Peach – watering a peach tree

Content:

• Peach tree origin
• Peach tree care and location
• Pruning a peach tree
  
• Fertilizing peach trees
• Watering peach trees

Peach Origin

The peach (Prunus persica), or Persian apple in German, belongs to the rose family, like many fruit varieties, and is classified as a stone fruit. It grows as a small, deciduous tree with a spreading crown and reaches a height of between two and eight meters. The peach was cultivated and bred in China as early as 6000 BC. There, it symbolizes immortality. Via Persia and Greece, it eventually reached Germany via the Romans. In the 12th century, Hildegard von Bingen mentioned the peach plant as having healing powers. Today, it is found in Germany, especially along the Moselle River, where the number of vineyard peaches is estimated at 15.000. The fruits are processed into fruit spreads, liqueurs, brandy, and more.

In Central Europe, the flowers bloom before the leaves sprout in April. They usually appear individually in pink and white and have very short stalks. The hermaphrodite flowers are five-petaled with a double perianth and have a diameter of 2,5 to 3,5 cm.

The lanceolate leaves of the peach tree are about 8 to 15 cm long and XNUMX to XNUMX cm wide. The leaf edges are serrated, and both sides are dark green. After three to four years, peach trees bear fruit for the first time. Depending on the variety, the spherical stone fruit is ready for harvest between the end of July and the end of August, when the skin turns golden yellow to red and the flesh is soft. In Central Europe, juicy and aromatic peaches can only be harvested in one's own garden. Store-bought peaches are harvested unripe so they can survive transport, but they do not ripen fully, and the aroma is not as pronounced.

Peaches are heart-rooted and the roots are about as wide as the crown and up to one meter deep.

Peach care and location

A sunny, sheltered location with permeable and warm soil is ideal for planting a peach tree. The soil should be rich in humus and nutrients and contain enough moisture. Since they bloom very early in the year, they are at risk of late frosts.

Cutting peaches

Once a year peach trees need a pruningThis is best done after flowering, as the fruit buds are then easily distinguishable from the leaf buds. Pruning has the advantage of ensuring the tree bears abundant fruit in the summer and preventing the crown from aging over the years. In recent decades, training the tree to become a spindle tree has proven successful. In this process, the tree develops a main trunk from which secondary branches branch off to the right and left.

When pruning, attention should be paid to the different shoot types of the peach tree. There are true and false shoots, as well as woody shoots and bouquet shoots. True shoots grow to the right and left of a pointed leaf bud. These are cut back to 30 cm, leaving four to six bud buds. False shoots grow in places near the leaf buds and can be removed. Without leaves, the flowers do not receive enough nutrients, so no fruit develops. Woody shoots are the opposite of false shoots. They only develop leaf buds, on which no fruit grows. These shoots can also be removed. Bouquet shoots are the ideal basis for perfect fruit. They are short shoots that grow from older shoots.

Fertilizing peach trees

A layer of mulch protects the soil from drying out. In spring, the Fertilize with compost and horn shavings is recommended to provide the tree with nutrients.

Watering a peach tree

Due to climate change, it is getting hotter in our regions, leading to longer dry periods. This has an impact on the environment and especially on trees. Depending on the location and the climatic situation, more frequent Water than in previous years. Peach trees have a high water requirement and must be watered regularly during their first years. Care should be taken to avoid waterlogging.
During the flowering period and in summer, it is advisable to water generously. As a general rule, you can use 75 to 100 liters per watering for young trees and 150 to 200 liters for older trees. When watering with a garden hose, a lot of the water seeps away or evaporates before it reaches the roots.

With Irrigation bags The plants are supplied with water drop by drop, making watering more efficient and saving water. The shallower roots can absorb the water well without it seeping through the root zone.
Filling a watering bag provides young trees with sufficient water. For established trees with full fruit, two or three watering bags can be zipped together to ensure adequate water supply. Attaching and filling the water bags is simple and straightforward. The bag is placed around the tree trunk like a jacket, zipped shut, and filled.