There’s nothing like the flavor of a home-grown peach with its sweet, messy goodness. Grocery store peaches just don’t have the same flavor because they are harvested before they are fully ripened in order to transport them easily without spoiling. If you have the space, growing your own peaches just can’t be beat. Proper care for your peach tree is very important in growing sweet, delicious peaches. This article will discuss how to care for your peach tree.
Soil Requirements
Peach trees should be planted in well drained sandy or loamy soil. Loamy means soil that contains a certain amount of clay. Over time, you can amend your soil to allow good growth of your peach tree. Most peach trees grow best when the soil pH is near 6.5. Taking a soil sample to your local cooperative extension office for evaluation will help with making soil amendments. It’s a good idea to check your soil about every three years. When planting more than one peach tree, the trees should be planted in rows 12 to 15 feet apart.
Planting the Peach Tree
Pick a place to plant your peach tree that is at least 20 feet away from other trees to gain the full benefit of the sun. Dig the hole for our peach tree about a foot deeper and a foot wider than the pot. The amount of loose soil that is filled in around the roots will allow for good root growth. Add more loose soil into the bottom of the hole in order to plant the peach tree as deep as the top of the soil already in the pot. Place the peach tree in the hole, fill with loose dirt and add water to the hole. Pack the dirt firmly around the peach tree. If the peach tree is planted on a slope, make a little trough for watering.
Fertilizer
Fertilize your peach tree about a week after planting and again about a month later. You may need to fertilize again in the spring. A good 10-10-10 fertilizer or fruit tree fertilizer spikes will work well for peach trees. The older the peach tree, the more fertilizer you may need to use.
Mulching
Heavy mulching at least three feet around the peach tree trunk will help prevent weeds and retain valuable moisture. If weeds are surrounding the peach tree, you should keep it mowed or spray with herbicides. Doing so will cut down on insects.
Watering
Watering is a tricky business. Over watering is bad for the peach tree and under watering is bad too. Sandy soil will drain much quicker than clay soil and needs to be watered more often than clay soil. A hot summer day will make your peach tree need more water than a cool day. As long as the top few inches of the soil are moist, you should be fine. Looking for leaf droop will also let you know when your peach tree needs watering. Practice will let you know how much water your tree will need on a given day.
Sun Requirement
Peach trees need to be planted in an area that will receive full sun, that is, at least six to eight hours per day. Sunlight is important in drying the leaves and the fruit of the peach tree, thereby cutting down on disease. A nice blush on the peaches will depend upon the amount of sun the fruit receives.
Pruning
Pruning is important to maintain fruit production and controlling tree height and spread of your peach tree. Pruning is also important to provide adequate sunlight and to remove broken or diseased limbs. Pruning should be done in mid-February to early March. Begin pruning new peach trees by removing upright shoots on the inside of the tree to develop an open-center (vase-shaped) tree. Once young peach trees are established, prune as little as possible until the tree becomes more mature, usually around the third or fourth year. Once your peach tree becomes more mature, remove low-hanging, broken, and/or diseased limbs and then prune any upright shoots to maintain an open center. Never prune your peach tree just before fruiting and try to maintain a tree around eight or nine feet tall tree.
