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When should peach trees be pruned


How to Prune Peach Trees

By

Marie Iannotti

Marie Iannotti

Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. She's also an author of three gardening books, a plant photographer, public speaker, and a former Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. Marie's garden writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide and she has been interviewed for Martha Stewart Radio, National Public Radio, and numerous articles.

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Updated on 06/09/22

The Spruce / Steven Merkel

In This Article

Project Overview

Peach trees are one of the least demanding fruit trees you can grow. Like many fruit trees, peach trees are susceptible to some diseases and pests, but peaches ripen so early in the season that these problems don't usually affect the harvest. And harvesting is usually fairly simple, thanks to the many dwarf varieties that remain just 4 to 6 feet in height. However, the one maintenance task that shouldn't be overlooked is pruning. Your peach trees will be healthier, more productive, and easier to work with if you set up an annual pruning routine.

Grow Bushels of Peaches From One Seed

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When to Prune Peach Trees


While many fruiting plants are best pruned when they are dormant, this is not the case with peach trees. Pruning them when the weather is still cold makes them susceptible to dieback and causes them to be less cold-hardy overall. Ideally, you should prune peach trees annually in spring, just as the buds swell and begin to turn pink. It's better to prune a little too late than too early. However, you can remove shoots developing in the center of the tree at any time since these will block sun and air from getting to the fruits. Plus, taking them out during the summer usually means less to remove the next spring.

Major pruning of a peach tree should begin when the tree is at least three years old and has matured enough to produce a good fruit crop. Before this, pruning efforts should be limited to establishing the basic shape of the tree.

Before Getting Started

Rather than pruning to emphasize a central trunk, as is done with other fruit trees, peach trees are best pruned into an open "V" or vase shape, with three to five well-spaced main branches forming the vase. These main "scaffold "branches should be at roughly 45-degree angles to the trunk, leaving the center open to sun and air.

Peach trees produce fruit on one-year-old wood, so a mature tree can be pruned rather extensively. Remove around 40 percent of the tree each year to encourage new growth after pruning, so there will be fruiting branches every year. In general, remove old gray shoots because these will not fruit. But leave the one-year-old shoots, which will be reddish in appearance.

Equipment / Tools

Materials

The Spruce / Steven Merkel

  1. Remove Dead, Damaged, and Diseased Branches

    Use long-handled pruners or a pruning saw to remove all branches in poor condition. Such branches should be removed whenever you see them. This is true of all trees but especially for trees that bear fruit on new wood, such as peach trees.

    Cut removed branches into manageable pieces and bag them or bundle them for disposal

    The Spruce / Steven Merkel

  2. Choose Main Branches, Remove the Others

    In the early years of the tree's life, select three to five main upward-growing "scaffold" branches along the outside of the tree. Then, remove any competing large branches using a pruner or pruning saw. Pay special attention to removing branches in the center of the tree and those growing downward or horizontal. The goal is to create a tree that has a V- or vase-shaped profile with an open center.

    Most growers recommend that the first of these scaffold branches be no closer than 18 inches from the ground. The main branches should be spaced evenly around the trunk, with a vertical offset of about 6 inches between adjacent branches. Ideally, all scaffold branches should emerge from the trunk between 18 and 36 inches from the ground. This creates a compact tree that will be easy to harvest without a tall ladder.

    Tip

    Try to prune in a way that eliminates narrow, V-shaped crotches, which are weak and will become prone to splitting when the branches are supporting a heavy fruit crop. Crotches 45 degrees or wider will be less susceptible to splitting.

    The Spruce / Steven Merkel

  3. Trim Tall Branches

    Use a pruner to trim the ends of any tall branches, The goal here is to keep the tree at a harvestable height. If you prune without a ladder, this will mean cutting the branches to a height that you can reach from the ground.

    The Spruce / Steven Merkel

  4. Remove Spindly Interior Branches

    Prune any small, spindly branches growing from the main scaffold branches inward. Make sure to remove any shoots that point straight up or down, as they won't allow the peach tree to properly grow into the desired V shape.

    The Spruce / Steven Merkel

  5. Cut Back Remaining Red Shoots

    Use pruners to cut back the new red shoots to a length of around 18 inches. Make the cuts to within 1/4 inch of an outward-facing bud. These are fruit-producing shoots, and you want to keep them close to the main branches so the fruit will be adequately supported and easy to harvest.

    Also, prune off the suckers at the base of the tree. You can pull them off with your hand if they are small enough; they will be less likely to regrow if they are pulled instead of cut.

    The Spruce / Steven Merkel

  6. Plan for Future Growth

    If there is no new growth within reach on a tall branch, remove the entire branch. These are not likely to be productive, and removing them ensures the tree will put its energy into plenty of new productive growth.

    And if the tree doesn't have enough upward-curving main branches, find a secondary branch that has new upward-curving growth, and cut back to that new growth. This will become one of the main branches for future seasons.

    Tip

    Peach trees are not long-lived. So planting a new tree every five to six years will ensure you are never without a peach tree.

    The Spruce / Steven Merkel

    How to Grow Your Own Peaches

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Training and Pruning Stone Fruit. University of Maryland Extension

Pruning Peach Trees - Stark Bro's

Pruning is a very important part of proper peach tree care and maintenance; however, many people think the task overwhelming or too complicated. It doesn’t have to be! Keep these things in mind:

NOTE: This is part 8 in a series of 11 articles. For a complete background on how to grow peach trees, we recommend starting from the beginning.

Survival

When your peach tree is dug up from our fields to be shipped to you (and any time a tree is transplanted) the root ball loses many of its fine feeder roots. These hairlike, delicate roots are important to the process of absorbing moisture and nutrients in the soil. Pruning, in this instance, helps balance the top growth of your tree with the root system, giving the roots time to re-establish in your yard to support existing top growth and new growth.

When your bare-root peach tree arrives from Stark Bro’s, our professionals have already pre-pruned your tree for you. Because of this, you do not need to prune them again at planting time. The only pruning necessary at planting time would be to remove any broken or damaged branches and roots.

Plan to prune your peach trees every year during their dormant season. In Zone 6 and north, you should wait until late winter. A good reference book (we recommend Pruning Made Easy), is invaluable for providing additional visuals and in-depth answers to questions you may have about pruning.

Stimulation

In addition to the survival benefits, pruning a peach tree stimulates stronger, more vigorous growth from the remaining buds. After a single growing season, a peach tree you prune will be bigger, and have stronger branching than a similar unpruned tree.

Shape and Structure

Equally as important to the benefits above, your peach tree needs to be pruned to provide a strongly structured shape. The natural shape a peach tree takes on is not always the best for its maximum fruit production. Stark Bro’s peach trees are pruned in the nursery row for proper shaping to get you started, but corrective pruning must continue at home. Annual pruning is more critical for peaches (and nectarines) than for any other fruit tree type.

Always prune peach trees to an “Open Center” shape. An open-center structure keeps the tree’s canopy open to light, which is necessary for the development of good fruit and helps prevent brown rot, a notorious enemy of peach trees.

Pruning Tips

Pruning angles

Narrow, V-shape crotch angles in the limbs are an open invitation to disastrous splitting later on, particularly when your peach tree is supporting a large fruit crop. For your tree’s branches, choose wide 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock angles.

Pruning to a bud

Make sharp, clean cuts close enough (about ¼-inch away from the next outward-pointing bud) so you won’t leave a clumsy stub that’s hard to heal over. Stay far enough above the bud so it won’t die back. Slant the cuts and the new growth will develop beautifully.

Every branch has buds pointed in various directions. Because you want vigorous new growth to spread out and away from the center of the tree, make your cut above a bud that’s aimed outward. These are usually located on the underside of the branch. This helps your peach tree take on a more spreading shape, keeping it open to light and air circulation.

Pruning Whips (Unbranched Trees)

Unbranched peach trees are ideal if you want more control over which branches are allowed to develop — as you might in certain artful pruning styles like espalier. Prune whips back to 28- to 36-inches above the ground at planting time. After the new branches have grown 3- to 5-inches in length, select a shoot to become the leader and the rest become the tree’s scaffold limbs.

Off-season Pruning

Sometimes pruning needs to be done even when the season isn’t ideal. If a branch is broken by the wind or by a heavy load of fruit, emergency treatment is necessary. When taking action due to injury, prune to clean up any ragged edges; making a flush cut that leaves no stub.

It does not benefit the peach tree to wait until dormancy to prune damaged, dead, or diseased limbs or to remove unwanted growth like suckers and watersprouts. These should all be completely removed as soon as you see them.

Fruit-Thinning

There are several good reasons to thin fruit:

Home gardeners can effectively thin peach trees by hand. During May and June (in most areas, many peach trees will start to drop or abort underripe fruit. This is a natural process that allows the tree to mature the remaining crop load. If not corrected through thinning, peach trees may bear biennially (fruits only every other year) or bear heavily one year, then bear a comparatively light crop the next year. Thinning may seem counterproductive in theory, but it really is a benefit to your peach harvest in the long run.

The best time to thin peach trees is within 20 to 40 days of full bloom. Thin so that each remaining peach is spaced 6 to 8 inches apart on the branch. In clusters, leave the king bloom (the center bloom in the cluster of five flowers) as it will develop into the largest fruit. On spur-type peach varieties, many fruit spurs grow along a branch and will need to be thinned out to encourage bigger and better fruit on what remains. All of these tasks promote the improved bearing and fruit quality of your peach tree — you’ll be pleased with the results!

How to cut a peach correctly - Flowers.ua

It is difficult to meet a person who would not like juicy peach fruits. But in order to grow them, gardeners will need to make a lot of effort. The peach tree is a rather demanding crop that needs careful and regular care. And pruning is one of the primary procedures, without which you are unlikely to get a well-bearing tree. Even novice flower growers can grow a peach, but if you have any questions, you can always consult with our experts day and night. Also pay attention to bouquets with delivery. Sending flowers in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine daily

Why pruning is necessary

Peach pruning is necessary for the plant to grow for a long time and bring many juicy and tasty fruits. We all know that representatives of the flora get moisture and nutrients from the soil. Through the roots they pass along the trunk and reach the branches. And if, for example, the cultivation of kiwi is characterized by a stable pace, then in peaches this whole process occurs much faster. In addition, the culture distributes the lion's share of macro- and microelements into vertically growing branches. Because of this, the crown of the tree very quickly becomes thick and lush, but at the same time, the central branches remain deprived of a sufficient amount of sunlight, become bald and not fruitful. And the fruits of the side branches will be too small to call the future harvest rich. Thus, all improperly growing branches must be cut off in time. A well-formed canopy also promotes better “ventilation” of the leaves and makes harvesting a simple and hassle-free process. Well, finally, a neatly cut peach crown looks much more attractive than branches sticking out in different directions. Such a peach tree will become a real gem of your garden.

Peach pruning in spring

Peach pruning in the first warm days of the year is carried out in order to properly form the crown. For all varieties of peach, some “forks” on the branches are very characteristic. But, as a rule, they are quite weak and easily break from sudden gusts of wind. During the winter cold, frost often forms on such branches, which only exacerbates the situation. That is why timely spring pruning is so necessary. And you need to carry it out as soon as you see the first buds on the peach, but always before flowering begins. Focus around the third week of March - mid-April.

It is important that this culture is quite sensitive and shows sharp reactions to any interference in its life. So pruning must be done exclusively with a sharp knife or secateurs. It is also recommended to pre-treat the blades with an antiseptic. When working, try to trim a particular branch in one motion. If the cut radius has a size of more than two centimeters, it is desirable to process it.

As mentioned above, it is in the spring that the crown of the tree is formed. Previously, most gardeners believed that a cup-shaped crown was best suited for peach. However, over the years of practice, growers have realized that this is not entirely true. A spreading cup-shaped crown can only be found in those trees that grow in large areas. The fact is that this form of peach crown takes up too much space, reducing the total number of fruit trees in the garden. The most optimal crown shape is pyramidal.

Spring peach pruning scheme is as follows:

The advantage of spring pruning is that as the buds swell, you can immediately see which of the branches will eventually become the most productive. It is to such branches that you provide the most thorough care. The rest can even be removed altogether.

Summer peach pruning

Many gardeners don't use summer peach pruning as much as spring pruning. But it also has its undoubted advantages and goals. Pruning is necessary at the beginning of summer, preferably from the second half of June until the 15th of July. It is during this period of time that the fruits form bones.

Summer peach pruning includes the following steps:

Summer peach pruning can be called preventive and shaping. You can do without it, but still it is better not to neglect it. Do everything according to the rules, and juicy, large peaches are provided to you.

Peach pruning in autumn

Peach pruning in autumn is nothing more than preparing a peach tree for the coming winter. As you know, this culture grows mainly in the southern regions of Ukraine, where winters can be called relatively mild. But still the peach is very thermophilic. And the cultivation of peach, like the cultivation of pineapple, is unthinkable without preparation for frost.

So, the scheme of preparing a peach tree for winter is as follows:

Autumn pruning should begin after the harvest, which will be around mid-October. It is during this period of the year that the active growth and development of the peach ends, and the tree painlessly endures all the procedures carried out by gardeners.

Peach pruning schemes

There are several schemes for peach tree pruning. These schemes are divided into categories, depending on the reception, the age of the plant and some other features.

Ring pruning

Ring pruning is carried out in order to rejuvenate and restore a peach after an illness. Under the ring - this means under the very foundation. At the base of the tree trunk there is an annular outgrowth, which is responsible for active cell division. Thus, pruning according to this scheme allows the tree to quickly and actively regenerate

Cutting pattern for the ring:

  1. Treat the ring-shaped growth itself and your tool (hacksaw, secateurs) with an antiseptic solution.
  2. Leave 0.5 cm above the branch line. Put a mark on this place.
  3. Make a shallow cut just below the mark.
  4. Cut the entire branch 30 centimeters above the mark. Cut the branch carefully so that it does not break off abruptly and drag part of the healthy tree bark down with it.
  5. Next, cut it exactly to the mark.
  6. Apply a special healing mixture to the cut, which is available at any gardening store.

It is impossible to prune clearly along the annular growth, as it is possible to break the educational tissue in the trunk and roots, which will lead to the death of the plant.

Bud pruning

Bud pruning can not only form a beautiful crown, but also prevent it from growing too much. It is carried out by partial removal of the branch, based on the number of buds that must be left. The disadvantages of this method are that it is quite traumatic for the peach and the cuts heal for a long time.

Pruning pattern for a bud:

  1. Clean with alcohol the area of ​​the branch where you are going to cut, as well as the garden tool itself.
  2. Find out for yourself exactly how many kidneys should remain and measure 0.5 centimeters upwards from the topmost one. Put a label.
  3. Thirty centimeters up from this mark, cut the branch completely.
  4. You can now cut where the mark is.
  5. Apply healing solution to the cut.

If you want to make the crown not so dense, but lush, then trim to the outer bud (which grows outward, not deep into the crown). And if you want the branches not to be very lowered to the ground, do pruning, on the contrary, on the inner kidney.

Replacement knot pruning

Replacement knot pruning allows you to form a beautiful and healthy crown, as well as to ensure that the same branches bear fruit year after year, which will grow in the places the grower wishes. This can be done by cutting off excess shoots on the frame branch.

Substitute pruning pattern:

  1. Cut the branch using the bud method and leave two eyes.
  2. In a year, when two shoots grow from these eyes, pinch only the lower one - it will be the replacement knot.
  3. And cut off the top shoot to two eyes - it will turn into a fruitful branch.

Replacement pruning must be done every year. By the way, grapes are cut in exactly the same way.

Kerbovka

This technique allows you to activate dormant buds or, on the contrary, slow down their development. Kerbovka is easy to make - you just need to cut a small part of the bark above or below the kidney. This technique is quite humane and will not stress the plant. Kerbovka must be carried out in early spring, so that the kidneys do not have time to wake up.

Kerbing Chart:

  1. Find the bud that needs to be worked on.
  2. If you need to "stir up" it, make an incision above it, and if you "lull it" - then below it.
  3. In any case, the distance between the kidney and the incision should not be more than 3 mm.
  4. The incision itself should be relatively deep, and not just on the bark. Make it in the form of a strip, a semicircle or a cross. The thicker the branch, the more elongated the incision.

Pruning at planting

If the peach seedling is very young, up to a year old, it is better not to cut at planting. The young tree is still too fragile to endure such intrusions into its life. Let the peach first get used to the new habitat, otherwise there is a risk that the tree will die after pruning. That is why experienced gardeners say that pruning should be done only when the peach tree is a year old after planting. So, if planted in the fall, you can cut it in the spring of next year. Use the pinching method - it is the least traumatic. Leave a pair of buds on each upper branch, and carefully cut off the top.

Pruning in the first year of life

Pruning in the first year of life will give you the opportunity to form a beautiful crown exactly the shape you want. The most common and convenient form for harvesting the future crop is bowl-shaped. If you do not want to engage in laborious peach pruning in the first year of life, you can purchase a tree immediately with a formed crown.

Peach pruning technique in the first year of life in case of choosing a cupped crown:

  1. If you notice that the seedling has grown too quickly, it should be shortened to 50-60 centimeters.
  2. The total number of tiers should be three or four, and the same number of frame branches on each.
  3. Cut them to the outer buds.
  4. If there are heavily lowered branches, they can be tied to the top ones.
  5. Pinching off the green shoots on the skeletal branches throughout the summer.
  6. In autumn, also cut back to the same level as for summer pruning.

Second year pruning

In the second year of life, the peach will begin its active growth, and it will need to be pruned regularly throughout the summer. And in autumn and spring, just try to maintain the initially selected height level, cutting off only the very top. You also need to remove side shoots and see which buds you want to keep. Follow exactly the same pattern if your peach tree is three or four years old.

Pruning in the fifth year of life

A five-year-old peach tree is already a fairly mature plant, however, it needs regular rejuvenation. Every year, cut off the top shoots from the tree that have grown longer than ten centimeters, and the new shoots that have grown on the frame branches - they will become fruit-bearing competitors. Pruning in the fifth year of life will help make this fruit tree longer.

Peach care after pruning

The peach tree needs careful care after pruning. All cuts need to be well processed. Most gardeners prefer to use not the well-known garden variety, but oil paint as a treatment solution. The fact is that the var can let in moisture, which can cause rotting. But oil paint is an excellent sealant. Before processing the sections, it is advisable to apply a disinfectant solution to them. For example, copper sulfate. Give it a few minutes to dry before moving on to the next step.

Helpful tips

  1. When pruning, keep in mind that all productive branches grow at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. This will help you at work.
  2. When pruning peach branches, leave at least two buds on each.
  3. If you want to rejuvenate a peach and return it to a high yield, cut absolutely all branches that are more than four years old.
  4. After planting a peach tree, leave only the four lower shoots on it, and cut off the rest. It is from these four that the future crown will be formed.
  5. If you want to cup the crown shape, don't skip the spring pruning.

Proper peach pruning and tree care after it is a rather time-consuming and responsible task. However, your diligence and diligence will be encouraged by a rich harvest and longevity of a fruit-bearing tree.

How to trim a peach | The farmer knows |

Content:

Pruning peach in autumn, summer and spring, carried out by those gardeners who care about the health of their backyard. It is difficult to meet a person who does not like peach compote. In order for a peach from a tree branch to become the basis for home preservation, the summer resident will have to work hard. Peach is a very capricious horticultural crop. Therefore, for juicy and sweet fruits, the tree requires careful care from a person. Pruning makes up the lion's share of all the procedures with which you can take care of this demanding plant. How to properly prune, when is the best time to do it and about the features of the procedure at different times of the year, you will learn by reading this article.

Purpose of pruning

Peach pruning is carried out in order to prolong the life of the plant and increase its yield. Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of biology knows that trees get their nutrients from the soil. These substances pass through the trunk of the tree and are distributed evenly between the branches.

In peach, these processes are much faster than in other plants. At the same time, the plant spends a lot of nutrients on the formation of vertically growing branches.

If you do not pay attention to this feature, the crown of the tree will quickly thicken. This will cause the branches located in the center to become bare and stop bearing fruit. After all, they will no longer receive sunlight in sufficient quantities. The fruits will be tied only on the peripheral branches, which will significantly reduce the yield of the plant.

These problems can be avoided by regularly pruning the wrong growing branches. In addition, a properly formed crown helps to improve the ventilation of the tree and greatly facilitate harvesting. And finally, it is much more pleasant for any summer resident to see neatly cut trees on his site, and not a chaotic pile of branches.

Peculiarities of spring peach pruning

Spring peach pruning is carried out in order to form a crown. Peach loves to create forks on the branches. This leads to the fact that such branches break from strong gusts of wind.

In the cold season, frost forms on such forks, which leads to freezing of the branches. In order to avoid such problems in winter, it is necessary to prune the plant regularly in the spring.

Pruning in the spring is done when the buds have already swelled on the tree, but the flowers have not yet begun to bloom. This usually happens from mid-March until about April 20th.

It is worth noting that the peach reacts very strongly to any interference in his life. Therefore, all cuts must be made with a sharpened garden tool. It is recommended to disinfect the pruner or hacksaw before starting work. When working with pruners, try to remove branches in one motion. Sections with a diameter of more than one centimeter must be processed.

As already mentioned, the crown of the plant is formed in spring. For a long time it was believed that a cupped crown is better suited for this garden culture. As practice has shown, this is not always true.

The bowl-shaped version of the peach crown is suitable only for owners of large household plots. This form of tree takes up too much space and significantly reduces the number of trees in the garden. The pyramidal crown is better suited, it is more practical.

The scheme of work is as follows:

The advantage of pruning at this time of the year is that when the buds swell, you can see which of the branches will bear fruit more abundantly. These branches should be given more attention, and it is recommended to shorten the remaining branches or remove them altogether.

Peculiarities of summer peach pruning

Summer peach pruning is not so popular among gardeners. But it also has its own goals and therefore is a mandatory event. This procedure is carried out, as a rule, in the first half of summer. The period from June 15 to mid-July is considered optimal. That is, when the fruits begin to form bones.

Work is carried out according to the following scheme:

Thus, shaping and sanitary pruning is carried out in summer . Some novice gardeners neglect summer pruning, limiting themselves to events held in spring and autumn. This is not exactly the right approach to peach pruning. If unnecessary branches are removed and shortened in summer, the fruits grow larger and juicier.

Features of autumn peach pruning

Autumn peach pruning is carried out in order to prepare the tree for winter. Of course, peach grows mainly in the southern regions of the country, where winters are relatively mild. But this fruit crop differs from other garden plants in its thermophilicity. Therefore, in order for the tree to overwinter well, it must be properly prepared.

The scheme of work looks like this:

In autumn, peach pruning is carried out after harvest. You can schedule work until October 15, .

The advantage of pruning peach at this time of year is that the growing season ends at this time. And even such a touchy as a peach, calmly endures all the manipulations carried out with its branches.

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