Complete Guide to Peach Tree Cultivation Techniques: From Planting to Management in One Article

Peach trees are widely planted in China, grown in every province and city, and China also has a great many peach varieties. Therefore, people in China can enjoy many different varieties of fresh and delicious peaches. Many people ask whether growing peach trees is difficult. Below, the editor will explain how to grow peach trees.

Cultivation Techniques for Peach Trees

1. Planting method: The planting spacing between rows and plants is 4 m × 5 m or 3 m × 4 m, with 500-840 plants per hectare. Planting can be done anytime from leaf fall to bud break. Continuous cropping must not be used, otherwise young trees will show noticeably weak growth, leaf chlorosis, new roots turning brown with many forks, and gum oozing from branches and trunks. The intolerance to continuous cropping is more severe on sandy soil or low-fertility soil. The main cause is that residual roots of the previous crop decompose in the soil and produce toxic substances such as benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid, which inhibit and poison the root system; it is also related to the increase and accumulation of nematodes in the soil under continuous cropping.

2. Rational fertilization: The peach tree's required ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is about 1:0.5:1. For young trees, care should be taken to control nitrogen fertilizer application, otherwise excessive vegetative growth is easily induced. After the full fruiting stage, increase nitrogen fertilizer application to strengthen tree vigor.

① Base fertilizer: It is better to apply it in autumn together with deep plowing. Applying base fertilizer early allows injured roots to heal relatively quickly and can increase the accumulation of nutrients in the tree before winter. If it must be applied in spring, apply it as early as possible, immediately after the soil thaws, otherwise fertilizer effects will appear after June and cause vigorous new shoot growth.

② Topdressing: Generally, orchards are topdressed 2-3 times a year, more in the early stage and less in the later stage, mainly with quick-acting fertilizers. Pre-flowering fertilizer is applied after the soil thaws in spring, mainly urea. Post-flowering fertilizer is applied after petal fall, mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Fruit-promoting fertilizer is used to promote fruit enlargement and improve quality, mainly diammonium fertilizer. Post-harvest fertilizer replenishes tree consumption, firms up new shoot tissues and flower buds, and increases stored nutrients in the tree, mainly diammonium fertilizer with a small amount of urea.

3. Tree pruning: Peach is a light-loving fruit tree with weak central leader dominance. It has strong growth vigor but a relatively short lifespan, and both bud-break ability and branching ability are very strong, making it prone to producing secondary and tertiary shoots. If pruning is improper, fruiting will be poor. Therefore, shaping and pruning mostly use the open-center tree form without a central leader.

① Young tree shaping and pruning: When shaping and pruning young trees, full use should be made of their characteristics, such as vigorous growth, strong bud-break and branching ability, the ability of early-maturing buds on strong branches to form multiple secondary shoots, and early flower bud formation. On the one hand, expand the canopy; on the other hand, train strong scaffold branches.

② Pruning in the full fruiting stage: The main role of pruning in the full fruiting stage is to properly regulate the relationship between growth and fruiting, maintain robust tree vigor, train and renew fruiting branch groups, thin out excessively dense vigorous branches on the periphery, improve light penetration inside the canopy, and prevent the fruiting zone from shifting outward. The pruning method is to heavily cut back in the middle and lower parts of the tree or fruiting branch groups, leaving 3-5 nodes or 1-2 nodes depending on branch vigor, to stimulate new shoots and form fruiting branches for the next year, using the three-branch renewal pruning method.

③ Growing-season pruning: From late April to early May, after buds sprout, select and keep one strong shoot at positions where branches need to be retained, and remove the other excessively dense tender shoots. From early May to early June, when new shoots grow rapidly to about 30 cm, judge the quality and nature of branches according to growth vigor, thickness, and position, and thin out competitive branches, thin and weak branches, densely growing branches, and drooping branches. Vigorous water sprouts and excessively dense branches sprouting inside the canopy should be thinned out.

Fertilization Techniques for Peach Trees

1. Fertilization before planting: According to a summary of early high-yield techniques for peach trees, before establishing the orchard, apply 5 tonnes of farmyard manure per mu mixed with 50 kg calcium superphosphate and 30 kg potassium sulfate, distribute it separately into the planting holes, then fill in topsoil and mix thoroughly with the fertilizer, ready for planting. At planting, use 50 kg water plus 1.5 kg calcium superphosphate and soil to make a slurry, dip the peach seedling roots fully in the slurry, and then plant. This can not only increase the survival rate, but also make the seedlings grow robustly and lay a good foundation for flowering and fruiting.

2. Base fertilizer: Peach tree base fertilizer is mainly farmyard manure. Apply 30-50 kg farmyard manure per mature peach tree, and combine it with deep plowing and soil improvement, using trench application or ring trench application. The trench depth is 40-50 cm and the width is 50 cm; the trench length depends on tree size and the amount of fertilizer. After applying farmyard manure, fill in topsoil, mix the topsoil with the fertilizer, then cover it with subsoil and press lightly. After fertilization, it is best to combine with irrigation. The fertilization period is best in late autumn or early winter; if applying base fertilizer in early spring, it should be as early as possible. When the soil temperature stabilizes at 4-5, peach tree roots begin activity; as soil temperature rises, root activity accelerates. If care is not taken to protect the roots when digging fertilization trenches, massive root injury will affect the root system's absorption capacity. Generally, apply 0.23-0.45 kg nitrogen fertilizer per peach tree, equivalent to 0.5-1 kg urea. For young trees, the application rate should be reduced, then increased by 0.056 kg each year, equivalent to 0.12 kg urea, until the nitrogen fertilizer application amount reaches 0.45 kg, after which it is no longer increased. Use 1/2 of the total nitrogen fertilizer for the whole growth period mixed with farmyard manure as base fertilizer, and the other 1/2 as topdressing. Phosphorus and potassium chemical fertilizers are both mixed with farmyard manure as base fertilizer. The amounts of phosphorus and potassium chemical fertilizers are based on nitrogen fertilizer and calculated according to the nutrient ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium of 1:0.6:1, that is, apply 0.14-0.27 kg phosphorus per tree, equivalent to 0.9-1.7 kg of 16% calcium superphosphate, and apply 0.23-0.45 kg potassium per tree, equivalent to 0.46-0.9 kg potassium sulfate. If using compound mixed fertilizer instead of single-element chemical fertilizers (it must be a three-element compound mixed fertilizer), use 1/3 of the amount as base fertilizer and the other 2/3 as topdressing.

3. Topdressing: On the basis of applying base fertilizer, use 1/2 of the total nitrogen fertilizer as topdressing. Apply once before flowering and once after physiological fruit drop, each time accounting for 1/4 of the total nitrogen fertilizer, that is, apply 0.058-0.112 kg nitrogen per tree, equivalent to 0.13-0.25 kg urea. If using compound mixed fertilizer, it should also be applied once before flowering and once after physiological fruit drop, each time using 1/3 of the total amount. Foliar topdressing is a necessary supplement to soil fertilization. Because peach trees are relatively sensitive to trace elements and are prone to temporary relative deficiency, the importance of foliar topdressing is even more evident. According to reports, spraying 0.2% boric acid aqueous solution at the initial flowering stage can make the fruit-setting rate reach 88.73%. Spraying 0.4% monopotassium phosphate once from late August to early September reduced the branch freezing injury index by 12.9% compared with the control sprayed with clear water. Applying 0.2%-0.3% calcium nitrate during the fruit enlargement stage can increase fruit firmness, reduce the number of softened fruits in the fruit and along the fruit skin suture line, and improve fruit grade.

Propagation Methods for Peach Trees

1. Cutting propagation: Use hardwood cuttings in spring and softwood cuttings in the plum rain season. Cuttings must be vigorous and plump. Hardwood cutting is mainly done in spring. Cut cuttings diagonally at about 20 cm. To prevent disease infection and promote rooting, the lower end of the cuttings is best treated with the fungicide 50% carbendazim 600-1200 times solution, or quickly dipped in indolebutyric acid 750-4500 mg/L before cutting. The spacing between plants and rows is 4 cm × 30 cm. The insertion depth should preferably be 2/3 of the cutting length.

2. Seed propagation: Harvest mature fruits, pile and mash them, remove the flesh, dry them, and collect clean seedling seeds for autumn sowing. Before sowing, soak the seeds for 5-7 days. Autumn-sown seeds germinate early the next year, have a high emergence rate, and grow rapidly and robustly. For sowing in the following spring, the seedling seeds need to be stored in moist sand for more than 120 days. Use drilling. The drill width is 10 cm and the depth is 1-2 cm. After sowing, cover with 6 cm of soil. Sow 25-30 kg per mu. When seedlings are 3 cm tall, thin and finalize the seedlings, with a plant spacing of 20-25 cm.

3. Grafting propagation: Rootstocks for propagation are mostly mountain peach or peach seedlings (own-rootstock). The survival rates of both stem grafting and bud grafting are relatively high.

① Stem grafting: Conducted in March when buds have begun to sprout. Cut grafting is commonly used. One- or two-year-old seedlings are best used as rootstocks.

② Bud grafting: Conducted in July-August. The “T” shape grafting is mostly used. One-year-old plump seedlings are best used as rootstocks.

Main Pests and Diseases of Peach Trees

1. Peach aphid: (peach mealy aphid, peach leaf-curling aphid) Can occur in spring, summer, and autumn, especially severe in late spring and early summer. When the control threshold is reached, choose endosulfan (Thiodan, Thionex) or pyridine heterocyclic insecticides, imidacloprid or acetamiprid for timely control; fensulfothion can also be used.

2. Red spider mite (leaf mite): Occurs more severely in dry and high-temperature seasons, spreads quickly, causes serious damage, and is difficult to control. Abamectin plus high-penetration pyridaben can be selected for timely control. Fenpropathrin (Meothrin) and carbosulfan (Marshal) can also be used for control, and can kill many kinds of pests.

3. Peach fruit borer: It is a boring pest. It bores into the fruit to cause damage. In early May, the tree disk can be treated with chemicals. Use 500 g of 50% phoxim or 48% fensulfothion per mu plus 1 times water, mix into 25 kg poisoned soil, spread it into the tree disk, shallow hoe, then rake level and seal the soil. Alternatively, use 50-75 kg ammonium bicarbonate per mu, spread it while turning the soil and mixing evenly, then pat firm, using the fumigation and corrosive effects of ammonium bicarbonate to kill most pests, pathogens, and weed seeds in the soil. According to pest occurrence, spray during the adult egg-laying period. Use Meothrin 1800-2000 times plus diflubenzuron 1000 times or fensulfothion 1500 times plus abamectin 4000 times for timely control.

4. White peach scale (peach scale insect): Adults and nymphs gather and attach to branches and trunks to suck sap. Hatching begins in early May. The second generation of female adults occurs in September. After mating and fertilization, they overwinter on branches and trunks. Control measures: 1. Dormant period control: Before peach trees sprout, spray once with 3-5 Baume degree lime sulfur mixture or 45% lime sulfur mixture crystal 30-50 times solution or 5% diesel emulsion to kill overwintering female insects on branches and trunks. 2. Chemical control during the growing season: Spraying promptly after nymphs hatch and before they form scale covers is the key to chemical control, but this period lasts only a few days, so it must be seized. Otherwise, once they molt and form scale covers, the waxy protection makes chemicals difficult to effective. At present, the chemicals with better control effects on white peach scale are 48% fensulfothion emulsifiable concentrate 1000-1200 times solution and 20% carbosulfan emulsifiable concentrate 1000 times solution.

5. Main diseases of peach trees include: bacterial shot hole, brown spot shot hole, mildew spot shot hole, scab, brown rot, and other major diseases. Control measures: 1. Strengthen peach orchard management, enhance tree vigor, pay attention to drainage, increase organic fertilizer application, avoid partial application of nitrogen fertilizer, increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer application, improve ventilation and light conditions in the peach orchard, prune rationally, cut off diseased branches, remove fallen leaves, dead branches, mummified fruits, and fallen fruits on the ground, and burn or bury them deeply in a centralized manner. 2. Before peach trees sprout, spray once with 5 Baume degree lime sulfur mixture or 45% lime sulfur mixture crystal 30 times solution or 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture. Starting 10 days after petal fall, spray “ethylicin” 1500-2000 times solution or 72% agricultural streptomycin soluble powder 3000 times plus Daconil M-45 wettable powder 600-800 times solution, once every 10 days, alternating with 12.5% fenbuconazole 1500 times solution or 70% thiophanate-methyl 600 times solution, spraying 2-3 times. According to disease occurrence, chemicals can also be sprayed promptly at the early stage of disease to control the condition and reduce damage.

6. Peach tree gummosis: It is the combined result of weak tree vigor, malnutrition, insect injury, wounding, and pathogen infection. Control methods are: increase organic fertilizer application, make the soil loose and fertile, reduce waterlogging, wounds, and insect injury, apply fungicides plus nutrients to protect wounds, reduce pathogen infection, balance nutrition, maintain reasonable crop load, and reduce pest and disease damage.

The above content is the relevant knowledge about peach tree cultivation techniques. You must have learned it by now. Growing peach trees is actually not difficult. The main thing is to use scientific and reasonable methods and cultivate them carefully so they grow into healthy and flourishing peach trees. When the peaches ripen, everyone can enjoy the delicious fruit.