Cut short-lived fruit wood annually
The most productive Fruitwood sits by the peach tree annual long shoots. Like at home Sour cherries, these have grown in the previous year to a length of 20 to 40 centimeters. A long shoot only has juicy peaches once in its life. As early as the third year, the wood no longer has any flower buds and it becomes noticeably bald. You will only reap delicious fruits from an uncut peach tree for a few years. By letting the scissors circle every year, the fruit trees will remain fertile and vital for many years.
also read
- Pruning a young peach tree - this is how it works
- How to successfully cultivate a peach tree in Germany
- The peach tree - a profile
The best time is in spring
For a masterly cut, it is essential to clearly recognize the flower and leaf buds. For beginners in pruning peach trees, we recommend the best time for maintenance pruning in February, shortly before the start of the flowering period. At this stage, rounded flower buds are even for the inexperienced
eye clearly identifiable. If you miss the appointment, you will cut 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 development phase, early spring makes sense as a pruning date. A cut in the end of winter stimulates growth, which is desirable for the rather slow-growing tree.
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Cut trees from 1. October to 1. March - for the good of our bird world
Sensible cuts
When caring for peach trees, scissors are a constant companion. On the day of planting, continuous pruning begins, which is continued in the first three to four years with a parenting pruning and leading to an annual maintenance pruning. All meaningful Types of cuts for a richly bearing peach tree summarizes the following table:
| Cut type | Goal / occasion | best date | Alternative appointment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant pruning | stimulate vital branching, initiate education | in the spring after planting | none |
| Upbringing | Build a high-yielding crown | February | none |
| Conservation cut | Promote young fruit wood, regulate growth, thin out | February | Early to mid October |
A Taper cut does not list the table for good reason. Peach and nectarine do not tolerate larger cuts. If the size of a wound exceeds the diameter of a 2 euro coin, a massive flow of rubber sets in, from which the Asian fruit trees usually no longer recover.
Distinguish true from false fruit shoots
The high art in cutting peach and nectarine is to distinguish between true and false fruit shoots. That sounds more complicated than it actually is. We invite you to take a short excursion into basic botanical knowledge in order to understand the connections and implement them when cutting peaches. The figure below illustrates that the scaffolding shoots of a peach crown have four different Drive types can form. The following overview summarizes all important identifying features:
Wood shoot (1)
Wood shoots are characterized by pointed shoot buds. These shoots are also known as sterile twigs because they neither flower nor fruit. If a wood shoot does not contribute to the structure of the crown during the training phase, it is severely shortened. By doing one or two Buds Let stand, keep the chance at this point that a valuable fruit shoot will thrive here in the next year.
Incorrect fruit shoot (2)
You can identify a wrong fruit shoot by the numerous rounded flower buds from the base to the end. Only at the tip of the shoot is there a pointed leaf bud. For home gardeners, pseudo-fruit shoots represent the greatest challenge when it comes to cutting. The many flowers are initially misleading because they unfold in a picturesque way and even form small fruits. However, there is a lack of leaves 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 little rest with sleeping eyes remains, a true fruit instinct can develop from it.
True fruit shoot (3)
The world is in order with the true fruit instinct. A combination of rounded flower buds and pointed leaf buds thrives at each bud base. In what arrangement the buds sprout can be different. It is important for fertility that there is a leaf bud in close proximity to the flower bud as a source of supply. Often a true fruit shoot ends at the base or tip with leaf buds, which does not contradict its fertility.
Bouquet (4)
The valuable fruit wood includes all the short shoots that are richly garnished with thick flower buds and have a leaf bud at the tip for the supply of nutrients. For this reason, bouquet shoots are also known as fruit skewers and are not cut.
All shoots on the peach tree at a glance: The wood shoot (1) only bears pointed shoot buds - the wrong fruit shoot (2) bears along its entire length Flower buds and a leaf bud at the end - true fruiting shoots (3) have two round flower buds, which form a leaf bud, at each bud base flank - Bouquet (4) short fruit skewer, richly garnished with flower buds and a pointed leaf bud.
Plant pruning instructions
The planting pruning is responsible for important tasks. It gets the branching going and initiates the training of the crown. The best time to plant for heat-loving woody plants such as peach and nectarine is in spring. Immediately afterwards you subject the tree to a first cut. How to do it right:
- Choose the ideal crown frame from a dominant central shoot and 4 side frame shoots
- Remove the remaining shoots
- Cut back the side frame shoots by a third
- Important: the tip bud must be an outward-facing leaf bud
Please cut the central shoot as a trunk extension so that its tip bud is about a scissor length above the tip buds of the leading branches. Their shoot tips are at approximately the same height, what in gardeners' language as Juice scales referred to as. If a tip bud is higher, the law of growth takes effect at this point Top funding. The result would be increased, one-sided growth, which runs counter to a harmonious crown shape and makes the entire peach tree unstable.
Raising a peach with a hollow crown
Native fruit trees, such as apple and sweet cherry, thrive profitably with a classic round crown. This does not apply to peach and nectarine. In order for the Asian fruit trees to bloom and produce abundantly, the Hollow crown excellent proven. As shown in the figure below, this Crown shape after three years the dominant central shoots cut back so that more sunlight gets into the canopy. How to proceed correctly step by step:
- The best time is in February for the second to fourth year
- Up to the third year: raise the crown with a central shoot and 4 evenly distributed leading 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 is in an ideal 60 ° angle to the trunk are aligned. Branches that are too steep can be spread with clothespins or wooden spreader. If the shoots are too flat, tie them high. With the upbringing, please make sure that the terminal buds of the leading shoots are at the same level, i.e. in the Juice scales are located. Twigs sprouting from the trunk below the crown are removed.
Raise a peach tree with a hollow crown flooded with light. In the third year at the latest, the central shoot is removed so that all four leading branches can be evenly reached by sunlight.
Digression
Cut back the peach tree after transplanting
Cutting instructions for beginners
In the pruning of peach trees, the transition from upbringing to conservation is fluid. Competent tree nurseries offer the trees as bush trees with a trunk 60 centimeters short and a total height of 150 centimeters. Without a cut, the trees reach a maximum height of 500 centimeters. The particular advantage is the early start of the yield phase in the second or third year. How to complete the perfect conservation cut:
- Cut back wood shoots to 2 eyesso that - with a little luck - they can sprout fruit trees
- Remove three quarters of the removed shoots from the crown, except for a short stump
- Shorten the remaining, worn shoots to 3 buds, from which new fruit shoots will grow
- Cut back false fruit shoots to 2 cm short cones
Often the shoot tips on true fruit shoots are covered with numerous leaf buds. You can cut off this part of the shoots. Furthermore, remove all unsuitable branches and twigs that do not contribute to the crown structure or fruit yield.
Tips
In peach trees with a hollow crown, annual 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?
Peach trees available in specialist shops are usually self-fertile. One copy in the garden is enough for a harvest of juicy, sweet fruits. However, it is advisable to have two Peach varieties to combine in order to increase the yield significantly. When purchasing a tree, ask your trusted nursery which constellation of varieties is advantageous.
With which root system does a peach tree grow? We want to plant it near a paved area.
Peach trees grow as heart roots. A system of numerous, strong root strands spreads 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 lift the pavement.
My dwarf peach tree in the bucket has bloomed splendidly this year. Unfortunately it bears no fruit. Currently, two thin branches are sprouting at 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 a brave jerk. After a cut, plenty of cell tissue remains, from which the wild shoots sprout cheerfully. Your dwarf peach tree is probably a non-self-fruiting variety. In order for the flowers to turn into fruits, they must be pollinated. This requires both a nearby pollinator and hard-working insects that transport the pollen from one peach to the next.
How much frost can a peach tree withstand?
A well-grown peach tree can withstand up to - 25 degrees Celsius. This applies provided that it is in a sunny, sheltered location. At a young age, the tree still has to work hard to become winter hardy. A light winter protection is advisable in the first and second year of standing. Cover the Tree grate with leaves and brushwood. If late frost threatens, cover the crown with breathable fleece.
The 3 most common mistakes
The special characteristics in the growth of peach and nectarine lead home gardeners to typical mistakes in pruning. Fatal results are an impenetrable network of old and young branches or a richly flowering tree without fruit. So that you do not have to worry about such damage, the following table lists the three most common cutting errors and gives short tips for prevention:
| Cutting errors | Damage image | prevention |
|---|---|---|
| never cut | dense tangle of old, sterile and balding branches | Cut the peach tree vigorously every year |
| sterile and false shoots not trimmed | no or few fruits despite flowers | Cut back wooden shoots and false fruit shoots on short cones |
| Education with a round crown | premature balding inside the crown | Raising a peach with a hollow crown |
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Tips
Peach trees belong to the rose family. This property requires special attention in the 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 in order to return to peach trees or other rose plants.
