Grande and a Tropic Sweet peach tree.  Have never found a lead for a Florida Grande tree, and any place we've found for a Tropic Sweet shows unavailable.  HELP!  I believe the Port St. Lucie area has enough chill hours for these two varieties to blossom and set fruit.  ANY leads on where to buy these trees?  Thanks..an advance.  Tony and Monica

turpentyne

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #18 on: December 18, 2020, 10:02:48 AM »
Varieties I have in AZ zone 9b.  Bonanza, Florida Prince, snow queen nectarine, sun red nectarine, mid pride.

@AndrewAZ - what rootstock are those on? A lot of stuff we get seems to be on Nemagard, but I'm hearing there are better options... that nobody sells us.

TonyinCC

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #19 on: December 18, 2020, 10:09:50 AM »
Tropic Snow is freestone and white fleshed with a small pit. A slight amount of pink in the flesh. Never had a single cracked pit when I grew that variety near Charleston,SC. I can't stand biting into a peach and finding the pit has cracked inside.
 Excellent peach, nice aroma , the small to medium size is about the only negative about the actual fruit.

Jagmanjoe

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #20 on: December 18, 2020, 01:20:58 PM »
We live in South Lakeland, FL and just under a year ago we saw a Tropic Snow Peach tree at Home Depot that was a good 6 ft tall in a 15 gallon container for about $130 and it was full of blooms.  We lost some of the flowers getting it home and in planting it I managed to get a stress fracture and torn meniscus in my left leg but it was planted.  We got about two dozen amazing peaches off of it.  Then about August it lost all of its leaves and have seen nothing since but still hopeful that it has not died as when I scrape a branch, I still see signs of green.

If the tree does not make it, I think we will still try another.

345 desoto

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #21 on: December 18, 2020, 04:20:30 PM »
Anybody have anything on where to buy Tropic Sweet and Florida Grande trees?,,,

achetadomestica

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #22 on: December 18, 2020, 06:03:38 PM »
My favorite is FL glow. It's also a white fleshed peach similar to FL Snow but more productive for me.
I would try your local Home Depot and Ace hardware for FL peaches. Don't buy them at tractor supply
they sell peach trees that wont fruit in Florida. I know Fruitscapes and Echo have trees on the West Coast
of Florida not sure over there. Try Mike at Tree's and More maybe Excalibur?

345 desoto

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #23 on: December 20, 2020, 03:42:39 PM »
I THINK I may have found both variates in Miami, but have to wait until Monday to find out....I have been disappointed before.  But this place looks promising...Pine Island Nursery...

345 desoto

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Re: Zone 9b space coast Florida peaches?
« Reply #24 on: December 22, 2020, 07:55:17 AM »
No luck here, either.....until the end of March.  They'll have them then....maybe...