There are dozens of peach tree varieties, evendwarf cultivarsthat you’re free to grow in a container.
All parts of the peach tree, except for the edible fruit, are toxic to humans and pets.
Those grown in shadelose their vigor, making them susceptible to pest and disease problems.
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Soil
Peach trees need good drainage, and like their soil on the sandy side.
Water
Keep peach trees evenly moist, especially in the first two years as they establish themselves.
Peaches need at least 600 chilling hours at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to trigger fruiting.
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Extended temperatures below zero may damage the trees.
Peaches tolerate humid conditions, but excessive wetness can encourage fungal diseases.
Fertilizer
Apply a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer around your peach trees each spring.
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Types of Peach Trees
There are hundreds of peach cultivars to choose from.
While peach trees can produce clingstone or freestone fruits, most varieties sold for home gardens are freestone.
you’re able to also choose between yellow or white flesh and early or late-bearing peach trees.
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Methods to prune a peach tree may differ from methods used for other fruit trees.
Do not prune peach trees while they are dormant which can make them less cold hardy.
Ideally, prune peach trees annually just as the buds swell enough to reveal their pink color.
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you could, however, remove shoots developing in the center of the tree at any time.
Propagating Peach Trees
The easiest way to propagate a non-grafted tree is throughsoftwood cuttings.
Purchasing a young tree means you might enjoy a harvest sooner.
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Plant your peach tree during late winter or early spring, during its dormancy period.
Choose a large container that measures at least 3 feet across.
Any material pot is fine, from plastic to terra-cotta and wood to ceramic.
Mulch the base and reduce watering to alleviate stress on the tree.
Otherwise, the tree needs to breathe.
This clearwing moth resembles a wasp and deposits its eggs on tree bark in the fall.
Signs of frass (sawdust-like insect waste) will alert you to the problem.
The grubs hatch and burrow into the trunk, where they feed on the trunk and roots.
Powdery mildewcan cause fuzzy spots to show up on fruits.
Other types of fungi can cause peach tree leaf curl, leading toleaf browningand deformity.
Use a copper-based fungicide in late fall or early spring to prevent and control this issue.
(Peach trees have chilling requirements to produce fruit, and there are low-chill and high-chill varieties.)
Blooms may start in February or March.
What Do Peach Tree Flowers Look and Smell Like?
Peach tree blossoms appear bright pink, and infrequently lavender or creamy white.
The flowers are small, about an inch across in diameter, and consist of many petals.
Peach blossoms have a mild floral fragrance.
Low-chill trees need fewer chilling hours and will bloom the earliest.
High-chill trees need more chilling hours and will bloom later in the season.
If you keep every blossom on the tree, you may potentially end up with many smaller peaches.
Some branches may have hundreds of blossoms.
Look for flowers, buds, and budding fruits that are touching one another to thin out the tree.
But the health of the leaves can also indicate what is going on with your peach tree.
If severe, the leaves may begin turning white.
The addition of chelated iron is often recommended for temporary help.
Root and crown rot could be an issue if you see a general yellowing of the leaves.
Holes in Leaves
There are a couple of reasons why peach tree leaves have holes.
Peaches are self-pollinating or self-fertile so you only need one tree for fruit production.
Peach trees are not native to North America, so yes, they can be challenging to grow.
Peach and nectarine trees are the same speciesPrunus persica.
The nectarine fruit is fuzz-free and somewhat smaller and sweeter than the peach.
Peach trees may sometimes grow nectarines, and nectarine trees may grow peaches.
Professional growers control their crops bygraftingbranches that previously produced nectarines onto peach trees.
NC State University Cooperative Extension.
Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants; Peach.
Home Garden Peaches.University of Georgia Extension.
Cooperative Extension: Tree Fruits.University of Maine.
Peach Diseases.Clemson University Extension Service.
Peach trees in the garden.
Thinking through strategies for peach crop thinning.Michigan State University Extension.
Peaches in the Garden.
Coryneum Blight (Shothole).Utah State University.
