Prunus Mume

Japanese apricot or Ume fruits are eaten raw, candied, boiled, preserved in sugar, pickled in salt and dried, or made into a liqueur. The pulp is also used in the preparation of ume-bishio, a sour jam. At our nursery flowers bloom in February. The early pollen makes Ume an excellent honey bee tree. Very fragrant, large ruffled, deep-pink flowers. Self fertile. Mature height 12'. Sometimes used as a bonsai specimen. Space 10'-15' circle. Zones 5-7.

Apricots can not be shipped to CA.

Care Guide

The fuzz on the peach helps Surround® adhere to the fruits. Surround® suppresses the same insects as apples plus controls "cat facing" from stink bugs, later in the growing season. Surround® can be washed off of your harvested fruits with running water. If there is a problem with bacterial spot or brown rot, Lime-sulfur can be used with the Surround® to control this on peach apricot, nectarine and cherry. (Cherry is susceptible to brown rot but not bacterial spot.) See our catalog for peach, nectarine and apricot that resist bacterial spot and brown rot. In June, young peaches can be girdled at the soil line by the larvae of the peach tree borer moth. Our prevention is to mound fresh wood ashes saved from last winter's wood heat at the base of the tree. This should be done to young trees especially. It deters the adult from laying her eggs. Timing in our area is about June 15th for the application of ashes or mothballs. Mothballs also work for control. Place mothballs around the trunk and cover with sand. Apricot, cherry and plum can also be host to the peach tree borer but to a lesser extent.


Japanese Beetles
Surround® is a potent weapon against Japanese beetles, leafhoppers, rose chafers and thrips. Gardeners should apply Surround® before adult Japanese beetle emergence in order to prevent the establishment of a pheromone trail that will lead other beetles to target host plants. Even late application can give adequate control.

Planting
Grass inhibits young fruit trees, in fact grass gives off a growth inhibitor to the young trees. Keep approximately 3' diameter grass and weed free circle around a newly planted tree. "Burm" the outer circumference of the grass free area. So, when you water, the water stays within the circle. Be sure to water the tree especially through hot dry spells.

Dig the hole with a spading fork and shovel. The fork aerates the soil as it digs and keeps the sides of the hole porous. The shovel will remove the lose dirt not picked up by the fork. Grass can be removed with a flat shovel and used to fill a bare spot somewhere else in the yard.

Choose a site to fit the mature size of the tree. Have a water source close by or hook up irrigation. Watching your tree grow can be so much more pleasurable if its water needs are easily taken care of. Our 400 plus orchard at the nursery is drip irrigated. The plants are so much better off for it.

Keeps plants close, if your plant a tree in a forgotten corner the plant may be forgotten too. So they are close to the activity of the household.

If you have purchased a grafted tree, see if your can find the graft. It's usually a swollen area a few inches to 1 foot above the top of the pot. Usually place the plant deep enough in the hole so that the graft is about 1 to 2 inches above the soil. This generally applies to apple and dwarf pear. DO NOT PUT ANY RIPE COMPOST OR MANURE NEAR THE ROOTS. This can rot the roots. If you wish to use some fertilizer at planting, slow release minerals like rock phosphate (phosphorous), greensand (potassium), are fine. A product like plant tone also makes a fine top dressing. Apply compost as a thin mulch. A mulch of 2-3 inches is also good for moisture retention using wood chips. Manures can be broadcast or dug in away from the plant a few feet, so it will be available in the future, after the new tree has settled in. Spread roots from root ball especially if they are circling the pot. These are usually feeder roots so spread them and plant shallow instead of deep.

About 6 weeks after planting pull up young weeds before they become large in your cleared space around the tree.

Leafhoppers usually live in fields and tall grass areas. If you have a young apple tree near tall grass look for leafhoppers in June. Surround�® works well to keep the leafhopper damage to new growth at a minimum. June July spray also will keep Japanese beetles off of young cherry trees. Check with your county extension agent for emergent dates in your area. Japanese beetles can kill young cherry trees. Spray right before adult emergence.

All of the above fruits grow best with a ph soil @ 6.2. Liming your fruit growing area yearly is a good practice especially for pear. Pears seem to have less fire blight problems with available calcium and good soil ph. Do not apply more than the 5lbs of lime @ 100 square feet at one time. If the soil needs more lime make several 5lb applications at 6-week intervals to raise ph. Of course about 17 of our western states have alkaline soil, so regular liming would not apply. Check your county extension for information and help.


Disease control for Apple, Peach, Almond and Grapes.

We are using this new spray at our nursery and will give more hands on information as we learn about the product.

Regalia�®-NEW Fungal and Bacterial Disease Control
Regalia triggers a plant's natural defense systems to protect against a variety of fungal and bacterial pathogens. Used in tank mixes, program rotations, and stand-alone, Regalia provides proven control of important fungal and bacterial diseases including Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew, Botrytis Gray Mold, Early Blight, Late Blight, Citrus Canker, Brown Rot, Greasy Spot, Bacterial Leaf Spot, Target Spot, Gummy Stem Blight, Walnut Blight, and others.

Regalia has been successfully evaluated by many university and independent researchers on a vast range of crops and diseases. Results prove that Regalia is as effective as many leading conventional fungicides.

How Regalia Works
When treated with Regalia, the defense systems of crops are 'switched on' to protect against attacking diseases. Research shows that plants treated with Regalia produce, and accumulate, elevated levels of specialized proteins and other compounds known to inhibit fungal and bacterial diseases. Regalia induces a plant to produce phytoalexins, cell strengtheners, antioxidants, phenolics, and PR proteins, which are all known inhibitors of plant pathogens.

Regalia is rain fast in only one hour, so growers can get important sprays out and protect crops even in tough weather, or when moisture conditions are conducive to disease development.

Regalia is recommended as a preventative treatment.

Brown Rot Blossom Blight and Fruit Rot- Fruit rot is managed by controlling blossom and twig blight in the spring with preventative control measures. For maximum control, apply Regalia at pink bud and full bloom. If disease pressure is high, an additional application after petal fall is recommended. Pre-harvest sprays for fruit rot control should begin four weeks before harvest on a 7-10 day interval. Rate 1.25 tablespoon per gallon of water.

Powdery Mildew- Applications of Regalia should begin within 2 weeks following petal fall and continue on a 7-14 day schedule depending upon disease pressure.

Regalia is the alcohol extract of giant knotweed. Giant knotweed, Polygonum sachalinensis is a plant that produces many defensive chemicals. These help protect it against insects, diseases, and even other plants. Knotweed defensive chemicals also can have profound effects on other plants and animals, causing beneficial changes in metabolism. Extracts from the giant knotweed, for instance, can protect plants against pathogens that cause powdery mildew, grey mould, insects, and many other diseases. Substantial yield increases are often seen because the treated plants remain free of disease, and their lifetime is extended [12, 13]. Knotweed extracts have low toxicity to mammals and provide protection by boosting the immune system of the plant. Animal tests have also shown that extracts and pharmaceuticals isolated from giant knotweed or its relative, Japanese knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum, protect against cancer, are anti-inflammatory, lower blood cholesterol, protect against diabetes, and improve cardiovascular health. The extracts of giant knotweed must be handled with care because they contain allelochemicals (chemicals that inhibit growth of competing plants), and may inhibit the growth of the treated plants. The pigments emodin and physcion were responsible for the growth interference [14]. The interference pigments have been employed in the treatment of inflammation in humans.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed the acute toxicity and genotoxicity of the extract and has approved its safety noting that the extract is mildly irritating to the eyes. The extract is approved for use with all foods [15]. EPA maintains a fact sheet verifying the safety of the product [16]. Reynoutria sachalinensis (an alternative name for P. sachalinensis), a naturally-occurring plant currently found in 25 US States as an ornamental plant, is an invasive weed, and a grazing crop. In fact giant knotweed and Japanese knotweed are both invasive weeds in Europe and North America. For example giant knotweed threatens to displace native riparian forests in the state of Washington [17]. Harvesting the weed to produce biopesticide useful in both organic and conventional food production might be a project for improving both the forests and healthy food production. The knotweed extracts appear to have a double benefit, guarding the health of the food crops and treating the ills of consumers.