Key Points of Yellow Peach Planting and Management Techniques: Do These Well for Easy High Yields

Right now is the peak season for yellow peaches on the market. They are rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber, and various trace elements such as calcium, iron, and zinc. Due to booming sales, the planting areas have been continuously expanding in recent years. So, what are the planting and management techniques for yellow peaches? Do these few things well for easy high yields!

I. Site Selection and Land Preparation

Choose land with high terrain, sufficient sunlight, and loose, fertile soil. Before sowing, plow deeply, apply sufficient base fertilizer, and dig drainage ditches properly.

II. Selection of Nursery Stock

Choose grafted seedlings with more than 3 main and lateral roots, a length of more than 20 cm, a seedling height of more than 80 cm, a basal diameter of more than 1 cm, vigorous growth, and well-healed graft unions. Use wild peach, peach, or Qingzhou honey peach, etc., as rootstock.

III. Planting

Plant the cultivated seedlings from November to before March of the following year, generally at a spacing of 3 m × 4 m between plants and rows, with a density of 55 plants per mu. The planting depth should leave the graft union 3-5 cm above the soil surface.

IV. Maintenance and Management

1. Cultivation and Weeding

Every autumn, deep plow between the rows to improve the soil, turning the soil 40-60 cm deep around the outer edge of the canopy. Green manure or legume crops, etc., can be intercropped between the rows of young trees, and cultivation should be carried out after each irrigation and rainfall. For mature trees, grow grass between rows and use clean cultivation or mulching within the rows. Artificially plant rattail fescue, white clover, ryegrass, etc., or allow natural grass growth. When the grass between rows is 30-40 cm tall, cut it manually or mechanically, keeping the stubble height at 8-10 cm, cutting 3-4 times a year, and cover the tree disk with the cut grass.

2. Fertilization

Base fertilizer: Apply after fruit harvest in autumn (September to October), in combination with plowing and soil improvement. Calculate 150 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per 100 kg of fruit, and mix in 1.2 kg each of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate and potassium sulfate. Generally, apply 3000-4000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer per mu, mainly by trench application, with the fertilization site within the canopy projection area, trench depth 30-45 cm, and irrigate after fertilization.

Topdressing: Apply before bud break and 1 week after flowering, applying 0.5 kg of urea per 100 kg of fruit in a ring-shaped trench 10 cm deep; apply 0.3 kg of urea per 100 kg of fruit during the pit-hardening stage; apply 1.0 kg of potassium sulfate per 100 kg of fruit during the fruit expansion stage. Irrigate promptly after topdressing, and prohibit topdressing within 30 days before harvest. For foliar topdressing, spray 4%-5% zinc sulfate before bud break; spray one application of 0.2% borax solution at full bloom; spray 0.2% urea and 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate before the pit-hardening stage. Prohibit foliar topdressing within 20 days before harvest. In production areas with the conditions, fertilization should be based on soil and leaf analysis results for nutritional diagnosis.

3. Irrigation and Drainage

Irrigate once before bud break in combination with topdressing, irrigate once during the pit-hardening stage, prohibit irrigation 15 days before harvest, and irrigate well with freezing water before winter. Before the rainy season, clear the drainage system to ensure smooth drainage during the rainy season. Peaches are afraid of waterlogging, so strictly prevent water accumulation in the peach orchard.

V. Pruning

Pruning is divided into summer pruning and winter pruning. Summer pruning takes place from April to June, mainly for shaping, expanding the canopy as quickly as possible, and cultivating a strong framework. It mainly includes bud removal, shoot inhibition, shoot twisting, and branch bending. Winter pruning takes place from late November to December, with summer pruning as the main method and the latter as supplementary. Young trees should be pruned lightly, while trees in full fruit-bearing stage should be pruned heavily.

VI. Pest and Disease Control

The main pests and diseases include peach anthracnose, peach brown rot, peach fruit borer, oriental fruit moth, peach aphid, leaf miner, etc. The policy of “prevention first, scientific control” should be actively implemented, with agricultural and physical control as the foundation, biological control advocated, and chemical control techniques used scientifically according to the occurrence patterns of pests and diseases.

Finally, it should be noted that when planting yellow peaches, in addition to achieving the above management techniques, they must also be planted in suitable areas to ensure their yield and quality.