Peach care in summer, autumn and spring during ripening and fruiting

Caring for different varieties of peach is practically no different from caring for other types of stone fruits. It is impossible to grow a culture in most latitudes of Russia, because such trees belong to southern plants. But in regions with a warm climate, you can achieve a good harvest if you organize crop care in advance.

Features of peach care

Peaches are not the most demanding fruit crops. But this does not mean that you need to forget about the minimum tree care steps. The easiest way to grow peach trees is in the Crimea, where there is enough sunlight for cultivation, fertile land and high air temperature almost all year round.

What can not be said about the central regions. Growing peaches in this part will have to work hard to get a decent harvest.

The beginning of plant care begins in April, when the temperature outside is above zero, and the earth is completely warm.

In autumn, they begin to prepare the tree for the cold. This point is especially true for the central regions, where winters are frosty. Autumn work is aimed at increasing the frost resistance of the tree.

The nuances of courtship in different regions

In the southern regions, it is enough to fertilize and water on time. In latitudes with cold winters, you need to think about sheltering the plant. It is necessary to cover peach trees for the winter, regardless of the variety. Even if it is indicated that the variety is winter-hardy, shelter for the winter of the plant will not be superfluous.

What kind of soil is needed for the normal development of a tree

Peach trees thrive in all types of soil as long as there is good drainage. Moderate loamy soils are considered the most favorable. Sandy or gravel loamy soils are also suitable for cultivation. It is not recommended to plant plants near groundwater or in places where water will stagnate in the spring after snow melts. The culture does not tolerate waterlogged soils.

Irrigation by season

Watering trees frequently is not recommended. Irrigation of the plant is carried out depending on the ripening period of the fruit. For example, late hybrids are watered up to 6 times a season. Early enough 2-3 moisture per season. At the same time, it takes 20-30 liters of water per tree.

The first watering is carried out in early June. And if the winter was not snowy, peaches are irrigated starting from May. The second watering is carried out in July, when the flowering of the tree begins.The peach trees are then moistened in August. And the last time the soil is irrigated before the onset of cold weather, in September. In order for the fruits to be larger, it is necessary to water the plants 20-30 days before harvest.

Only warm water is used for the procedure. The most favorable time is early morning or evening, after sunset.

How to feed a peach

There are two types of dressings - root and foliar. Root crops are characterized by the fact that fertilizers are applied directly under the root. Foliar is the spraying of leaves and the tree itself with nutrients. Both old trees and young ones need feeding.

Mineral fertilizers

In the spring, when bud growth begins, nitrogen is added to the soil. For example, ammonium nitrate (60-75 g), and about 50 g of urea is enough. Nitrogen should be re-applied after 1.5 months. Nitrogen fertilizers are added only in soluble form.

When making the formulations, it is important to ensure that they do not get on the leaves.

Closer to summer, potassium and phosphorus are added to the soil in the amount of 55-75 g. Basically, potash fertilizers are added in May, in extreme cases, in June. In summer, peaches are fertilized with phosphorus. Make phosphorus until autumn. In autumn, 40-50 g of phosphorus-containing fertilizers, such as superphosphate, will be needed.

Complex fertilizers are very effective for the growth of peach trees. But it is important to remember that you should not overfeed the plants. An excess of nutrients in the soil contributes to the growth of deciduous mass, while this negatively affects the yield.

Organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers include:

• manure;
• bird droppings;
• compost;
• wood ash;
• bone meal;
• overripe weeds.

In the spring, during the digging of the soil, the top layer is replaced with rotted compost. For young trees, fresh manure is rarely used, as too concentrated fertilizer can burn the rhizome.

For young trees prepare less concentrated manure. To do this, 1 bucket is poured with 2 buckets of water and left to ferment for 5-7 days. Then the plants are watered. Wood ash is also used as a fertilizer. It is mixed with water or simply sprinkled on the soil before watering. Ash enriches the soil with calcium. The main thing is not to combine nitrogen and ash, because of this combination, ammonia is washed out of the soil.

When and how to fertilize peach

You need to fertilize plants depending on the season. Peach trees require different nutrients in different seasons. Applications start in April and end in September-October.

Spring

Spray or apply mineral or organic matter in the spring should be about 4 times. Spring is the most important period for fruit trees, when the foundation of yields is laid.

Fertilization timing:

• Before the buds swell, nutrients are needed to prevent fungal diseases and harmful insects. Such top dressing helps to activate the growth of leaves and buds.
• Nutrients are then added during bud break. It contributes to the prevention of leaf curl, scab and bud pests.
• The last time fertilize the soil during and after flowering. These top dressings help increase bud formation and yields.

Spring feeding is aimed at accelerating the growth of peach trees. Mostly root fertilizers are used during this period. First of all, it is nitrogen and organic matter.

Summer

During fruit ripening in summer, peaches require a large amount of potassium and phosphorus. Nitrogen during this period is not needed by the plant. The fruiting of plants depends on the amount of fertilizer applied.

Summer nutrition increases yields and helps plants survive summer drought and prevent pests and diseases. With proper fertilization, peaches will ripen faster and be much sweeter and larger. In August, summer feeding ends. Then comes preparing the peach for winter.

Autumn

In autumn, top dressing is applied after harvest. Autumn dressings increase the immunity of peaches and help them survive frosty winters. Peaches are especially in need of them when grown in the central regions. In addition, in spring the soil will already be fertile, and the plants will enter the growth phase faster.

Autumn top dressing is applied after peach fruits are removed. During this period, the soil around the plant is dug up and manure or bird droppings are added. Organic ingredients are most suitable for fertilizer.

Digging trunk circles

Digging the soil near the tree trunks is necessary for a number of reasons:

• In autumn, this measure acts as a prevention of the appearance of harmful insects in the spring. Most pests prefer to overwinter in the soil around plants and infect nearby crops in the spring.
• Regular digging of the soil contributes to the saturation of the soil with oxygen.

Besides this, the earth needs to be dug up to get rid of weeds. Sometimes it's not enough just to pull them out. The root system remains in the soil, and after a while they appear with renewed vigor.

It should be remembered that the peach rhizome grows in proportion to the crown of the tree.

Transfer

When transplanting young peach seedlings, as a rule, there are no questions. After all, young trees have not yet taken root in a new place and tolerate transplantation more easily. But what if you need to move an adult tree. But transplanting an adult plant is much harder. First of all, the procedure is carried out only in the autumn period. The soil around the peach is dug to a width of 1-1.5 m and to a depth of 80 cm-1 m. This will allow the tree to be transplanted with minimal damage to the rhizome.

Peaches are transplanted until the age of 5-7 years. If the tree is older, you don't even have to try. In a new place, they dig a hole a little more than a clod of earth from the old place. Further, the peach is planted using the same technology as the seedlings. Then pour plenty of warm water.

Soil mulching

Soil mulching is necessary in regions where winters are too harsh for peaches. Mulch not only retains nutrients in the soil, but also prevents the root system from freezing in winter. The soil is dug up in autumn to a depth of 15 cm. Then mulch is added. Peat, manure, sawdust or straw are used as this. The layer thickness should not be less than 15 cm.

Disease and insect prevention

Pest and disease control starts with prevention. Peaches suffer from a large number of diseases, especially if they grow in an unfavorable climate for the crop. You can treat a tree from pests at any time of the year.

Leaf curl is the most common peach problem. Characteristic signs are blackening and drying of the leaves. Gradually they fall off. If there are signs of curliness, the affected shoots are cut and burned.The plant itself is treated with Bordeaux liquid or Abiga-Peak. Spraying is carried out four times at intervals of 2 weeks.

Another disease of culture - moniliosis. With signs of moniliosis, the affected shoots are cut out and destroyed. Peach is treated with fungicides. For example, "Kuproksat" or "Tsineb". Powdery mildew is destroyed with colloidal sulfur. The first time the plant is sprayed during bud formation and the second time after flowering (after about 2 weeks).

Aphid is a common insect on peach trees. To combat it, use an infusion of garlic, dandelion or soapy water. Among the chemicals used:

• "Decis";
• blue vitriol;
• Dursabon;
• Confidor.

Weevils often appear on plants. Copper sulphate or insecticides will help from them. After flowering, the trees are treated with Decis or Fitoverm. In autumn, tree trunks dig up and destroy fallen leaves.

How to protect a fruit tree from sunburn

Is it possible to protect peach trees from sunburn, because crops grow best in the south, where solar activity is high. The most dangerous time for leaves is early spring. During the day, the cells of the cortex come to life, and at night, when the temperature drops below zero, they cannot withstand temperature changes and die.

To prevent this, half of the trunk is whitewashed with ordinary lime. Peaches are whitened several times in autumn. Often, autumn rains wash away the whitewash from the bark. Another method is to wrap with parchment paper or natural cloth. It is undesirable to use synthetic fabrics, after the snow melts, the bark in these places will rot.

How to properly cover a tree for frost

Winterization is important when growing crops in regions with frosty winters. By winter, you will have to cover the rhizome, trunk, basal neck and root.

Peach preparation for winter:

• Dig the soil to a depth of 1 m and apply mulch.
• To prevent diseases and insects, peaches are treated with Bordeaux liquid.
• The trunk is wrapped in several layers of burlap.

Next to the tree, supports are installed to cover the crown with a cloth. To do this, use roofing material, wallpaper, agrofibre or thick paper. Polyethylene is not recommended. It contributes to the formation of condensate and provokes the appearance of fungi.

Protecting a tree from rodents in winter

During the onset of winter, a new threat to the tree appears - these are rodents. Mice and other pests prefer to winter under the snow, and the crown of fruit trees suffers the most from this.

What to do so that mice do not gnaw on the root in winter:

• First of all, you can wrap the barrel with thick cloth and wire.
• Whiten the bark to a height of about 100-150 cm.
• Mice can't stand the smell of blue vitriol, so the tree is sprayed with this substance.
• Treat the barrel with Bordeaux liquid. Mice also cannot tolerate the smell of this product.
• Mix naphthalene and fish oil and coat peach bark with this mixture.
• Wrap fir branches around the bottom of the trunk (used to protect seedlings).

It is also important to clear the area of old foliage before snow falls, which creates heat around the trunk and attracts rodents.

Common gardening mistakes

Mistakes in growing peach trees include:

• Attempts to plant crops in unfavorable climatic conditions.
• Use plenty of mineral fertilizers when planting seedlings.
• Don't prepare the hole ahead of time.
• Delay the timing of planting peach seedlings.
• Trying to plant a tree older than 2 years, the older the plant, the harder it will take root in a new place.

In addition, the mistakes of growing peach include ignoring top dressing and watering. Many inexperienced gardeners believe that if a plant blooms and produces a crop every year, it does not need nutrients. But the soil becomes poor over time, and this contributes to lower yields.

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