Nectarines

Hi guys and gals. It was last May that I found some young growing shoots out of some large hard case seeds in my dylek composter. It was decided that they are probable nectarines. I planted them up (2 0f) and they took and grew. Moved them into large pots as they grew so fast and left them outside expecting them not to survive the winter. Well they have and are now showing spring growth and are an amazing about four foot high in less then a year!
Question is I have no idea how to proceed with them. Pruning, feeding etc: and if they will fruit or not. They are on a south facing conservatory wall with extra light and heat reflected from the glass. Still in late pots.
What do you think. Should I nurture them? if so how? I did have great success growing a peach tree many years ago which fruited every year after the first 7 years growing.

 

I've grown Peach from seed.
Mainly apart from some shaping I just let them get on with it.

I do get peaches, along with bad attacks of peach leaf curl, the problem I have is the fruit is quite late ripening, in comparison to trees I've grown of know varieties.

 

I'm in a similar position here. I'm working on the theory of being a stone fruit that I'll go on the line of a cherry tree, ie pruning in summer. Mine gets terrible leaf curl too but I also have a pot grown one which I'm keeping under glass until much later to see if that helps

 

Hi Capney - usually fruit trees grown from a stone, need to be grafted, in order to produce fruits within a reasonable amount of time and fruits of good size and taste. I have seen examples of "wild fruits" that taste allright, but they look small and skinny.

 

I have found a video on grafting on a peach tree (in Italian though but it is quite clear). It is one of two, the second one is right after the first.
In a nutshell...grafting is made between second half of August and start September.
It is important to choose a nice gem. Cut it from its location starting from underneath, from well establish branch, sharp knife.
Make a T cut on receiving tree, insert gem, "tie" with rubber (eventually it will come off by itself).
The grafting is ok if the leaf will become yellow and fall by itself. If it wilth right away than it was unsuccessful.
My guess is that for a nectarine tree it would be a similar procedure.

 

Just noticed I have a single blossom on my outside nectarine! Very unexpected as it's so young