Peach tree pruning

[Jangchub]

This blasted tree is giving me nothing but brown rot peaches and it's a big mess. The butterflies are drunk all spring and the birds and squirrels in love with the fruit, but I need to get radical.

What if I do a REALLY hard prune this winter and give up this coming years' harvest. If I just leave scaffolding, but remove the oldest limbs, cutting it way down, then clean up every inch below the tree and remove any plants or mulch, then spray the ground with sulfur and then the tree at pink bud (if there are any) with bordeaux...any thoughts?

If I don't do something the tree is getting removed.

Victoria

[SteveB]

I just googled peach trees this morning. Pruning is not rocket science, and you can get some helpful instructions off Google to do it. So long as you don't cut the big one coming out of the ground, you're okay.

Sounds to me like you are having some other problems. Correct watering and fertilization at the proper time are critical. After that, birds and insects and fungus/mold have to be attacked individually and specifically. Check with a local shop. They usually can steer you pretty straight.

Our peach tree yielded five boxes of baseball size peaches this year. Best peaches I ever tasted. And that was after a year of neglect from renters.

Go figger.

This winter, I'll prune. I'll fertilize. I'll water. And we'll see what next year brings. This is our first year of ownership of this property, and for the first year, it was rented to some really lazy people.

Steve

Steve

[symplastless]

No, peaches will not tolerate harsh pruning. especially improper pruning. See pruning

John A. Keslick, Jr. Consulting Arborist Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.

[David E. Ross]

Of all the stone fruits, peaches probably require the most severe pruning. The amount of wood removed should be at least 1/3 of what new wood grew the prior season. (I remove about 1/2 to 2/3.) However, you should remove old wood and keep new wood. Furthermore, you should cut the tips off any new branches.

Brown rot is a fungus and is unrelated to the amount of pruning. I spray a mix of Bordeaux and dormant oil right after pruning and again at the pink bud stage. I try to time my pruning activities so that the first spraying can include my roses and grapes. If I have any spray mixture left, I also spray the ground under my camellias to prevent flower blight.

Just note that peaches are not long lived. A commercial orchard reaches its peak at about 8 years, declines after about 12 years, and might have to be removed at 15 years. This short life span is especially pronounced in my climate, where peaches do not get significant winter chilling; even varieties specially hybridized for mild winters are affected here.

[sherwindu]

Victoria,

Cleaning up the remnants from last season is a good start, as is spraying in the spring. I assume when you are refering to pruning, you mean those branches that have cankers and infected shoots. If your tree has too much branch congestion, pruning out these unwanted branches will open up the tree to light and wind, both discouraging the

spread of fungus. Fertilizer may help to build up the tree's natural defenses. Apply your fungal sprays during rainy spells (use a sticker to retain the chemicals). The preharvest season is the most likely time for brown rot to take hold, that is when the fruit begins to color up. Blossom infections require an earlier spraying. Insects can spread the disease, so try to control them as well. My spraying guide does not list Bordeaux as a good choice for brown rot control on peaches. They recommend 3336 WP or Spectricide Immunox. Captan and sulfer will also work, but is not as effective. Just curious, what variety is the tree, what rootstock, and age?

Hope this helps,

Sherwin

[Jangchub]

Yes, I have the same problem; scant chill hours. Even though my tree is 'Dixiland' and is very low on chill hours (400) I think you're right. The proper time to prune here is February, and that goes for roses as well. This tree is in the ground for six years.

I also noticed near the stone there is usually a small white worm. Something injects the peach with its "baby" and euchhh.

I have some thinking to do...thanks David.

Victoria

[Jangchub]

It's very helpful, but I don't like to kill insects or anything else for that matter. I said in an earlier post it is a 'Dixieland' and I don't know the root stock. I don't belive the mild winters are helfpul.Actually, I think a good idea may be to remove the tree and plant a new one every two years on the property and as they decline remove them. Then I'll always have fruit.

Maybe!

I absolutely hate cutting trees down, but the rotten fruit splatting everywhere, while great for butterflies, is a pain in the buttrose.

Stay tuned...

thanks, Victoria

[symplastless]

dito

[Jangchub]

Please help me understand; what are you saying "ditto" about?

And let me make sure I was accurate in my explanation; I am going to prune out the oldest limbs. These are limbs which are growing up, not waterspouts, but an upside down umbrella. The ends are too tall to get to at 12 to 15 feet. I was going to remove those down to a lateral branch which grew this year. So, since peaches set fruit on the prior years' growth, I should be able to get some fruit from those lateral branches...right?

Actually, I'm not trying to get fruit next year, but remediate the tree with a last ditch effort to shape it laterally instead of upward and out, and to clean it up so I have less a chance for brown rot.

Are you picturing what I'm describing? If so, is THIS what you said "ditto" to, or was it the part which said peaches don't take well to hard pruning?

Victoria

[David E. Ross]

He said, "peaches will not tolerate harsh pruning". Ignore that!

Sunset says: "They need more pruning that other fruit trees, since they rpduce fruit on 1-year-old branches. Severe annual pruning (see text) not only renews fruiting wood -- it encourages fruiting throughout the tree rather than at the ends of saffing branches that can easily break." [From box on page 501 of Sunset's "Western Garden Book" (C) 2001; the reference to "see text" is to a longer paragraph on the same page.]

[sherwindu]

Depends what he means by tolerate. It won't kill the tree if it is kept below say 40% per year, but it will cut down on fruit production.

On my dwarf Redhaven tree (15 years old), I have not been diligent about this annual pruning, yet my tree gives loads of peaches every year. However, I do the other maintenance types of pruning. What I do see is a tendency for the lower branches to be less productive, but it hasn't become a problem.

I think a more detailed explanation of pruning peach trees can be found at:

finally this:

Sherwin

[symplastless]

Peach trees barely survive proper pruning. You must dissect trees to understand this. Apple trees are very forgiving. Hit them hard and they say hit me again. However peach trees respond internally, death to great amounts of symplast, which leaves the tree with little place to store starch. Peach trees require fine pruning. Not harsh pruning. Before anyone gives suggestions on pruning they should have read and understood this book.

an example of dissections is here. interested in pruning and cannot get the book, here is a website to help. took me many dissections to understand what internal response of peach trees to pruning can occur.

Why do you think we have short life disease of peach trees?

As far as problems go here is a list. Remember don 't just treat the wound but the entire system.

Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case Sensitive.

Troubles in the Rhizosphere

Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting up "Tree Planting" Mulching - Look up "Mulch"

Improper Pruning

Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry) Farming and Related Problems John A. Keslick, Jr. Consulting Arborist Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.

[symplastless]

Where did you study tree biology?

If you harshly prune you peach tree you will not have a peach tree. Go ahead.

I never heard of the book you recommend or the person who wrote it. Obviously they did not understand pruning and peach trees. maybe that's the book the nurseries use. Boy do they have problems with their peach trees!!!!!!! Just ask them about all the problems associated with the pruning you suggest.

TREE PRUNING

[symplastless]

Foolish, not one picture of a branch collar or any pictures of dissections. Foolish, simply foolish

Try this book first.

your tree a chance. So many disease and insect problems are associated with improper pruning of peach trees. Most.

[symplastless]

Product pushers love improper pruning of peach trees.

So many insect and diseases caused by improper pruning of peach trees.

Show me your dissections.

People who do not dissect trees should not be permitted to speak about them.

Imagine a MD who never dissected a human. Silly!!!!!

[symplastless]

Two things to say.

If you have a desire to prune a woody plant and have not read this book, I suggest you do so.

you are dealing with peach trees it would be of value to know that the bigger the pruning cut, even if correct, the more symplast that will die: trees require fine pruning often. The smaller the pruning cut the less dieback of symplast that will occur. The symplast is very important. With no symplast you will not have any fruit. A symplast tree does not produce peaches. The more symplast a peach tree has, the more places it has to store starch which is non-water soluble glucose. Glucose is used for defense for one. When defense is low the peach tree is placed in a predisposition with little energy for defense. Spraying all of the chemicals the product pushers want to spray will not bring the symplast back or will it increase the trees defense. Harsh improper pruning greatly reduces symplast. Specifically with peaches, even if the target is hit, a great deal of symplast will die. Per my dissection. What is recommended is fine pruning. pruning would be best if limited to 1/3 of the current growth increment in elongation. The target would be on a slight angle at the bud. This year when I prune my clients healthy peach trees I will take a picture of the proper target. Fine pruning, fine pruning, fine pruning or you will place the tree in a predisposition to receive secondary agents. These agents then get the blame for the death of the peach tree when it is in reality the pruning that caused the decline of the tree. Its not rocket science but it is tree biology.

Those of you recommending harsh pruning please take some pictures of your harsh pruning. Please place them on a web site so we can see what you mean. In one year you can dissect the tree, if you have guts, and then show use the results of your pruning to the symplast.

Again, the first and most important book you will ever read on pruning.

library can get it for you at no cost. It would, however, be a great asset to your library if you purchase it.

Then once you have read the pruning book, all the information you will require to care for the system is here. Its called MODERN ARBORICULTURE

Until those two books are understood it will be of little value to read others. Many text books are incorrect still harboring myths and half truths about trees! An excellent book on the topic would be 100 TREE MYTHS and half truths. reading on the topic of predisposition. The basic advantage trees have is that they have evolved with defense as their theme. Their construction, physiology, chemistry, physics and all their other properties and processes have developed with defense as a theme. Humans have a big brain as their theme and trees have defense. The tree "secret" is a generating system built around defense and a ready capacity to adjust when their survival is threatened. Strong defense depends on a high amount of energy reserves. When enrgy reserves are low, defense is low. When pruning cause death of symplast to the extent of peaches, potential energy storage (parenchyma cells) is greatly reduced with harsh pruning. Trees store glucose (energy) in the form of starch in living parenchyma cells. The webwork of parenchyma cells in a tree stem and root is called the symplast. Harsh pruning (peaches) greatly reduces the symplast. This greatly reduce potential for storge of energy as well as reduction of defense. the secondary organisms which understand this, come into play. They are the clean-up crew. Then we spend money and risk health by the application of toxic chemicals to kill secondary organisms and no more.

The only realistic thing to do for peaches is proper mulching:

keeping pruning to fine pruning. Some books recommend just pruning 1/3 of the current growth in elongation. That is fine pruning. We do that and we have so many peaches every year that we have to thin the peaches. Is that not your goal? Well for many peach trees exposed to harsh pruning your only option is to plant a new tree. Just try to find a healthy peach tree to plant. That's another story. Correctly removing symplastless branches is a good treatment for peaches as well. Just do not injure the symplast of the parent stem. This is what I have to offer at this time: good articles on the benifits of proper mulching are here: A Professional Understand Dose. How much do we remove? pruning with peaches. Proper mulching with peaches. Remember I am not talking about the symplast removed as part of the branch removed in harsh pruning. I am focusing on the response internally to the tree as a result of harsh pruning of peach trees and the reduction of symplast as the result.

Words of wisdom: All parts of a tree are born alive.

CHOW

[symplastless]

Correction: A symplast tree does not

Correction!!!!! A SYMPLASTLESS tree does not produce fruit.

[symplastless]

After you finish those treatments you will be out of tree, for sure.

Most like your problem is the tree is low on energy. Two things come to mind. 1. Improper pruning.

2.Troubles in the rhizosphere both.

[sherwindu]

Oh yes, you know more than all those silly PhD's at the various universities.

You just want to peddle your book. Any snake oil you want to sell us?

And what makes you an expert?

[symplastless]

Why do you call them silly? They just do not give you specific details that help you hit targets and eatablish dose. That is very silly.