Peach tree care: thinning, spray schedule, borers
*Prunus persica* -- the peach -- is the most demanding of the common backyard tree fruits, but it is also the one where home-grown fruit most dramatically outclasses what's available at a grocery store. A warm, tree-ripened peach from a well-managed backyard tree in August is categorically.
Prunus persica — the peach — is the most demanding of the common backyard tree fruits, but it is also the one where home-grown fruit most dramatically outclasses what's available at a grocery store. A warm, tree-ripened peach from a well-managed backyard tree in August is categorically different from a shipped, cold-storage peach. The work involved in getting there is significant and repetitive, but the return per tree is high.
I don't grow peaches at my zone 7a Long Island plot. The disease pressure (peach leaf curl, brown rot) and borer presence in the region is well-documented. This guide is sourced from Cornell, Penn State, and Clemson Extension.
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Variety selection and chilling hours
Per Clemson HGIC, peaches require 600-1,000 chilling hours (hours below 45°F) per year. In zones 5-7, this is rarely limiting. In zones 8-9, choose low-chill varieties (less than 600 hours).
Recommended varieties, per Penn State Extension:
- Reliance: Outstanding cold hardiness (to -25°F); zones 4-8; yellow flesh; disease resistance adequate
- Redhaven: Very popular in zones 5-8; good flavor; moderately susceptible to disease
- Contender: Good disease resistance; cold-hardy; recommended for zone 5-7
- Elberta: Classic freestone; zones 5-9; some disease susceptibility
Nectarines are essentially smooth-skinned peaches (a recessive gene mutation). They are even more susceptible to brown rot than fuzzy peaches.