It might be worthwhile to visit them when their doing it.

I've been reading quit a bit about the tractor mounted string thinners. Don't remember what they cost but reviews are generally good. I can't imagine how you could make money if it takes 2 hrs per tree.

It takes me between and hour and a half to two hours, and I always go back later and do more. I know I'm terribly slow and inefficient.

"I can't imagine how you could make money if it takes 2 hrs per tree."

Well, I never claimed I could make money with this orchard, only that I'd try. I know my wife would be happy if I did.

Seriously though, I know I spend too much time thinning. Average thinning costs run from about $400-$1500 per acre At my tree spacing and 2 hrs./tree, I'd be looking at around $2000 per acre.

I'm thinking I may be leaving too many short shoots on the trees. Most recommendations are to remove all those shoots, but I leave quite a few on and it takes a lot of labor to thin them. I had viewed it as a way to squeeze out a bit more fruit by leaving patches of short shoots and leave fruit on say every third shoot, but it does slow things down.

I've been reading about the string thinners for a few years, but one disadvantage is that trees have to be pruned very carefully to make the string thinner work. Someone recently invented a hand held string thinner (powered by a cordless drill) that can be moved selectively from branch to branch. To me, that sounds promising.

I know of one grower who reduces thinning time by the toilet brush method. There's not too much downside to that method.

Maybe I will go visit the big orchard again when they are thinning.

What's the toilet brush method?

Dave,

It's nothing fancy. During bloom you go out with a toilet brush (preferably a new one) and brush off the booms down one side of the shoots. It will remove 1/2 the flowers much faster than hand thinning the fruitlets later on. You still have hand thinning to do, but only 1/2 as much fruit to remove.

The drawback is that in years where there are frost events after you remove the blooms, the trees may become over thinned.

We have some peach trees in the yard that don't set many blooms (PF7a, Allstar, and a few others). They are much easier to thin and don't take near the time, so I'm thinking the toilet brush method will be beneficial. Most of the trees are loaded with blossoms and take forever to thin.

Your problem is probably that you are trying to keep the largest peaches. I have trouble quickly thinning mature trees I manage, although I would say more like 45 minutes- but I usually need to come back and do 10 minutes later to get it right.

However I have my help do it and don't worry too much about what fruit they remove and it takes them about the time your grower suggests. The main thing is just to get them thinned and smaller peaches may be ones that set later so you probably get a better spread of harvest if you don't just keep your largest peaches. Of course that might not be a good thing for you.

Sorry Olpea, never timed myself though it's too many hours to do in one session. I do go back later and tidy up later and intentionally don't try to get all of it done the first time in case of frosts. My tree is a 7th leaf Reliance and very productive.

"I always go back later and do more."

"I usually need to come back and do 10 minutes later to get it right."

"I do go back later and tidy up later."

Brook, Hman, Michael:

Me too. Isn't it strange we all have to go back later as a follow up. Around here we joke that a little fairy comes at night to put the fruitlets back on.

The guy with the big orchard told me one of his workers would consistently leave trees with too much fruit. In frustration, the owner picked out a tree at random and told the worker to thin every peach off the tree, strip it completely. Later that summer the owner showed the same tree to the worker and worker couldn't believe how much fruit was on the tree.

I learned about thinning from someone who worked for me and later started a similar business as mine. When I hired him he had already worked on a commercial orchard for over ten years thinning acres of peaches every season.

He's a big guy who doesn't usually move around real fast but when he's thinning fruit his fingers fly and fruit falls out of the tree like rain. You should ask your commercial grower to lend you one of his guys for a day to show your family how to do it.

I would love to see the 'professional' peach thinners first hand. It would be remarkable. Olpea, I'd definitely go back to the 'big orchard' and have a look. 30 minutes per tree is so fast. Wow. Mrs. G