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Fruit & Orchards

Need advice pruning newly planted peach tree

8 years ago

Just got this contender peach on lovell rootstock and while it has quite a bit of growth - maybe a 2 year old tree? - there are a few problems with it, starting with the extremely narrow crotch near the bottom where a competing leader is growing from - it's actually rubbing against some of the other branches a few inches up. I'm thinking of making the cuts shown in read (and maybe the one with the question mark next to it?), as well as getting rid of some of the smaller sprouts lower down (not shown in red).

Anyone with some experience care to comment on my plan - the other option is to only keep that competing leader and get rid of the rest, then heading it back below its branches to try and get some new scaffolds, but that seems too drastic and I'd hate to set myself back a couple years.

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Comments (2)

rayrose SC 8
8 years ago
The tree should be grown on an open vase system and I would view
a number of videos demonstrating that system, and familiarize yourself on
how to shape the tree. Peach trees are fast growers, so don't be afraid to
prune out much of the present tree. Concentrate on the long term goal of
making the tree as productive as possible. I would definitely make the bottom marked cut and the thin lateral growing out below it. Then I would lower all of the other marked cuts to where the laterals start to branch out.
jstubbs_gw
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks - I've pruned it more than I otherwise would have.
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