How Many Peaches to Leave on Tree?

14 years ago

I have made numerous internet searches and all they say is to leave 6-8" between each fruit. However, if you left one on every stub the number would be several hundred.

I have Loring peach trees that are about 6 years with about a 4" trunk diameter.

I am also looking in growing 2 3/4" - 3" peaches as I don't want a bunch of real small peaches.

Through actual experience please advise how many 3" peaches one can get from a tree of this age and a mature peach tree.

Thanks in advance as I need to finish thinning as soon as possible.

Featured Answer

jellyman

14 years ago

Buddycat:

I don't know what you define as a "stub", but if leaving a peach on each one would result in several hundred peaches, you have too many stubs on a 6-year tree and you need to do some pruning.

I have two 6-year trees in my orchard of about the same trunk caliper as yours, as well as three older trees. I allow the trees to bloom and set fruit, then prune them just before thinning. Healthy, vigorous peach trees require pruning every year, and I do it just before thinning the fruit, removing many center branches, and smaller growth that is capable of shading peaches. Many of the branches and twigs I remove are laden with little peaches. The objective is to open up the trees to light and air circulation; developing peaches require sunlight to reach full size. If your trees are not open to sunlight, it won't make much difference whether you thin to 6 or 12 inches, the peaches will still be small. I sacrifice a lot of small peaches by pruning as I do, but the peaches that remain on the branches I leave often approach 1 pound in weight. My thinning occurs in about the 3rd week of May, but if too much succulent interior growth occurs later in the season, I prune it off in June or even into July.

Like the Fruitnut, I do not work for a total peach number at thinning time, but if I had to estimate I would say that my 6-year trees, now about 8 feet tall with about a 7-foot spread, will end up with about 100 peaches each in round numbers.

Please indicate your location with this type of question, so we can get a feel for the developmental stage of your peaches.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

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Comments (6)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
14 years ago
buddycat: I'd guess almost none of us work from a number of fruit per tree. I have a feel for how far apart, how much weight any given branch will support, and how thick the fruit should look compared to the amount of leaves.

But I'll hazard a couple of estimates. For those really large peaches I'd think more like a 12 inch spacing. As to a number, about one peach per sq foot of area. So a large mature tree that roughly shades an area 20ft by 20ft, about 400 peaches.

I too like large, high quality fruit. So I try to error on the over thinned side. Sure is hard to do.

The Fruitnut
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buddycat
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks Don, I am in Southern Illinois and the peaches are about 3/4" diameter now.

My trees are pruned very nicely with a perfect "open vase". Main trunk about 2 ft. tall with 3 scaffold branches and I prune about a quarter of the tree off each year.

However, if there is a 12" branch that also has two 6" branches off of it, do I leave 1 or 3 peaches on something like this.

Also, you stated you only leave 100 peaches on a 6 year old tree. A 3" peach weighs 1/2 pound so that means you are only getting 50 lbs off a 6 year old tree.

Since a bushel weighs about 50 lbs, that means you are only getting one bushel off a 6 year old tree. Other internet searches say you can get 3-5 bushels from a single tree.

If I leave 100 peaches or 200 peaches. That is a big difference.

Thanks again.
jellyman
14 years ago
Buddycat:

The 100 figure I mentioned is only an estimate; I have not actually counted them. It could be more. But I do not believe the numbers approach is useful. All of my peaches, BTW, weigh considerably more than 1/2 pound each.

It sounds as if you have the pruning issue under good control. In a situation such as you describe, with several smaller branches on a larger branch, I try to estimate the effects of 2,3, or more peaches on the branch. It will always be a judgment call, but if the total weight for that branch of nearly ripe peaches seems excessive, I remove some.

Your own judgment and instincts should prevail over anything you might find on internet searches. If you are satisfied with smaller peaches, leave more. But if you want larger peaches, thinning and sunlight are the answers.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
HU-248849940
5 years ago
Thanks guys from valley..always find
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
This is a 10 year old thread!! Very likely the original responders are long since vanished from this site.......did you have a question?

How Many Peaches to Leave on Tree?

jellyman

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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

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