Skipping Dormancy for foliage growth, affects on fruiting?

[Chuck]

I will try to explain what dormancy does. Dormancy is what makes a nut or fruit tree produce or not produce buds/ foliage and it all depends on the variety of the tree as to how many chilling hours are required during dormancy. DORMANCY IS A GROWTH REGULATOR. If, for instance you have a high chilling hour tree and it does not receive the proper number of chilling hours, the buds and the foliage will be detrimentally affected. If you have a low chilling hour tree and it still does not receive the correct amount of chilling hours the same thing happens. It cannot be changed as it is in the plants DNA. Dormancy is caused by daylight length AND temperatures. Moving a plant indoors during winter will not COMPLETELY stop a plant from going dormant unless you can figure out a way to mimic the sun as in the spring and summer.. Having said this, what happens is that by NOT going dormant the tree cannot produce the necessary foliage and buds necessary for the following spring and summers growth. As I stated on a previous post, the foliage on my trees were severely affected by too few chilling hours for 2 consecutive years and I didn't get a single peach either. I do not think that moving a fruit tree indoors during the winter will be fatal but it certainly isn't good for the tree. And how would you move a 3 or 4 year old peach tree indoors anyway?

 

[Chuck]

@Chuck - does this hold true for apples and pears too? Do they require a certain number of chilling hours as well?

Yes. All fruit and nut trees except tropical require X number of chilling hours.

 

[alp]

Very interesting! Seems like I am not the only one interested in how postponing dormancy effects tree growth. Thanks!


Regarding the Kiwi thing, no, I ended up losing the plant. Somehow one day I went outside and it was just GONE..... Like someone took it or something I was pretty sad.

Not really sure what happened though at some point I was starting to almost be certain it was a cactus.!
I wish I had taken some pictures prior to ​

Here in the UK, you can buy one for £1. Or get a seed and sow it. That's why I did with my tomatoes.

 

[Montray Davis]

I appreciate everyones' help!

Happy Gardening .

 

[alp]