How to care for a peach tree?

Question

I have a few peach trees that are full grown & need information on how to care for them.I need to know how and when to trim them and what kind of pesticides r safe to use on them...Thank You

links would really help...

I live in Texas...

Answer 1

Having grown peaches commercially for many years, I looked at several websites to see which might be most helpful for you and found the following and posted them below. They have great information about pruning tips, fertilization programs as well as providing fungicide and insecticide control.

Not sure where you live but one of the most important diseases you have to avoid is "Peach Leaf Curl". This disease overwinters in the bark of peach trees and attacks young leaves and fruit soon after they emerge. In some cases, it can cause complete defoliation of the tree and all of your fruit will be lost. To prevent this from happening, you should spray a copper-based fungicide several times before trees begin to bloom. You can find this fungicide in most home & garden shops.

Try to keep your tree properly fertilized and watered throughout the growing season.

GOOD LUCK! Hope this you get a great crop of peaches this summer!

--Certified professional crop consultant with over 30 years of experience and a degree in plant science.

http://ceinyo-mono.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/Weekend_Farmer_Fact_Sheets3062.pdf

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1406.html

Answer 2

Trimming: trim them in late fall - early winter. trim them so that you create as much horizontal wood as possible. Your goal is to get as much fruit out in the sun as possible. your local extension agent should have a manual on this.

Spraying: you must spray peach trees with an insecticide and a fungicide every two-three weeks. It is best if you use 2 different insecticides and 2 different fungicides and alternate them so the fungi and insects don't get used to them. DO NOT spray when the tree is in bloom or you will kill the good insects who are helping you with pollination. In the fall, spray the trees with a dormant oil.

Pollination: you will have better fruit crops if you have at least two different varieties of peach tree. Trees within the same variety do not pollinate each other vary well.

Thinning: always thin the fruit so that there is not too much weight on each branch and so they do not touch each other.