Detailed Explanation of Peach Tree Training and Pruning Techniques in Changwu, Shaanxi

The peach tree is a small deciduous tree that flowers and fruits easily. Generally, it begins to bear fruit 2 to 3 years after planting, produces heavy crops at 4 to 5 years, and begins to age after 15 years. From planting to aging, it goes through the young tree stage, early fruiting stage, full fruiting stage, and aging stage. In each stage, the canopy structure, the growth vigor of branches, the allocation of fruiting branches, reserve branches and nurse branches, and the proportions of various types of fruiting branches differ, so the pruning methods also differ. Let us take a look together at the peach tree training and pruning techniques in Changwu, Shaanxi.

1. Single-branch renewal: when a fruiting branch bears fruit, it will simultaneously sprout shoots at its lower part. During winter pruning, one strong branch at the lower part should be retained.

Using the heading-back method, cut back heavily at the base of the fruiting branch, leaving 2 to 4 flower buds, so that it can bear fruit while also sprouting strong shoots from the base of the branch to bear fruit. Alternatively, use the long-cane method (mostly applied to cultivars with flower buds distributed higher up or with thinner, softer fruiting branches), that is, leave more fruit on the middle and upper parts of the branch and let it droop naturally, prompting new shoots to sprout from the lower part. During winter pruning, all parts above the strong shoot should be cut off, leaving only one branch at the lower part to bear fruit the following year.

2. Double-branch renewal: this method is better applied when tree vigor is weak, fertilizer and water are insufficient, or the regeneration ability of basal buds is poor.

That is, at the base of the branch, leave only 2 to 3 buds and cut back heavily. After new shoots sprout, select and retain 2 branches. Lightly prune and leave the upper branch long for fruiting, and cut back the lower branch heavily again leaving 2 to 3 buds to make it produce long branches for renewal. During winter pruning, cut off the upper branch from the base together with the mother branch. For the two branches growing from the lower branch, the pruning method is the same as the previous year: the upper branch is left long for fruiting, and the lower branch is cut back heavily as a renewal branch. This is done every year thereafter, so that the fruiting position remains stable and does not rise too quickly.

3. After the peach tree fruit is picked, pruning is more appropriate.

After the peach tree fruit is picked, new shoots grow faster and have a stronger ability to form secondary shoots, which easily causes poor ventilation inside the canopy and increases nutrient consumption, affecting flower bud differentiation. Therefore, reasonable pruning must be carried out. For vigorous branches or branch groups on the upper part of the canopy, after thinning out the vigorous shoots, they can be twisted and bent downward from the base to control the vigor at the base. For competing branches, the twisting method can be used to control their growth and promote their transformation into fruiting branches. For overlapping branches, crossing branches and old, weak branch groups, timely renewal pruning should be carried out; for overly dense branches, thin and weak branches and useless upright vigorous branches, timely thinning should be carried out; for upright vigorous branches that still have space to grow, they can be bent down within the canopy to moderate their growth vigor.

4. Summer pruning

It mainly includes four aspects: First, bud removal and sprout removal, that is, from after germination to the early stage of new shoot growth, remove overly dense or useless buds and tender shoots to save nutrients. Second, pinching: for upright water sprouts, pinch them in early May, leaving 6-8 buds. In 1 year, secondary main branches can be trained; in mid-to-late June, cut off the secondary branches with strong growth at the tip, leaving moderate branches to form fruiting branches; when the growth vigor of the main branches is unbalanced, pinch the strong branches to weaken their growth vigor and promote the growth of weak branches. Third, branch cutting, that is, thinning out overly dense branches in the inner canopy. In July-August, thin out the upright branches on the upper part of the trunk. Fourth, branch twisting: for strongly growing upright branches, twist them in early to mid-May to make the new shoots grow horizontally or droop, prompting the formation of fruiting branches.

5. Winter pruning

It generally begins half a month after leaf fall. The main contents are: heading back the scaffold branches and various types of fruiting branches, thinning out overly dense branches, overlapping branches, crossing branches, slender weak branches and diseased and pest-infested branches, etc., training and renewing various types of fruiting branch groups, maintaining the balance between vegetative growth and fruiting, preventing premature aging of the tree, and extending the years of the full fruiting stage.