Peach tree out of control, falling over from fruit...send help
15 years ago
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Comments (27)
- 15 years ago
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peach trees and runting out
Comments (18)"Returning to training,I thought I remember a discussion a while back about the difficulty in getting peaches to push new limbs low even when quite young? Or was that a few years out from planting?" Rob, My experience has been normal buds form on new peach growth only. Adventitious buds will sometimes later form on more horizontal growth (like scaffolds). However, on vertical growth (like the trunk) I've had practically no luck getting adventitious buds to form. I've not tried anything radical like cutting the whole top of the trunk off (thereby trying to force the trunk to form adventitious buds) but I know of one commercial grower who's tried that and he said it simply kills the tree. Because peaches won't grow new wood on the trunk, I've always had to pick my scaffolds the first season, and at times the pickings have been slim. I like to start my scaffolds low but there are times no live buds exist on the lower portion of the trunk. I also like to keep at least two inches (vertically) between scaffolds and keep them evenly spaced around the tree, with good crotch angles, and a diameter no bigger than 1/3 the diameter of the trunk. Trying to find the scaffolds that meet all that criteria can be difficult if there isn't much down low. I've been known to try to find at least one live bud down low, cut the tree off right above that bud and grow a new trunk to get some good scaffolds. I've also had some luck notching above a dormant/sleepy bud to get it to sprout. But as I say the problem is sometimes finding any live buds at all down low. I have a couple trees out there with only two scaffolds (those were the only buds/shoots low enough to choose as scaffolds at the time of planting). Of course this problem is worse when ordering/receiving larger trees. Many times these are two year old trees and the lower two year old wood won't have any live buds/shoots left. It wouldn't be so bad if the nurseries would start to train the trees for production at the nursery, but they simply prune off everything down low, so that you're forced to start the scaffolds higher up. For the last few years, I've requested smaller peach trees from nurseries to avoid this problem. Sometimes they send smaller ones, sometimes not. This year I've ordered quite a few trees and requested them as small as possible. From the confirmations, it looks like that's what I'll be getting. Quite frankly, I don't know if there will be any negatives (other than maybe less early production) from such small trees, but perhaps I'll know more after a couple years. In a cold environment like yours, extremely small peach trees may not put on enough growth the first season to be adequately hardy. I've heard small peach trees aren't quite as hardy as larger ones....See Morepeach, out of control
Comments (9)You need about 4 purple dot on you tree 5 will slow growth down even more. leaving 2 limbs to grow they be very vegatative. Can you look at above photo and see the growth that make it spread uper growth that trying grow out from limbs. That what leave make spread. At yellow band 4 inches below it clean up trunk to ground remove all lower limbs use prune and seal in next minute after cutting limb off use paste type push sealer in to wood undercut limb first to stop peeling bark hand saw works best make cut close to trunk as possible that aliminate most new bud growth I like use prune seal only on trunks of peachtrees not needed upper part tree. You need a lot more yellow dots on photo 2 to 3 more purple = 4 or 5 total. There hot spot from pavement light pole and grass you should never have leaf desease because wind from street traffic. Keep in mind picking fruit as prune an what crop load how it lower limbs. Just fun stuff you put up 6 inch ring on rod 5 foot from ground make limb grow throw the ring by pruning. I picked five five gallon bucket of peaches off 3 year old Flordia King four year looking out bed room window watch a Doe stand on back legs and eat all peaches from that tree took her serval late evening but she got all that years crop. Second year at end growing season I cut prune 7 peachtrees and just could pile it on 16 foot trailer had put rope over top to move trailer on farm. My father and newly started county agent in 1953 prune peachtree so chicken have access to get to bugs and that little boy could climb and pick peaches this shape later called vase shape to let light in. Best way I know of to explain peach structure is to have trunk 30 inche tall at planting no limbs let grow at 45 days prune to leave 4 limbs pointing to north south east and west outward when these 4 limbs start turn upward take bud out rub all off top limb ( top limb and bud end different places). Happy new years...See MoreI fear I've killed these peach trees... Please help!
Comments (12)That's too bad Logan..We've all experienced something like this at some point in time..At least I have... For what it's worth, I started my peach/nectarine trees from seed as well. Knowing that some wouldn't make it, I began with a dozen pits. They spent two months in the fridge, 37 degrees wrapped in damp peat moss. . Once they came out of the fridge in mid-February, I planted them in regular old potting mix, still wrapped in the peat moss. Here is the link to my blog, it explains everything I did. they sat outside the entire time and really all I did was keep the soil moist. Squirrels got a few of them, but 5 made it and about 6 weeks later I had this... Not sure where you are, but I certainly didn't lavish and special attention on them, other than making sure they got water. Here is one of them that I planted in the ground a few weeks ago.. If you have the space, next time try starting a few more seeds..good luck....See MorePeach trees: leaves withering and fruit falling off
Comments (4)It wasn't the Sevin or too little water. Without more info can't help. But can say for certain that if the tree losses all it's leaves this time of yr it will be dead. If you have poor drainage plant on a mound next time....See MoreRelated Professionals
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