Management Measures and Technical Points for Peach Trees After Fruit Harvest

Most peach tree varieties mature early, and there is a long growth period from fruit harvest to leaf fall. This is precisely the critical period for nutrient accumulation and flower bud differentiation in peach trees, and the quality of management will directly affect the peach trees' overwintering and the growth and fruiting of the following year. Therefore, after fruit harvest, peach trees should adopt the following management measures.

1. Apply supplemental fertilizer early. After fruit harvest, the tree vigor of peach trees weakens, so supplemental fertilizer should be applied promptly to quickly restore tree vigor and promote flower bud differentiation. Flower bud differentiation in peach trees belongs to the summer-autumn type, with June to August being the flower bud differentiation period. In particular, trees that bore excessive fruit should be fertilized earlier to enhance leaf assimilation, accumulate nutrients, and lay a good foundation for high yield. The supplemental fertilizer after fruit harvest should combine soil application with canopy spraying. Foliar spraying can improve leaf photosynthetic capacity and increase nutrient accumulation in the tree. A 0.3%-0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be used, sprayed once every 10-15 days, or 0.3% urea can be sprayed in combination with pest and disease control. For soil application, the fertilizer types should mainly be high-quality barnyard manure and farmyard manure, mixed with an appropriate amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer and micronutrient fertilizer, with attention to controlling nitrogen and increasing phosphorus and potassium. Generally, for mature trees, apply 100-150 kg of high-quality farmyard manure per tree. The fertilization method can use ring-shaped trenches or radial trenches, applied into the soil around the outer edge of the canopy, with a depth of about 50 cm being suitable.

2. Cultivate the soil and spray pesticides. After fruit harvest, promptly cultivate, loosen the soil, and weed, to a depth of 15-20 cm. Promptly sweep up weeds and fallen leaves in the peach orchard and bury them deeply under the trees. Drainage ditches should also be cleared and waterlogging drained; when there is waterlogging, it should be drained quickly, and roots washed out by water should be protected by hilling soil. To protect leaves, give them strong photosynthetic capacity, and enhance nutrient accumulation, focus should be placed on controlling peach tree diseases and pests such as shot hole disease, leafhoppers, peach aphids, red spiders, leafminers, and cicadellids. Spray 50% carbendazim at 800 times dilution, or 50% captan soluble powder at 500 times dilution, or fenpropathrin at 2500 times dilution, or 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1500 times dilution, etc. In addition, diseased and insect-damaged fruits remaining on the trees and on the ground should be collected and buried deeply.

3. Prune to promote flowering. As the saying goes: “No flowers, no fruit.” Peach trees have relatively strong sprouting and branching ability, and their branches grow multiple times a year, which easily makes the canopy dense, with poor ventilation and light penetration, affecting flower bud formation and flower quality. Therefore, crossing branches, overlapping branches, diseased and insect-damaged branches, thin and weak branches, and branches in crowded areas within the canopy should be thinned out. Bare areas can be ring-cut to promote new branch growth and occupy space. For water sprouts, methods such as pulling, twisting, bending, and looping can be used to transform them, so as to improve light, concentrate nutrients, form good flower buds, and slow the process of fruiting moving outward. For overly vigorous peach trees, spray a 250-500 PPm paclobutrazol solution once after fruit harvest, and after the Autumn Equinox apply 15-25 grams of paclobutrazol per tree to the soil.