Fertilizing Peaches: Remember These Key Points for High Yields That Bend the Branches

Every year from June to August is when juicy, delicious peaches hit the market fresh, and it is also the happiest time for fruit growers. When the market is good, the higher the yield, the better the returns. Below we will discuss the key points of high-yield fertilization for peaches; do these well and your fruit trees will be “bent over”!

1. How should peaches be fertilized?

1. In summer, apply fruit-swelling fertilizer to peaches by broadcasting it over one plot, then plowing another plot, to a depth of about 10 cm. Do not worry that root breakage will affect tree vigor. In summer, you can also broadcast the fertilizer on rainy days without plowing. After harvest, in autumn from August to October, apply base fertilizer; this can be done by trench application, hole application, or broadcasting followed by plowing the whole orchard. If autumn drought occurs, it is best to apply it immediately after rain. If fertilizer is applied during a relatively dry period, too much root breakage will cause massive leaf drop.

2. For the base fertilizer of peaches, it is recommended to apply winter fertilizer in autumn, mainly organic fertilizer, accounting for 60%-70% of the annual fertilization amount. Generally, apply 2000 kg of base fertilizer per mu, or 150 kg of special fruit tree fertilizer per mu. The number of topdressings, timing, and amount vary according to variety, tree age, cultivation management methods, growth and development stage, and external conditions. Generally, pre-bud fertilizer, fruit-swelling fertilizer, and post-harvest fertilizer are the main ones. In addition, foliar topdressing is a necessary supplement to soil fertilization. Because peach trees are relatively sensitive to trace elements and are prone to temporary relative deficiencies, spray a 0.2% boric acid aqueous solution at the initial flowering stage; according to different varieties, from late May to early September, spray 0.4% potassium dihydrogen phosphate 1-2 times; and in the middle of rapid fruit growth, spray 0.2%-0.3% calcium nitrate.

2. What fertilizers should be used for peaches?

1. Pre-bud fertilizer. Generally apply it 15 days before the Beginning of Spring. This can make up for insufficient or missed fertilization after fruiting, and can promptly supplement deficiencies in the nutrients within the peach tree. Generally, apply 0.5 kg urea, 0.3 kg potassium chloride, and 0.2 kg superphosphate per peach tree, which can be mixed with decomposed human manure and urine and used as rhizosphere topdressing.

2. Pre-flowering fertilizer. Apply it 15-20 days before flowering, mainly nitrogen fertilizer. Apply 0.5-1 kg urea and 0.25 kg boron fertilizer per tree, and be sure to mix it with farmyard manure.

3. Peach pit fertilizer. When the peach pit forms, the fertilizer requirement increases, so fertilizer should be supplemented in time, mainly with full potassium fertilizer, supplemented by nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, and applying nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers mixed with farmyard manure. Generally, apply 0.3-0.5 kg potassium chloride per peach tree.

4. Harvest fertilizer. From 1.5 to 20 days before harvest, fruit expansion accelerates, and applying potassium fertilizer can effectively increase peach yield and quality. After harvest, mainly use nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. For every 50 kg of fruit, apply about 1.5-2 kg urea and 1-1.5 kg superphosphate to promote root development and enhance overwintering ability.

5. Foliar fertilizer. Foliar fertilizer can be applied to peach trees from after leaf expansion until within 20 days before leaf drop, and it can also be applied together with disease and pest control. Boron, zinc, manganese, and potassium fertilizers are preferable. Spray on sunny days. Fertilizer types include 0.1%-0.25% boric acid, 0.1% zinc sulfate, 0.25%-0.3% manganese chloride, 0.3%-0.5% potassium dihydrogen sulfate, and 0.2%-1% ferrous sulfate. On poor land, the amount can be appropriately increased.

3. How should peaches be trained and pruned?

To achieve high yields in peaches, besides fertilization, training and pruning must also be done well:

Reasonable training: Peach trees are light-loving, and training should aim for ventilation and light penetration, cultivating a natural open-center crown. After planting and survival, set the trunk at 60-80 cm above the ground. After sprouting, keep 3-4 distributed branches as main branches, and pay attention to controlling the branching angle at about 60 degrees and spacing at about 10 cm. When the main branches grow to 50-60 cm, cut them back leaving about 40 cm, with the bud at the cut facing outward, allowing them to continue extending outward. After heading back, 2-3 long branches will sprout from the top as secondary main branches. When the main branches extend to 50-60 cm, cut them back again. For long branches and vigorous water sprouts growing upward, remove them from the base. The pruning of young trees and mature trees is also different.

(1) Pruning young trees. In summer, focus on pinching and thinning out unreasonable water sprouts. In winter, focus on heading back. According to the characteristic that young trees mainly bear fruit on long fruiting branches, retain long fruiting branches as much as possible, leaving 6-8 nodes of flower buds for heading back. For medium fruiting branches in the middle and lower parts of the crown, keep a spacing of about 10 cm, and promptly thin out those that are too dense. Well-positioned vegetative branches should be kept as auxiliary nurturing branches and, after appropriate heading back, cultivated into fruiting branch groups.

(2) Pruning mature trees. In summer, focus on thinning out upright water sprouts and overly dense branches growing on secondary main branches. In winter, carry out thinning and heading back according to tree vigor, and combine pruning with yield regulation. Appropriately thin out and head back some long fruiting branches on the upper and outer parts of the crown, retain medium and short fruiting branches, and adopt the pruning method of leaving three long branches and heavily cutting two, and leaving two long branches and heavily cutting one for fruiting branch groups on the outer part of the crown, so that the outer part of the crown forms an uneven shape and can better use light energy. This can increase light penetration, reduce disease and pest damage, promote three-dimensional fruiting, improve fruit coloring, and improve quality. At the same time, fruiting branches can bear fruit alternately, overcoming alternate bearing and maintaining stable high yields.

After reading the above, do you have some understanding of how to fertilize peaches for high yields? Of course, the above content is for reference only, and specific situations still require specific analysis.