Hi all!
I just moved into a new home a year ago and this tree was in the back corner. I didn't know what it was but now it is bearing peaches. The problem is It looks sick and I am surprised it has fruit this year. I have uploaded pics. Can anyone help me salvage this tree and help it prosper? I'm new to fruit trees but generally have a really green thumb.
Jo
Newbie Help with Peach Tree
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ButterflyLady29
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1030
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 9:12 pm
- Location: central Ohio
Oh dear ...I see what you mean!
First thing....remove those sucker shoots coming up from below the root graft union.
They are taking valuable strength from the rest of the tree and will be no good to you in the future.
Next with a sharp pair of secateurs cut that piece of die back on the top of the main trunk. Back to that shoot. If necessary trim the edges with a sharp knife to make the cut clean.
You can paint it if you have any fungicidal paint.
The rest of the tree I would then leave until the winter. Come back then and we can see how it looks at that point.
First thing....remove those sucker shoots coming up from below the root graft union.
They are taking valuable strength from the rest of the tree and will be no good to you in the future.
Next with a sharp pair of secateurs cut that piece of die back on the top of the main trunk. Back to that shoot. If necessary trim the edges with a sharp knife to make the cut clean.
You can paint it if you have any fungicidal paint.
The rest of the tree I would then leave until the winter. Come back then and we can see how it looks at that point.
Update! Let me know how I am doing. I trimmed as you suggested and sprayed copper for leaf curl. As you can see there are still holes in some of the leaves. The peach tree didn't have any fruit this year, wondering if it was because of the trimming? The pear is doing better! What should I do moving forward? The "What I think is a pear" is very small as you can see by the fence height around the yard.
Joanne
Joanne
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OK I think they are as grown as they are going to get this season. How do I trim these? Also do I wait until after a frost or before? Etc. What do I spray on them for the fall? I have also included my Blueberry bushes. How and when do I cut these back? Appreciate all of your help.
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- Peach Tree
Thank you John! I still have severe leaf curl on the peach tree this year. The other is fine. The peach tree has over 16 peaches starting out on it. The pear only one this year. Should I thin out the peaches or just let it fruit? Also I will need to prop the branche somehow. They are not strong enough for all the fruit on the limbs!
I’ve found it best to thin the fruit out to singles ....you finish up with much larger fruit and less stress on the tree.
If you can prop the branches I would.
Pears are much slower to come into fruit so don’t worry about that.
It used to be said that you planted a pear tree for your grandchildren....thank goodness not so long now!
It still can take four or five years to get a pear into good cropping.
If you can prop the branches I would.
Pears are much slower to come into fruit so don’t worry about that.
It used to be said that you planted a pear tree for your grandchildren....thank goodness not so long now!
It still can take four or five years to get a pear into good cropping.
John
would the thinning apply to the pears ,my been in the ground since autumn 2017 trio of fruit trees are all just forming fruits ,thats a concorde pear a katy apple and a plum I cant remember which (bradleys something )
apple and pear all good dozen fruitlets per branch tip ,the plum has what appear to be fruits ,some of which seem wrinkled!
Plum had a green aphid problem ,the lady birds and their lavae seem to be on top of that !
would the thinning apply to the pears ,my been in the ground since autumn 2017 trio of fruit trees are all just forming fruits ,thats a concorde pear a katy apple and a plum I cant remember which (bradleys something )
apple and pear all good dozen fruitlets per branch tip ,the plum has what appear to be fruits ,some of which seem wrinkled!
Plum had a green aphid problem ,the lady birds and their lavae seem to be on top of that !
It always pays to make sure your trees are not too heavily loaded.
But with both apples and pears you need to make sure that they have finished with their natural drop.
In the UK this is called the June drop...but it is more late June early July drop in practice.
Katy is an apple that usually sets very well ..so early July thin the clusters down to a maximum of two fruits per cluster.
The pears you need to wait until they have turned over and the fruit hangs downwards....called goose necking....at that stage you can be sure they have set well.
Thin these to again a max of two per cluster.
The plum leave for a week or so to see how much stays on.
Then space them out to a few inches between each plum
This will ensure large fruit and a tree that’s not overcropped.
But with both apples and pears you need to make sure that they have finished with their natural drop.
In the UK this is called the June drop...but it is more late June early July drop in practice.
Katy is an apple that usually sets very well ..so early July thin the clusters down to a maximum of two fruits per cluster.
The pears you need to wait until they have turned over and the fruit hangs downwards....called goose necking....at that stage you can be sure they have set well.
Thin these to again a max of two per cluster.
The plum leave for a week or so to see how much stays on.
Then space them out to a few inches between each plum
This will ensure large fruit and a tree that’s not overcropped.
Thanks for that ,big help !JONA wrote:It always pays to make sure your trees are not too heavily loaded.
But with both apples and pears you need to make sure that they have finished with their natural drop.
In the UK this is called the June drop...but it is more late June early July drop in practice.
Katy is an apple that usually sets very well ..so early July thin the clusters down to a maximum of two fruits per cluster.
The pears you need to wait until they have turned over and the fruit hangs downwards....called goose necking....at that stage you can be sure they have set well.
Thin these to again a max of two per cluster.
The plum leave for a week or so to see how much stays on.
Then space them out to a few inches between each plum
This will ensure large fruit and a tree that’s not overcropped.
I wait until the fruit is around small plum size before thinning.
If you let them get too large I’ve found it can be difficult to remove fruit from twin settings without causing damage.
I’ve found that a gentle twist will usually remove unwanted fruit from tight doubles .
More often than not one of the fruits will be larger than its twin...so remove the smaller.
On young trees it can be necessary to support the odd branch if they are carrying a heavy load.
If you let them get too large I’ve found it can be difficult to remove fruit from twin settings without causing damage.
I’ve found that a gentle twist will usually remove unwanted fruit from tight doubles .
More often than not one of the fruits will be larger than its twin...so remove the smaller.
On young trees it can be necessary to support the odd branch if they are carrying a heavy load.
I thought it was leaf curl but maybe not? I treated with copper fungicide twice.