O/T Peach pit ?

jCarroll · Sep 11, 2009

We want to start a couple trees from some excellent peaches we bought. Does the pit have to have a "cold cycle" (like winter) to be viable?

Comments - suggestions?

Kruse · Sep 11, 2009

You can plant them and they will grow without freezing them. Just crack the pit open and plant the seed.
However, the fruit from this tree may not taste anything like what you got because the peach you ate was the result of pollenation.
If you could get a graft from the tree, you would have better chance of duplicating the taste, but it still wouldn't be the same becaue fruit from this tree is a result of pollenation possibly from another tree.

Nancy Howell · Sep 11, 2009

Most fruit trees are hybrids grafted to sturdy, disease resistant, but not good fruit producing, root stock.

If you plant the peach "stones" you will get a peach tree, but probably not the quality of the peach that you saved the seed from.

If possible, find out the variety of the peach that you liked so well and buy peach trees like the one you enjoyed. Tree ripened peaches are wonderful!

JDemaris · Sep 11, 2009

The process for peach seeds is called "stratification" as I recall. You stick them in can with moist soil, and stick in your refrigerator for 100 days - don't let them freeze. That breaks the dormancy.

JDemaris · Sep 11, 2009

That peach pit question reminds me of something from when I was a kid.

I grew up in a vegetable farming area in New Jersey, and most "grown ups" around me were WWI or WWII veterans.

A common saying I heard was "as nervous as a dog eating peach pits." I have no idea if this was a regional farming phrase, or something brought back by war veterans, etc.

Anybody else on this planet ever hear that phrase, and if so - where the heck did it come from?

keh · Sep 11, 2009

The center of the peach pit has a poison in it, cyanide, I think. Maybe that's where the nervous dog saying came from.

KEH

JDemaris · Sep 11, 2009

Could be, I guess. Where I grew up, cherrys were a big fruit crop (not peaches) and they also have cynanide. But, I have no idea if the phrase was coined locally, or imported from elsewhere.

Coloken · Sep 11, 2009

You have the saying a little wrong..it is not EATING the peach pit. Thats the cleaned up version. Real version would be kind of painfull.

thurlow · Sep 11, 2009

Some of the guys (and gals) below are right; if they came from a commercial orchard (they assuredly did, unless you bought them from a neighbor with some old propagated stock), it will have been from a grafted tree and what you 'get' will be nothing like what the peach is. In fact, it may well be tiny and not usuable. I'd suggest asking the buyer what variety it was and buying the same from a nursery. I realize that doesn't answer your question, but take it FWIW from a....retired.....orchard man.

hay · Sep 11, 2009

i had a peach seed germinate and start to grow in early summer this year. it got about 18" tall and then overnight it withered and died. can't figger out that one. this was from a store bought peach.

Janicholson · Sep 11, 2009

Some confusion.
The peach pit will grow with the stone on it (keeps the common earth grubs from eating it)
It will come up next spring if planted now.
The tree will be the same as the one that was planted. The peaches will be fine because the tree will be visited by Bees and other insects that will self polinate the blossoms, as well as bring in polin from other peach trees. The tree may not be desease resistant to soil based varments and root rot. (this is the reason most fruit trees are grafted to root stock of varieties that are resistant and robust) The roots do not affect the fruit except to keep the tree healthy. We had trees with grafted limbs with different fruit varieties on each. Peaches will grow in cool climates, and try to grow in cold zones. But winter kill from exterme (below -10 or so for prolonged periods) cold will kill them. Good luck. JimN

Bspauld · Sep 11, 2009

Peach pits dont desolve in a dog,so what goes in,,comes out and like was said,that can be painfull to a dog

Bill Tom · Sep 11, 2009

Bingo

old · Sep 11, 2009

Did you buy those peaches from a store or a road side market. If you got them at a store there is a good chance they have been x-rayed and if so they will not grow. Most stuff is zapped now days with x-rays and the seed will do nothing but rot

JBruce · Sep 11, 2009

It's just a peach pit-plant it and see what happens.

John B. · Sep 11, 2009

If you want to grow a peach tree order one that has been grafted from a seed catalog. I grew up on a vegetable farm and we had orchards. If you plant one of those seeds a tree will grow, but chances are that it may never bare fruit. If it would bare fruit it won't be the same as the fruit you bought. This is why nursery stock fruit trees are always grafted. Don't waste your time planting the peach seed. This goes for any hybrid seeds.

O/T Peach pit ?

jCarroll

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Kruse

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Nancy Howell

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JDemaris

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JDemaris

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keh

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JDemaris

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Coloken

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thurlow

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hay

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Janicholson

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Bspauld

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Bill Tom

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old

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JBruce

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John B.

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