Sheila:

There is no practical way for the backyard grower to thin peaches other than by hand. Commercial growers sometimes use mechanical shakers to remove peaches once they attain some size, or send out crews with ball-bats to knock them off. Methods like this are extreme and unnecessary for the backyard grower. Even most commercial growers avoid these potentially damaging techniques, and send in crews of hand thinners.

All of us who have healthy peach trees face the problem of heavy oversets, and time devoted to thinning. Like pruning, spraying, and all the rest, it's part of the deal. You have only one tree. It's nice to be excited about the possibility of edible fruit, but you need to become excited about thinning.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thinning fruit has never bothered me. Its time spent with my trees and I enjoy all of it.

Thank you Don. My husband thinks I should use peach thinning as a punishment for my teenagers not keeping their room clean. Realistically, what percentage of the peaches should I thin out? Also, should this be done at different times during the growing process or all at once (over just a few days)? Thank you

Sheila

While you can thin as you go, there is supposed to be a natural thing called "June Drop", when fruit trees naturally let go of substandard fruit, and it's usually advised to wait until this happens before you decide on final thinning. Where I live, however, when this happens completely depends on the fruit and the weather, and few fruits do it in "June". Obviously there is no June Drop for my peaches which ripen in May! (I suspect June is the month it happens in Northern places with fruiting seasons that happen in August and September, but I'm just guessing, being that we get peaches from May to October)
I don't have Elberta, but Dave Wilson says it ripens in the beginning of August in California, so your harvest probably will be then or a little later for you in Virginia.

So I would say you should do your final thinning about June/July, and space them about 1 peach every 6 inches along the branch for best size and flavor. I use my needle-nose clippers and snip them off at the stem, because when I twist them off, I sometimes tear the stem.

Carla in Sac

Sheila:

I do my peach thinning in several stages, let's say about three. Each time, I remove the smaller, slower-developing peaches, and leave the larger ones. Any that have been damaged by insects, or show signs of mildew, have to come off no matter what size they are. If you properly thin your peaches, they will not experience a "June drop", since you will already have removed the peaches that would have dropped. Final thinning should leave the peaches about 6-8 inches apart, but these numbers are not cast in stone, and you should use your judgment about what each twig or branch can support, depending on its size and vigor. Bear in mind that a fully-developed peach can weight 3/4 pound or more. I have had some large peaches reach a full pound each. I would estimate that, at final thinning, 95% of the peaches on the tree have been removed, but those that are left are beautiful.

Why are you collecting your thinned peaches in a shopping bag? Small thinned peaches carry no insect pests or pathogens, and may be safely allowed to fall to earth. After a few weeks they will be gone. When I thin a peach tree, the ground under the tree is covered with little peaches. Eliminating the collection step might improve your thinning efficiency.

I have been down the teenager road (a few years ago), and hate those piles of dirty clothes. But enforced thinning is likely to lead to poor results. See how the teenagers react when you produce some really beautiful peaches. They might be inspired.

And if you cannot comfortably reach all the peaches on your tree to thin, prune it down right now. I prune all the time as I thin to open up the tree and ensure that each peach is exposed to sunlight. That's what makes them big and sweet.

Now is not the time to ease up on your spraying, using an effective insecticide such as permethrin. I also use fungicides to fight peach scab and mildew. Plum curculio is very active right now, and oriental fruit moth may also be present, which will ruin your peaches. By the end of June you may be able to ease up or stop spraying entirely, after the peaches are half-grown and the skins are tougher and less attractive to insects.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks to everyone for your collective knowledge. Don I was wondering if I could do some pruning now. I do have a lot of branches that I should have pruned back long ago but was afraid to. I will get out my pruning saw/sheers today. Also, I will definitely keep up the spraying. I have used triazicide once and done for the bugs and mal something for the fungicide. I also sprayed a dormant oil in late winter/early spring. This tree has always given me tons of peaches. However, they never get any size to them and they end up with goo on them or spots on them or bites on them. I think you get the picture. The spraying program is going to be the only way these peaches have any chance.

Sheila:

Yes, you can do some pruning right now. Open up the tree, especially in the middle. Remove excessive top growth that will shade the peaches below. Don't worry about removing branches that may be full of peaches. You can't ripen all those out anyway, and the peaches left behind after your rigorous thinning will be much better.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Jellyman-

Do you purchase your permethrin locally or order it? Is there a place you would recommend? Since I'm in the same vicinity and have a few fruit trees, I should probably be using this product, too.

Thanks.

Cindy

Cindy:

The product is sold at Tractor Supply, Southern States and many bigbox stores. TS in Leesburg is where I buy mine, and the house brand is labeled as "Multi-Insect Killer". It has wide uses and I also use it early on brassicas like cabbage and broccoli to keep the cabbage moth off, then stop before the vegetables approach harvest.

Read the fine print on the front of the label. It should say Permethrin 2.50%. That's the homeowner formulation. Become familiar with the fine print on all the labels of chemicals you are using. It can be important.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Jellyman-

Thanks for the information. It's very helpful, as always.

Cindy