Peach Cultivation Technical Tutorial: Latest Planting Methods Explained in Detail

Peach fruit is rich in nutrients, with sweet and juicy flesh and a distinctive flavor, and is loved by people in both urban and rural areas. Peach trees have the characteristics of early fruiting, early high yield, early returns, and ease of cultivation. They are suitable for planting throughout both northern and southern parts of our country, and therefore are widely distributed.

Establishing a peach orchard

1. Site selection: For peaches, it is best to choose sandy loam soil with good drainage and loose texture, with a south-facing slope being best, but continuous cropping is taboo, meaning land where peaches have already been planted cannot be planted with peach trees again.

2. Soil improvement before planting: Before planting peaches, deep plowing and soil improvement must be carried out. Sloped land should be converted into terraced land to thicken the soil layer, then planting holes or planting trenches should be dug according to the spacing between plants and rows. The hole depth and hole width should be 2.5—3 chi, and each hole should have at least 100 jin of residue manure pressed in, pressed in 3—4 layers, to achieve looseness and air permeability and improve the soil's physical and chemical properties. Flat dam land and clayey soil also need improvement, using deep furrow and high bed cultivation, with drainage ditches more than 2.5 chi deep. Within the beds, improve the soil in strip trenches, with trench depth 80CM and trench width 70CM, pressing in garbage and residue manure in three layers.

3. Planting time: Both spring and autumn planting are possible, but autumn planting is best. In autumn, temperatures are high and there is more rain, so after root damage the roots recover easily, and the following year the seedling establishment period can be shortened, with uniform sprouting. Planting from October—December is appropriate.

4. Planting density: Generally, this should be determined according to variety characteristics, terrain, soil conditions, training system, and cultivation method. Varieties with strong tree vigor can be planted more sparsely, while varieties with weak tree vigor can be planted more densely; flat land has greater planting spacing than mountainous land; fertile soil has greater planting spacing than barren land; planned dense planting orchards have greater planting density than fixed planting orchards; “Y”-shaped training has greater planting density than open-center training. The general spacing between plants and rows is 3×4 m2 or 3×3 m2, with 56 plants or 74 plants planted per mu.

5. Planting: Before planting, trim damaged roots and overly large main roots, then straighten the plant, spread the root system, cover with 5-10CM of soil, firm it with the foot, build a soil ridge around the seedling to form a circular basin, then irrigate thoroughly, and after the water infiltrates cover with a layer of fine soil. A layer of grass can also be covered on top, which can reduce water evaporation and help survival.

Soil, fertilizer, and water management

1. Soil management

① Intercropping: In young orchards, vegetables can be planted in summer and green manure in winter, which can both increase orchard income and improve soil fertility. Adult orchards are not intercropped;

② In summer, cultivate and loosen the soil and remove weeds;

③ In autumn and winter, deep plow and expand the holes, increase the application of organic fertilizer, and improve the soil's physical and chemical properties.

2. Fertilizer and water management

① Fertilizer and water management for peach trees in the first year after planting: The first year after planting is key for the peach tree to grow and take shape. In fertilizer and water management, “light fertilizer applied frequently” should be implemented. From March—June, apply fertilizer about once every half month, for a total of 8 applications. The first 6 applications are one load of clear manure water plus 2 liang of urea applied to 4 trees, to promote more branch growth and leaf development and rapid shaping. The last 2 applications are one load of clear manure water plus 2 liang of monopotassium phosphate applied to 4 trees, to promote branch maturity and flower bud differentiation.

② Fertilizer and water management in the second year after planting and thereafter: Peach trees are more tolerant of barren soil than citrus, apples, and others, but after entering production they should be fertilized at least three times each year.

◆ Sprouting fertilizer: The amount applied should account for 10—20% of the annual fertilizer amount, and irrigation should be the main focus. Most areas of Sichuan have dry winters and spring droughts, and peach roots also have no absolute dormancy period. In early spring when growth starts, water demand is relatively high. For normally growing trees and trees with plump flower buds, irrigation should be the main focus. For weak trees, a small amount of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer can be appropriately added to promote the growth of weak trees and turn them vigorous. The fertilization time is from late January—early to mid-February.

◆ Fruit-swelling fertilizer: Apply after May 10, when young fruit stop dropping, that is, before pit hardening. This fertilizer should mainly be potassium fertilizer, to promote fruit enlargement, promote flower bud differentiation, and fill out new shoots. Early-maturing varieties are not given phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. For mid-maturing and late-maturing varieties, apply 40% potassium, 15—20% nitrogen, and 20—30% phosphorus. Trees with vigorous growth and few fruits may not need fertilizer.

◆ Post-harvest fertilizer: Generally applied before or after harvest. Its purpose is to promptly restore tree vigor, promote active leaf function, enhance assimilation, increase nutrient accumulation, improve the quantity and quality of flower bud differentiation, and improve the cold resistance of peach trees over winter. Generally, early and mid-maturing varieties should be applied promptly after harvest, while late-maturing varieties are applied before harvest. The fertilization amount should account for 50—60% of the annual fertilizer amount, with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium applied in combination, and the fertilization ratio is nitrogen:phosphorus:potassium = 1:0.5:1.

◆ Autumn basal fertilizer: Apply from October—December, mainly using decomposed organic fertilizer, generally applied according to the principle of one jin of fertilizer per jin of fruit.

◆ Foliar topdressing: Spraying boron fertilizer at the early full-bloom stage and young fruit stage of peaches can increase the fruit-setting rate. Spraying phosphorus and potassium fertilizer during the fruit enlargement stage can promote fruit development and reduce pre-harvest fruit drop. Spraying nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer after harvest can protect leaves, delay leaf fall, and promote flower bud differentiation. Spray concentrations for various fertilizers: borax or boric acid 0.1—0.3%, urea 0.3—0.4%, potassium sulfate 0.3—0.5%, monopotassium phosphate 0.2—0.3%, zinc sulfate 0.3%.

3. Fertilization methods: Soil fertilization methods include ring fertilization, trench fertilization, and hole fertilization. Young trees use ring fertilization, large-area adult trees use trench fertilization, and mountainous land uses hole fertilization. Generally, fertilization holes are dug along the drip line of the tree canopy.