Peachis highly appreciated for its exceptionally tasty fruit. In our climate, however, it can be troublesome to grow. Therefore, it is worth knowing the requirements of this tree well. Find out what the correctcultivation of a peach should look likeand its pruning, whatpeach varieties per plotwill be the best and learn about the most commonpeach diseasesand select the appropriate sprays to prevent them.
Peach - cultivation on the plot
Peach - plot varieties
Peachis a fruit tree belonging to the Rosaceae family of the stone genus (Prunus).In Poland, it can only be found in amateur cultivation. The species we cultivate iscommon peach(Persica vulgaris) belongs to the broader genus peach (Persica).
Peach has sweet, tasty fruit rich in vitamins C, A, B, PP and mineral s alts. It comes in many varieties, bearing fruit in late summer. Slightly mossy, depending on the variety, they can be spherical, ovate, heart-shaped or flattened with a very short stalk. Meet the irreplaceablevarieties of peach for the plot !
Harnaś Peach- this early variety of peach per plot bears fruit in the first half of August, giving medium-sized spherical fruit (up to 130 g). They are almost entirely covered with bright red dotted blush. The sour, tasty flesh comes off the stone quite well.
Peach Inka- profusely fruiting variety of peach resistant to frost. It bears fruit in late August or early September. The oval fruits are very large, up to 160 g, covered with a red blush. The juicy yellow-cream flesh comes off the stone completely.
Brzoskwinia Iskra- is a Polish variety bred at the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture in Skierniewice. A tree with a strong growth, lofty and thickened crown. Fruits of medium or large size, spherical or slightly elongated. The skin of the fruit is yellow or light orange, strongly fuzzy, beet red in color with an intense blush. The flesh is yellow or light orange, medium firm, juicy, sweet and sour, well off the stone in ripe fruit. Harvest maturity is the fruit of this peach variety in the second half of August. It tolerates low temperatures well.
Red Haven Peach- a variety with large spherical fruits up to 160 g. They appear on the tree in the second decade of August, have a yellow-orange, firm, very juicy and tasty flesh that leaves the stone completely.
Peach Reliance- a tree with strong growth, fruiting annually and abundantly. Medium-sized, spherical fruit.A yellow skin, partially covered with a carmine-red blush. The flesh is yellow, tight, juicy, it goes well with the stone. The fruits ripen in the first ten days of August. Quite high frost resistance, but it may freeze in the east of the country (plant frost resistance zone 6A).
Peach Saturn- an interesting variety of peach for a plot with flat fruits and medium growth strength. In mid-August it produces medium-sized flattened fruits weighing up to 80 g, with a cream skin covered with a red blush. The fruit is very tasty and the flesh comes off the stone completely.
Peach - cultivation and cutting
Peachis a fruit tree with high thermal demands. Likes sunny positions, sheltered from the wind. It is best toto grow peachesin light, well-drained soils with good physical properties. The optimal soil pH for a peach is 6-6.5. On too calcareous soils, leaf chlorosis may appear due to a lack of iron.We can prevent chlorosis by using an iron-rich mineral fertilizer for fruit trees with micronutrients.
Peach pruningshould be carried out every year. This is a very important procedure without which the tree will grow, but will not bloom, and consequently will not bear fruit. Peaches are brought out with a conical crown, i.e. with a conductor preserved, or a kettle crown without a conductor. It can also be used with trellises in the form of a fan or palmette.
In the first year of growing , cutting a peachinvolves removing all of its lower side shoots to a height of about 50 cm from the trunk. From the remaining higher shoots, four or five are selected which are evenly distributed around the main shoot and shortened over the second eye. Such a radical cut of the peach distinguishes it from other fruit trees. Stems with unfavorable position, e.g. too vertical, are best to be corrected during the growing season.
In the second yearof peach cultivation , shoots grown in the previous year should be trimmed.If the plant grows strongly, shorten it by a third to half its length, if it is poorly stimulated to strong knockout by trimming it by two-thirds of its length. In the third year, we continue to form the crown. We regularly cut lignified shoots with leaf buds, shortening them to half their length. Unnecessary, too weak or too dense shoots are removed in summer in a green, non-lignified state. Peach produces shoots with flower buds and apparent fruiting shoots. They are usually shorter and full length covered with flower buds with one leaf bud. Such shoots should be removed. They do not have enough leaves to nourish the resulting fruit.
Peach - diseases and sprays
Wpeach cultivationit is very important to perform preventive spraying against fungal diseases. Get to know the most commondiseases of peachand find out which sprays should be used to avoid them.
Peach leaf curl
At the end of spring, discoloration appears on the leaves, which in turn deform the leaf blade. As they develop, the places take a dark red color. In the fight against this dangerous disease of the peach, properly carried out spring spraying of fruit trees is very important. Before breaking the leaf buds, we spray very carefully with Miedzian 50 WP or Syllit 65 WP. The temperature during peach spraying should be above 6 ° C.
Peach scab
Peach scab is a dangerous fungal disease, as a result of which small olive stains appear on the fruit and shoots. They spread and darken over time. Cracks may appear on the fruit and bark. In the fight against scab, cut the affected parts of the plant andspray the peachbefore flowering with Topsin M 500 SC.
Brown rot of stone trees
As a result of the infection of the peach flowers, the mycelium grows into the shoots and causes them to die. Infection also occurs during the ripening period of the fruit, and as a result, it is covered with putrefying spots and gray warts. The development of this dangerouspeach diseaseis favored by rainy weather and temperatures around 20 ° C. The brown rot of stone trees affects mainly fruit damaged by rainfall or by insects. Damaged plant parts, especially rotting fruit, should be removed. To prevent this disease from occurring in the next season, a few days before flowering, we spray Signum 33 WG or Topsin M 500 SC.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
