Peach Care Guide

Peach trees (Prunus persica) are a popular choice for home gardeners, producing sweet, juicy fruit with minimal maintenance. Growing peaches requires attention to pests, diseases, pruning, and fertilizing. This guide covers important aspects of peach tree care, including pest control, planting, disease prevention, and overall tree maintenance.

 

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1. Planting Peaches

Choosing the Right Location

• Sunlight: Peach trees need full sun to thrive and produce fruit. Select a location with at least 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.

• Soil: Peaches prefer well-drained soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH (around 6.2).

Soil Preparation

• Avoid Grass Competition: Grass inhibits the growth of young fruit trees by releasing growth inhibitors. To help your tree establish itself:

• Create a grass-free circle around the base, about 3 feet in diameter.

• Burm the outer edge of this circle to hold water and keep it from running off during irrigation.

• Watering: Ensure your planting site is near a water source or install irrigation. Peach trees benefit from consistent watering, especially during hot, dry spells.

Planting Techniques

• Digging the Hole:

• Use a spading fork to aerate the soil, ensuring a porous hole.

• Use a shovel to remove loose soil and avoid compacting the soil, which can hinder root development.

• Tree Placement:

• When planting a grafted peach tree, ensure the graft is around 1 to 2 inches above the soil level.

• Avoid placing ripe compost or manure near the roots, as they can cause root rot.

• Slow-release fertilizers, like rock phosphate (phosphorus) and greensand (potassium), can be applied around the planting area to promote healthy growth.

• Mulching: Add a 2-3 inch mulch layer (wood chips or other organic material) to retain moisture and regulate temperature around the roots. Be sure not to bury the trunk with mulch.

 

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2. Fertilizing and Soil Care

• Soil pH: Keep the soil pH near 6.2 for optimal growth, as peaches grow best in slightly acidic soils. Liming is important for maintaining this pH level.

• Apply 5 lbs of lime per 100 square feet annually, but do so in multiple small applications (at 6-week intervals), rather than all at once.

• Fertilizer: Avoid using fresh compost or manure near the roots. Instead, use slow-release fertilizers and organic matter such as:

• Rock Phosphate (for phosphorus)

• Greensand (for potassium)

• Plant Tone (a balanced organic fertilizer)

• These will provide a steady supply of nutrients without overwhelming the tree's roots.

 

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3. Pest Control for Peaches

Surround® for Fruit Protection

• Surround® is a protective clay-based product that can help keep pests off your peaches, as well as apples and other fruits. The product works by forming a protective barrier around the fruit, making it harder for insects to land and feed.

• Key Benefits:

• Protects peaches from plum curculio and other pests like Japanese beetles, leafhoppers, rose chafers, and thrips.

• Helps control stink bugs, which can cause cat-facing on peaches (indentations and scarring on the fruit).

• How to Use: Apply Surround® at petal fall and keep well-covered with additional spraying for 6 weeks. For later fruiting peach varieties, additional spraying after 6 weeks can help control stink bug damage and 2nd generation oriental fruit moth.

• Washing: If you apply Surround® to your fruit, it can be washed off easily with running water after harvesting. This ensures your peaches are clean and ready for eating or storage.

• Beetle Gone is the best organic product for control of Japanese Beetles.

• Bagging: bagging fruit can offer physical protection from pests and while it is labor intensive, can produce great results and quality fruit. Speciality bags for this practice can be found online, or wax paper sandwich bags work well. Bag the fruit when it is still young and free of pest damage, using a twist tie or staples to close it completely. Leave room in the bag for the fruit to develop. Remove the bag when you’re ready to harvest (peaches will typically be fragrant when they are ready. If you’re using a specialty fruit bag, the twist wires should allow you to open the bag and check for readiness. 

 

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Preventing Peach Tree Borer

• Peach Tree Borer is a common pest that affects young peach trees, with larvae girdling the base of the tree. This can be prevented by using wood ashes or mothballs:

• Wood Ashes: Spread around the base of the tree around June 15th to deter the adult moths from laying eggs. The ashes prevent the larvae from establishing a presence.

• Mothballs: Place around the trunk and cover with sand as an alternative to wood ashes for effective control.

Additional Pest Control Tips

• Leafhoppers: These pests tend to infest areas with tall grass. They can cause damage to new growth, particularly on young peach trees. Surround® can help prevent leafhopper damage.

• Japanese Beetles: Known to damage young trees, Japanese beetles are particularly destructive to young cherry trees. Spray for these beetles right before adult emergence with Beetle Gone. 

4. Disease Control for Peaches

Peach trees are susceptible to various fungal and bacterial diseases. The following products and practices can help prevent and manage common peach tree diseases:

Keeping the fruit insect free with Surround or bagging young fruit with a spacing of 3” between fruits is best practice in our experience for managing brown rot and bacterial spot on your peaches, and will help the fruit develop to a good size and the tree to not overproduce. 

Fungal and bacterial issues will vary from season to season depending on weather conditions, it is good to be aware of issues you might encounter as a grower, but not be discouraged from attempting to grow peaches at all. 

• Regalia® (Fungal and Bacterial Disease Control): We do not currently use Regalia here at the nursery, but some report success with it for managing fungal and bacterial issues.

• How It Works: Regalia triggers the plant's natural defense systems, boosting its resistance to a wide range of fungal and bacterial diseases, including:

• Powdery Mildew, Brown Rot, Bacterial Leaf Spot, Botrytis Gray Mold

• Preventative Use: Apply Regalia® as a preventative treatment, ideally before disease pressure becomes high. The product is effective even in wet conditions and can be rainfast within an hour.

• Timing: Start early in the growing season, and reapply at regular intervals (every 7-10 days) based on disease pressure.

 

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5. General Peach Tree Care

Watering

• Deep Watering: During dry spells, ensure that peach trees receive adequate moisture. Water deeply to encourage deep root growth, particularly in the early stages of establishment.

Pruning

• When to Prune: Prune peach trees during the dormant season (late winter to early spring) to shape the tree and remove dead or diseased wood. Proper pruning promotes good airflow and sunlight penetration, reducing the risk of disease.

• Peaches thrive best when pruned to an open center with 3 spreading limbs. At least 14 inches of annual growth is important. Peaches bloom on last year’s wood, mostly. 40% annual pruning is not too much for a peach. 

Mulching

• Moisture Retention: Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around the base of the tree, ensuring it is not piled directly against the trunk. Mulch helps to conserve moisture, maintain soil temperature, and suppress weeds.

Harvesting

• Timing: Peaches are ready to harvest when they are fully ripe, slightly soft to the touch, and have developed full color.

• Handling: Be gentle when picking to avoid bruising the delicate fruit.

 

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Conclusion

Growing peaches requires attention to several factors including pest control, proper planting, fertilizing, and disease management. By following the advice above, you can maintain a healthy peach tree that will produce sweet, juicy fruit for many years to come.