How to grow a peach from a stone at home: planting and care with a photo

How to grow a peach from a seed, gardeners-experimenters are interested. Is it possible, after eating a tasty and fragrant fruit, then to get the same in your garden from your trees? Some gardeners dare to conduct an experiment on growing fruit trees. For success, you should correctly choose planting material, be patient. And then you only need to follow the recommendations of agronomists. It is worth noting that the southerner-peach does well in regions with a cool climate. So all gardeners can try to grow their own peach trees in the country.

Pros and cons of growing peach from the pit

This event has positive points:

1. The gardener has already tasted the fruit, has an idea of its taste and texture.
2. Reproduction by bone allows you to get as much planting material as you need.
3. Seedlings are cheap: grower can experiment with plant placement.
4. Successful self-rooted peach trees provide rich material for grafting.

But it is important to remember the negative aspects of the process:

1. It will be possible to grow a tree with the taste of mother fruits only if the stone is taken from the variety. Hybrids do not convey the original qualities.
2. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the source material: the sprout comes from the seeds of fruits picked ripe.
3. The process is long and laborious: an impatient gardener is unlikely to succeed.

Still, summer residents grow peach trees from seeds and are proud of their crops.

Will a peach grown from a stone bear fruit

It depends on many factors. The tree will bear fruit if:

1. The stone is taken from a fully ripened fruit. It is free from insect damage and has a whole shell.
2. The peach tree from which the stone is taken is a variety, not a hybrid. A hybrid may also bear fruit, but the taste and quantity are unlikely to please the grower.
3. Competently chosen place for planting a young seedling. The tree must be protected from the cold north and northeast winds.
4. Properly applied fertilizer when planting.
5. The crown of the tree is well-formed.
6. The climatic features of the region are taken into account and correlated with the technical characteristics of the stone tree.

In order to always be with fruits, you need to take care of pollination. If the variety is self-fertile, then pollinators are not needed. And other varieties need peach trees to pollinate it. These are varieties or hybrids that bloom at the same time as the planted plant.

Which peach pits are suitable for planting

Seeds from he althy peaches are selected for planting. The fruits should be fully ripe, soft, with a whole skin, without dark spots. It is recommended to buy local fruits from the market: this is a guarantee that the fruit is ripe on the tree.

The original plant must be a variety: hybrids do not transmit maternal qualities. This can also be obtained from the seller in the market.

The bone must be intact, free of insect damage and cracks. Important to remember: easy separation of the stone from the pulp is a varietal feature, and not an indicator of fruit maturity.

Methods of seed germination

You can grow a tree from a seed in several ways. And the gardener can choose the one he likes. To get a positive result, you need to prepare the material. The seed must be carefully removed from the peach, being careful not to damage the shell. Then the bone should be washed with cold water.

Cleaned and washed raw materials should be dried at room temperature away from sources of heat and sunlight. If it is not possible to immediately plant a seed, you should store it in a dark, cool place.

It is important to remember: about 40% of seeds germinate, 20% of seedlings die when transplanted to a permanent place in the garden, so you should stock up on a significant amount of planting material.

Stratification

The essence of the method is that stress conditions are artificially created for the seed, which accelerate germination and at the same time harden the plant.

How to act:

• prepare a substrate for stratification: neutral peat, sawdust, small wood shavings, coconut shavings;
• pour the substrate into a bag or pot, make holes for gas exchange;
• place the bone inside the bag or pot, sprinkle with substrate on top;
• moisturize slightly;
• place in the refrigerator in the fruit compartment or cellar (the temperature for stratification should be between 5-6 degrees Celsius);
• moisten the substrate regularly.

In 3-4 months the seed will sprout. It is time to transplant it into a pot for growing a seedling.

Seed extraction

This seedling growing method speeds up seed germination. But at the same time, the probability of the death of the embryo increases due to a violation of the protective shell (shell).

At a dry bone, the shell is carefully broken, the seeds are removed. In this case, the thin shell cannot be damaged. The seed is placed on a plate and poured with water (the liquid should only slightly cover the seeds). Aloe juice, potassium humate or a root stimulator can be added to the water to speed up germination.

After a visible increase in the material, the seed is taken out of the water, placed in the ground, moistened, covered with a film with air holes on top.

The container is placed in a warm place. The soil is regularly watered, condensate is removed from the film. After the sprout appears, the plastic is removed and the sprout is exposed to a bright place, but away from direct sunlight.

Warm way

The longest and least effective method. But suitable for growing seedlings at home. How to organize the process:

• dry bones need to be stratified: put in the fruit compartment of the refrigerator and keep there for 5-6 days;
• soak the bones in a growth stimulator (aloe juice, potassium humate, Kornevin) for 3-4 hours;
• plant in the ground, deepening by 6-8 cm;
• moisturize and cover with a film with holes for gas exchange;
• put in a warm place;
• Regularly moisten the soil and remove condensation from the film.

After the sprouts appear, the containers should be placed in the light, but away from direct sunlight. The temperature should be 16-18 degrees Celsius.

Seed Growing Technology

The number of seedlings received depends on how correctly the process is organized.

Preparation of containers and soil

Capacities must be thoroughly washed with a brush with hot water and soap or soda.Then dry. If the gardener composes the soil on his own, then it is recommended to pre-freeze the components (to kill pest larvae) and steam them (to kill fungal spores). Ready soil does not need such procedures.

Dimensions and material of the pot

For germination, it is recommended to select containers made of plastic or clay. The former are light, and the latter allow air to pass through. The size of the dishes depends on the number of bones. Depth - 30-35 cm.

Soil composition

The soil should be light and moderately fertile: peat, sand, humus, sod land, sand in a ratio of 1:1:1:2:1. You can use universal soil for flowering plants.

Drainage

The roots of a peach seedling rot easily when in contact with water. Therefore, it is required to pour a drainage layer 1-2 cm thick at the bottom of the landing tanks. Broken brick, expanded clay, crushed stone are suitable for this. Drainage must be scalded with boiling water and cooled before use.

Seed planting pattern and depth

Wide planting containers can accommodate multiple seeds. In this case, the seeds should be planted at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other. When the 1st true leaf appears, the seedlings are transferred to separate containers, where they are grown until they are planted in a permanent place in the garden.

Seeds should be deepened by 6-8 cm. At home, containers with germinated seeds should be placed on bright window sills, protected from drafts.

When to wait for sprout shoots

The germination process is quite slow: seedlings when planting seeds in a warm way will please the gardener in 3-4 months. When planting by stratification, 3-4 months will be required only when the material is kept in a cool place. But when planted with seeds extracted from the shell, in 2-3 months the seedling will reach a height of 50 cm.

Care for peach seedlings before planting in a permanent place

To get strong seedlings, germinated seeds require competent care. It will ensure success when planting trees in a permanent place in the garden.

Daylight regime

For normal development, peach trees require intensive illumination for 16-18 hours. It is recommended to use an agrolamp: it gives a spectrum that matches the sunlight as much as possible.

Irrigation and top dressing of seedlings

The soil in pots should be moistened, but not overwatered. Peach seedlings have an easily vulnerable root system. The plant is forced to exist in a limited capacity. For normal development, he needs good nutrition. It is recommended to feed the seedling once every two weeks. In this case, the application of nitrogen and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers should be alternated.

You can use ready-made complex fertilizers for young fruit plants. In this case, feed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Optimal temperature

If a peach seedling lives in an apartment in winter, then it needs a temperature of 2-4 degrees. In spring, the temperature rises to 18 degrees. With the onset of summer (if it is impossible to plant a plant in a permanent place in the garden), the peach needs a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius.

How to properly transplant a peach in open ground

In order for a peach seedling grown from a stone to take root well in the country, it should be properly placed in the garden. It is planted when the soil has warmed up sufficiently and the return frost has passed. 3-4 weeks before the proposed landing on a permanent place, the tree begins to harden. He is put on a balcony or veranda, first for 20-30 minutes, then the time is increased. A few days before transplanting, the plant should be outdoors around the clock.

Recommended transfer time

The optimal time for planting in open ground is spring or early autumn. Too early (in March) to place the plant on the street is not recommended. The seedling grown in the house has foliage, and the nights are still cold this month. Ideal planting time in spring: end of April - beginning of May.

When planting in the fall, it is required to take into account the time for the plant to take root. It will take 2-3 weeks to adapt in the open field. And the weather should be frost-free.

How far to plant

Peach trees are tall and have a wide crown. They need to be planted at a distance of 3-4 m from each other and from the walls of suburban buildings.

Planting hole depth

A landing pit for a young peach needs to be prepared in advance: when planting in the fall - in the spring, and when planting in the spring - in the fall. The dimensions of the pit are 70 x 70 x 70 cm. The excavated soil is mixed with mature organic matter (bucket) and returned to the pit.Cover it with a sheet of plywood and leave it until planting starts.

Required soil composition

Young peach requires light fertile soil with a neutral to slightly alkaline reaction. In case of strongly acidic soil, it is recommended to carry out deoxidation with dolomite flour, fluff lime or sifted oven ash.

Heavy soil needs to be sanded, too light soil needs to be clayed. To do this, add a bucket of sand or clay per plant.

Algorithm for the procedure

To successfully root a seedling, proceed as follows:

• for planting choose a cloudy day or time after sunset;
• open landing pit;
• form a landing hole (a place for free placement of peach roots);
• mix the excavated soil with mineral fertilizers (phosphorus and potassium);
• form a small mound at the bottom;
• drive a peg for a garter tree;
• place the roots of the plant on the mound;
• pour the rest of the earth;
• to trample the trunk circle;
• water well and mulch the near-stem circle;
• tie a peach to a peg with a figure eight;
• put a lutrasil screen to protect from direct sunlight.

When the seedling puts out new leaves, remove the screen.

Tree care

Peach needs proper care to get a quick harvest.

Irrigation

Young seedling needs regular watering. But at the same time, it should be moistened only after the near-stem circle has dried. With an excess of moisture, the roots of the plant rot.

Fertilizer

When planting using a planting hole, the first 3 years of peach fertilizer are not required. Then fertilizers should be given 2 times a year: in spring, after leaving wintering, and in autumn (in September-October).

Pruning patterns and timing

Peach trees give abundant growth. They should be cut in the spring (sanitary, thinning procedures) or in the fall (forming, sanitary).

It is important to consider: fruit buds form on lateral shoots, therefore, when forming cutting, the central conductor must be constantly shortened. This will stimulate the growth of lateral branches and facilitate tree care.

Treatment from pests and diseases

To prevent diseases, it is recommended to carry out preventive spraying. The first is done in early spring. Then - according to the schedule. At the same time, weeds should be pulled out, anthills removed, and plant residues burned.

Shelter for the winter

Only in regions with positive average winter temperatures, peaches can winter without shelter. In other places, the trunk circle should be mulched with peat, sawdust, shavings 20-25 cm thick. It is recommended to tie the trunk with spruce branches or mineral wool. This measure will protect the plant from damage by hares.

To prevent freezing and cracking of wood on the north and northeast sides, it is recommended to install a screen made of plywood, slate or plastic. It will protect from cold winds.

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