Caring for Your Peach Tree

Soil

Peach trees should be planted in well drained sandy or loamy soil. Loamy means soil that contains a certain amount of clay. Over time, you can amend your soil to allow good growth of your peach tree. Most peach trees grow best when the soil pH is near 6.5. Taking a soil sample to your local cooperative extension office for evaluation will help with making soil amendments. It's a good idea to check your soil about every three years. When planting more than one peach tree, the trees should be planted in rows 12 to 15 feet apart.

Planting the Peach Tree

Pick a place to plant your peach tree that is at least 20 feet away from other trees to gain the full benefit of the sun. Dig the hole for our peach tree about a foot deeper and a foot wider than the pot. The amount of loose soil that is filled in around the roots will allow for good root growth. Add more loose soil into the bottom of the hole in order to plant the peach tree as deep as the top of the soil already in the pot. Place the peach tree in the hole, fill with loose dirt and add water to the hole. Pack the dirt firmly around the peach tree. If the peach tree is planted on a slope, make a little trough for watering.

Fertilizer

Fertilize your peach tree about a week after planting and again about a month later. You may need to fertilize again in the spring. A good 10-10-10 fertilizer or fruit tree fertilizer spikes will work well for peach trees. The older the peach tree, the more fertilizer you may need to use.
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Mulching

Heavy mulching at least three feet around the peach tree trunk will help prevent weeds and retain valuable moisture. If weeds are surrounding the peach tree, you should keep it mowed or spray with herbicides. Doing so will cut down on insects.

Watering

Watering is a tricky business. Over watering is bad for the peach tree and under watering is bad too. Sandy soil will drain much quicker than clay soil and needs to be watered more often than clay soil. A hot summer day will make your peach tree need more water than a cool day. As long as the top few inches of the soil are moist, you should be fine. Looking for leaf droop will also let you know when your peach tree needs watering. Practice will let you know how much water your tree will need on a given day.

Sun Requirement

Peach trees need to be planted in an area that will receive full sun, that is, at least six to eight hours per day. Sunlight is important in drying the leaves and the fruit of the peach tree, thereby cutting down on disease. A nice blush on the peaches will depend upon the amount of sun the fruit receives.

Pruning Peach Trees

Early spring is the best time, shortly before fruit begins to appear. On average, peach trees should be pruned by February, as they begin to bloom in early March. A more specific sign is to wait just long enough that the last of the spring frosts are over and then prune, as blooming will soon follow. If you only have a few peach trees, it's possible to wait until pink buds first begin to appear.
Vigorous upright growths are called water sprouts. Any fruit grown here is often poorer quality. They tend to shade lower branches, which is a problem because sunlight is crucial to fruit color. Also, if left unchecked, they will lead to fruit growing higher and higher out of arm’s reach.
Most, if not all, of the water sprouts can be pruned away.

Wood that is brittle, grayish in appearance and/or dried out is already dead or dying, and needs to be removed. These are usually weak enough to be broken off by hand. Be sure to remove any fruit remaining from the year prior if necessary.

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Pruning crossing limbs, especially near the trunk of the tree, is necessary for many reasons. It promotes good airflow, which deters against infestations and allows proper application of pesticides. It allows other growing branches to get more sunlight, which is crucial for proper fruit growth and color. Also, branches stuck in the shade one year are more likely to be deadwood the next. Fruit growing on the cross branches often rubs up against other fruit and branches, which could cause disease problems later.


It is common for smaller twigs and branches to break off from wind or the weight of the fruit. If this happens, it needs to be pruned at least past the breaking point, and preferably back to where the twig meets the branch. Even if it is still alive, this break is an attractive place for bugs to start eating into your tree.

Any branches, twigs or fruit left around your tree could be a cause for disease later on.

Don’t be afraid to cut too much from your tree. Many people are afraid to cut too much off, but in reality you’ll end up trimming as much as 40% of your peach tree.