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Posted by Ivan on July 22, 2008, 5:30 pm
If you were Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options > On 7/21/2008 2:11 PM, Ivan wrote:
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> > Hi all,
>
> > Over a year ago I planted a peach tree in my back yard.
> > It was rather small back then, but has since grown to be approximately
> > 1.8 meters (6") tall.
> > It grew an astonishing amount of leaves and I was extremely happy with
> > its process.
> > Winter came, and the leaves started to fall..
> > Though not all of them..
> > And now, winter is a month from being over, and lots of flowers
> > formed, but the tip of the branches still have all the leaves from
> > last year and flowers didn't get to them....
>
> > I'm sure the tree is growing fine and I'll probably get some fruit in
> > summer, but .... .. I didn't prune the tree in the fall.. Is it too
> > late to trim the branches now?
> > Should I pluck out the leaves that are still there?
>
> If it is already in flower, it is too late to prune. =A0Leave the old
> leaves. =A0They will fall off as new leaves open.
>
> If your winters are relatively mild, prune about two weeks after the
> soltice (for me, early January). =A0If your winters are icy with snow and
> freezing temperatures, prune about two weeks before the equinox (early
> March in the northern hemisphere).
>
> As this is a new tree, be sure to remove the leader (the central trunk)
> above the lowest branches. =A0Stone fruits -- peaches, plums, cherries,
> apricots -- should grow outward and not upward. =A0Main branch crotches
> should be at right angles to the trunk below; at least, they should form
> Us and not Vs. =A0When you next prune, remove old wood and keep wood that
> was new during the recent growing season. =A0Some say to remove an amount
> of wood equal to 2/3 of the newer growth. =A0Branch tips on new wood
> should be cut to encourage further branching and not allow branches to
> grow longer. =A0I remove or cut short most vertical branches, pruning my
> peach tree so that I don't have to climb a ladder to pick fruit.
>
> Thinning of fruit is important for peaches. =A0This is done shortly after
> all flower petals fall. =A0Try to allow 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) of branch
> between fruits. =A0Thinner branches should have fewer fruits. =A0Thinning
> prevents the weight of mature fruit from breaking the branches. =A0More
> important, thinning causes the remaining fruit to mature larger without
> making the pits any larger. =A0Thus, thinning can actually yield more
> usable peach flesh than not thinning. =A0I generally remove half of the
> immature peaches when they are about the size of an almond in the shell.
>
> --
> David E. Ross
> Climate: =A0California Mediterranean
> Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
> influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
>
> - Show quoted text -
Perfect!
Thanks very much for your detailed answer.
It seems as if though my trunk is extremely short in comparison to the
branches..
And all the branches are springing up..
But there are only three branches coming out of the trunk of the tree,
and the rest of the branches spring out of these three ..
The tree was given to me by my father.. Not sure where he got it , but
am hoping it is, in fact, a peach tree!
The leaves look different on each of the three branches, and the
flowers are too, so.... I guess I'll have to wait and see what comes
out..
In any case .. You've certainly answered my concerns about prunning,
which I will do next June .. And remember to pull out some of the
peaches before they mature ..
I'll see if I can get some more information about the tree,
alternatively, I'll certainly put up results once the fruit start
appearing!!
Just a quick question:
When should I be adding fertiliser to the tree?
I read at the beginning of spring and end of autumn.. IS this correct?
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