GENETIC DWARF FRUIT TREES - ARE THEY GMO?

Today GENETIC has an entirely different meaning. Realizing this, Ron changed our catalog pages to refer to NATURAL Dwarf.

The original natural dwarf peach came from Tibet or north China in 1939.  Mr. Flory from Modesto was in the area as a US Army engineer when he ate peaches from naturally dwarf trees about 4’ – 5’ tall.  These were bushes in the home yards.  He brought back seeds to grow in Modesto. CA.

This is the only peach seed we can plant which appears to come up as a Flory Peach if the flower has not been cross pollinated.  All other peach seed varieties will pick up past parentage, so will have big variations.

All Natural (Genetic) Dwarf peaches and nectarines in the United State came from the Flory Peach or its progeny.  David Armstrong did some of the first crosses and Fred Anderson did thousands of crosses using progeny from Flory.

Flory is a white flesh, cling stone, sweet peach. The tree has large double bright red blossoms, 400 chilling, and ripens in late July.  Mature height is 5’.  Armstrong developed Natural Dwarf flowering peaches – red, white, and pink.  The Bonanza Peach and Necatrina Nectarine are Armstrong hybrids.  Fred Anderson took Bonanza, a June freestone yellow flesh peach, and crossed it with a late standard nectarine.

Mr. Anderson’s crosses resulted in short and tall peaches and nectarines. He had yellow and white flesh, free and cling stone, and early to late fruit.  Some were 4’ tall, others 6’ tall, etc.  When crossing the peach and nectarine you can have all combinations in flesh, ripening dates, chilling needs, height, etc.  I worked with Mr. Anderson in selecting our 9 patents.

Mr. Anderson’s protégé, Norman Bradford, continues some of his work which includes one of our patents.

No chemicals or radiation has been involved.  All are natural crosses like most other peaches and nectarines.  Some are sports where one bud or limb comes out different.  An example is Santa Barbara peach which was one limb from a Ventura Peach; 200 fewer chill hours and more flavor and sugar.

Even with asexual reproduction where 99% of 1,000 buds could be true to the original tree, a bud can be very different.  We sell many such sports.  Hybridizing, whether crossing of pollen by man or insects, results in modified varieties, but nature often creates others through sports.  To my knowledge, all genetic peaches and nectarines are through hybridization, so considered natural.

Robert Ludekens

Also see: Natural Dwarf Fruit Trees Histories