The bar for expert pruning care on the peach tree is higher than for native fruit trees. In order for the Asian fruit tree to thrive, it is pruned vigorously every spring. The perfect cut requires a practiced eye. It is important to distinguish true from false fruit shoots. You can read everything you need to know about the perfect pruning of the peach tree in this tutorial.

Peach trees need vigorous pruning

Table of Contents

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  1. fruit wood
  2. Best time
  3. types of cuts
  4. True and False Fruit Shoots
  5. plant cutting
  6. education cut
  7. cutting instructions
  8. frequently asked Questions

    9. Prune short-lived fruiting wood annually

    The most productive fruit wood is found on the peach tree annual long shoots. As with local sour cherries, these grew to a length of 20 to 40 centimeters in the previous year. A long shoot only produces juicy peaches once in its life. As early as the third year, the wood no longer has any flower buds at all and is noticeably bare. You will harvest delicious fruit from an uncut peach tree in just a few years. By circling the scissors every year, the fruit tree remains fertile and vital for many years.

    The best time is in spring

    For a masterly cut, it is obligatory to clearly identify the flower and leaf buds. For those new to pruning peach trees, we recommend February as the best time for maintenance pruning, just before the beginning of the flowering period. In this phase, rounded flower buds are clearly identifiable even to the untrained eye. Anyone who misses the deadline cuts immediately after the harvest. In both cases, the risk of valuable fruit wood falling victim to the scissors is minimal.

    As long as a peach tree is in the training and growth phase, early spring makes sense as a pruning date. A cut at the end of winter stimulates growth, which is desirable for the rather slow-growing tree.

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    Prune trees from October 1st to March 1st - for the benefit of our bird life

    If you choose to prune your peach tree in spring or autumn, you are making an important contribution to nature conservation. It runs from the beginning of March to the end of September breeding season our massively threatened bird life. In the fight against the "silent spring", the Federal Nature Conservation Act gives the elementary important grace period Reprint with paragraph 39. It is stipulated here that pruning trees is strictly forbidden. If it is ruled out in advance that there are wild animals overwintering in the treetop or hedge, pruning may take place between October 1st and March 1st.

    Sensible types of cuts

    When caring for peach trees, scissors are a constant companion. On the day of planting, a continuous pruning begins, which continues in the first three to four years with an educational pruning and ends in an annual maintenance pruning. The following table summarizes all sensible types of pruning for a richly bearing peach tree:

    cut type goal/occasion best appointment alternative date
    plant cutting Stimulate vital branching, initiate education in spring after planting none
    education cut build a profitable crown February none
    maintenance cut Promote young fruit wood, regulate growth, thin out February early to mid-October

    There is a good reason why the table does not list a taper cut. Peaches and nectarines do not tolerate larger cuts. If the size of a wound exceeds the diameter of a 2-euro coin, a massive rubber flow sets in, from which the Asian fruit tree usually never recovers.

    Distinguish true from false fruit shoots

    The fine art of cutting peach and nectarine is the distinction between true and false fruit shoots. That sounds more complicated than it actually is. We invite you to a brief excursion into basic botanical knowledge in order to understand the connections and implement them when pruning peach. The figure below illustrates that four different types of shoots can form on the skeletal shoots of a crowned peach. All important identification features are summarized in the following overview:

    wood shoot (1)

    Wood shoots are characterized by pointed shoot buds. These shoots are also known as sterile branches because they neither flower nor bear fruit. If a wood shoot does not contribute to the growth of the crown during the training phase, it is severely shortened. By leaving a bud or two at this point, you preserve the chance that a valuable fruit shoot will thrive here next year.

    False Fruit Shoot (2)

    You can identify a false fruit shoot by the numerous rounded flower buds from the base to the end. Only at the tip of the shoot is a pointed leaf bud. Pseudo-fruit shoots represent the greatest challenge in pruning for home gardeners. The many flowers are misleading at first because they unfold picturesquely and even produce small fruits. However, leaves are missing for a sufficient supply of nutrients. Sooner or later, flowers and fruits fall off due to a lack of energy supply. However, false fruit shoots are not completely removed. As long as a small remnant remains with sleeping eyes, a real fruit shoot can develop from it.

    True Fruit Shoot (3)

    At the true fruit shoot all is right with the world. A combination of rounded flower buds and pointed leaf buds thrive on each bud base. The arrangement in which the buds sprout can vary. It is important for fertility that there is a leaf bud as a source of supply in the immediate vicinity of the flower bud. A true fruit shoot often ends in leaf buds at the base or tip, which does not contradict its fertility.

    bouquet drive (4)

    All short shoots, which are richly decorated with thick flower buds and have a leaf bud at the top for the nutrient supply, are attributed to the valuable fruit wood. For this reason, bouquet shoots are also referred to as fruit skewers and are not cut.

    All types of shoots on the peach tree at a glance: Wood shoot (1) only has pointed shoot buds - false fruit shoot (2) has flower buds along its entire length and a leaf bud at the end - true fruit shoot (3) has two round flower buds at each bud base, which flank a leaf bud - Bouquet shoot (4) short fruit skewer, richly garnished with flower buds and a pointed leaf bud.

    Pruning Instructions

    Plant pruning has important tasks. He kickstarts branching and initiates crown training. The best time to plant heat-loving shrubs, such as peaches and nectarines, is in spring. Immediately afterwards, subject the tree to a first cut. How to do it right:

    • Choose the ideal crown structure from a dominant central shoot and 4 side shoots
    • Remove remaining shoots
    • Cut back side shoots by a third
    • Important: Top bud must be an outward-facing leaf bud

    Please cut the central shoot as a trunk extension in such a way that its tip bud is about a scissor length above the tip buds of the leading branches. Their shoot tips are at almost the same height, which is referred to as the juice scale in gardeners' language. If a top bud is higher, the growth law of top promotion applies at this point. The result would be increased, one-sided growth, which runs counter to a harmonious crown shape and makes the entire peach tree unstable.

    Raise peach with a hollow crown

    Native fruit trees, such as apple and sweet cherry, thrive with a classic round crown. This does not apply to peaches and nectarines. In gardening practice, the hollow crown excellent proven. As shown in the figure below, the dominant central shoot of this crown shape is cut back after three years so that more sunlight can reach the interior of the crown. How to proceed correctly step by step:

    • The best time is in February, second to fourth year
    • Up to the third year: Raise a crown with a central shoot and 4 evenly distributed main branches
    • Extend the scaffolding by a maximum of 30 cm every year
    • Remove the central shoot in February of the third or fourth year

    The fertility of leading branches is optimized when this in an ideal Angle of 60° to the trunk are aligned. Spread branches that are too steep with clothespins or wooden spreaders. Tie up shoots that are too flat. When pruning for training, please make sure that the end buds of the leading shoots are at the same level, i.e. in the juice scale condition. Branches sprouting from the trunk below the crown are removed.

    Raise a peach tree with a light-flooded hollow crown. The middle shoot is removed no later than in the third year of growth, so that all four main branches can be reached evenly by the sunlight.

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    Cut back peach tree after transplanting

    Your peach tree will receive an out-of-order cut after you have transplanted it. Within the first five years, the fruit tree survives a change of location well. The best time is in early spring, just before budding begins. Transplanting is associated with a massive loss of root mass for any tree. In addition to the traditional maintenance pruning, trim the entire crown back by a third. Thanks to this measure, you restore the balance between underground and above-ground plant parts.

    Cutting instructions for beginners

    In the pruning of peach trees, the transition from education to maintenance is fluid. Competent tree nurseries offer the trees as bush trees with a 60 centimeter short trunk and a total height of 150 centimeters. Without a cut, the trees reach a maximum height of 500 centimeters. The particular advantage is an early start to the yield phase in the second or third year. How to complete the perfect maintenance cut:

    • Cut back wood shoots to 2 eyes so that - with a bit of luck - they can sprout fruit wood
    • Remove three quarters of the removed shoots from the crown, except for a short stub
    • Shorten remaining, worn shoots to 3 buds, from which new fruit shoots will grow
    • Cut false fruit shoots back to 2 cm short cones

    The shoot tips on true fruit shoots are often covered with numerous leaf buds. You can cut off this part of the shoots. Also, remove any unfavorable branches and twigs that do not contribute to crown structure or fruit yield.

    tips

    In peach trees with a hollow crown, one-year-old long shoots may exceptionally point inwards. In full sun, they protect the inside of the crown from sunburn.

    frequently asked Questions

    Is a peach tree self-fertile?

    Commercially available peach trees are usually self-fertile. One specimen in the garden is enough for a harvest of juicy-sweet fruits. Nevertheless, it is advisable to combine two peach varieties in order to significantly increase the yield. When purchasing from your trusted tree nursery, ask which variety constellation is advantageous.

    What root system does a peach tree grow with? We would like to plant it near a paved area.

    Peach trees grow as heart roots. A system of numerous, strong root strands spreads out in all directions. Therefore, please keep a distance of at least 100 centimeters to paved surfaces. Otherwise, there is a risk that horizontal roots will raise the pavement.

    My dwarf peach tree in the tub has bloomed magnificently this year. Unfortunately it bears no fruit. Two thin branches are currently sprouting from the bottom of the trunk. Can I just cut these shoots off?

    You should definitely remove both shoots because they are so-called wild shoots or water shoots. Tear off each branch with one bold jerk. After a cut, plenty of cell tissue remains from which the wild shoots happily sprout. Chances are your dwarf peach tree is a non-self-fertile variety. In order for the flowers to turn into fruit, they need to be pollinated. This requires both a pollinator species nearby and busy insects that take care of the transport of pollen from one peach to the next.

    How much frost can a peach tree withstand?

    A well-grown peach tree can withstand temperatures as low as -25 degrees Celsius. This applies under the condition that it is in a sunny, wind-protected location. When young, the tree still has to develop winter hardiness. A light winter protection is advisable in the first and second year. Cover the tree disc with leaves and brushwood. If late frosts threaten, wrap the crown with breathable fleece.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    The special growth characteristics of peach and nectarine lead home gardeners to make typical mistakes when it comes to pruning. Fatal results are an impenetrable network of old and young branches or a richly flowering tree without fruit. So that you do not struggle with such damage, the following table lists the three most common cutting errors and gives short tips for prevention:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    never cut dense tangle of old, sterile and bare branches Prune the peach tree vigorously every year
    sterile and false shoots not pruned despite flowers no or few fruits Cut back wood shoots and false fruit shoots to short cones
    Upbringing with a round crown premature balding inside the crown Raise peach with a hollow crown
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    tips

    Peach trees belong to the rose family. This property requires special attention in crop rotation. Never plant peach after peach. Gardening practice has shown that massive damage to young trees as a result of soil fatigue is to be feared. A break in cultivation of four to five years guarantees that the soil can recover to once again host peach trees or other rose plants.

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Trees