How to Cultivate Peach Trees with the Lean-Over Method? Key Planting Techniques Explained

Lean-over peach trees refer to a tree form in which the entire fruit tree leans about 45° to the west or north, causing the plants of the whole orchard plot to lean in one direction. It is generally more common in greenhouses. So what are the lean-over peach tree cultivation techniques?

1. Site selection and land preparation

Choose a sandy loam or loam soil with higher terrain, good drainage, a sheltered sunny location, a low groundwater table, and loose soil texture. Then level the ground, and broadcast fully decomposed organic fertilizer per mu, or use bio-organic fertilizer fermented for 1-3 months, generally 3 to 4 cubic meters per mu, 50 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer, and 100 kg of calcium-magnesium phosphate fertilizer. After mixing the several fertilizers, spread them evenly on the ground, immediately deep plow 20-40cm, and it is best to plow as soon as the fertilizer is spread, then rake the ground level.

2. Seed selection

Choose varieties with large fruit, good color, excellent quality, a large amount of pollen, a high self-fruiting rate, tolerance to storage and transport, and low chilling requirement, such as: Zhongyou No. 4, Zhongyou No. 5, Zhongyou No. 9, Zhongyou No. 11 (Jizao 518), Zhongyou No. 12, Dazaohong, Hongmeigui, Huacai, Lichun, Chaohongzhu, etc.

3. Planting density and time

For greenhouse planting, the plant-row spacing is 0.75*1.8 m, planting 500 trees per mu, or 0.8*1.8 m; for open-field planting, 2X2 m or 1.25*2.5 m. The earlier the planting time, the better, from December of this year to late March of next year. In greenhouses, strawberries, melons, and watermelons can be intercropped (in open fields, melons, watermelons, peanuts, etc. can be intercropped). The seedlings are planted in the beds above the strips. For greenhouse and open-field cultivation, nutrition bag seedlings can also be used for centralized management. First plant the seedlings in nutrition bags (the bags can be old cement bags or convenience bags). The ratio of nutrition soil is 70% soil, 25% sand, and 5% biological fertilizer or fully fermented organic fertilizer. After planting the peach seedlings in the nutrition bags, place them in a greenhouse or small arched shed to grow and take shape, and plant them again after 1-3 months.

4. Management after planting

1. Timely trunk determination: For bud seedlings (semi-finished products), cut 2cm above the graft union. For finished seedlings, leave 10cm above the graft union. When the new shoots grow to 5-10cm, keep only one plump bud and promptly remove the other buds. For peach seedlings from germination to 50cm, the daytime temperature should be 20-26℃, not exceeding 28℃ at the highest, and the nighttime temperature should not be lower than 5-10℃. When the seedlings grow to about 20-30cm, insert bamboo poles and tie the trunk to prevent it from breaking in strong winds.

2. Shaping: The lean-over tree form of peach trees is just pulling the central leader type slanting, letting the peach tree grow obliquely. When the new shoots grow to about 50cm and lateral branches appear, leave the first lateral branch at 40cm measured from the ground. When the first lateral branch grows to 20cm, pinch it and cut off 10cm, leaving 10cm, to promote secondary lateral branches. When the second lateral branch grows to 20cm, cut off 10cm and leave 10 fen, to promote secondary lateral branches. The shaping and pruning of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth lateral branches are the same as for the first and second lateral branches.

3. Topdressing: For the first topdressing, when the new shoots grow to 20-30cm, broadcast 50-80 jin of ammonium bicarbonate per mu or 20 jin/mu of urea, evenly broadcast 30-40cm away from the trees, or one cubic meter of bio-organic fertilizer, and the excess water flowing out during the production of bio-organic fertilizer can also be used for flushing application.