Peach/nectarines performance in 50% shade

[David M. Taylor]

Hello, I guess I'm "the new guy" around here, but I've been a mini-urban orchardist for about 10 years now, and I've spent hundreds if not thousands of hours reading about fruit, and pruning, and the best varieties to grow, etc. I have tasted more than 100 heritage varieties of apples and I know a thing or three about making hard cider and beer as well. I have various fruits and berries on my little 1/16 acre.

And now on to the real topic at hand:

I am very interested in trying to grow a cold-hardy variety of nectarine (which is really just a peach without fuzz) here in Zone 5. It is not yet purchased or planted but I do have my sights on Stark SunGlo:

https://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/nectarine-trees/stark-sunglo-nectarine

Unfortunately, my entire back yard area where it could be planted is shaded for about 40-50% of the day. There is a huge 200-year old maple tree in the neighbor’s yard just west of my property, which provides heavy shade starting about noon or 1pm, and honestly I would not want to see that old maple destroyed as it is truly majestic.

Am I out of my mind for even considering the possibility? I do know that there are multiple cold-hardy varieties today in both peach and nectarine, which in ideal conditions should survive and fruit for several years if not a decade or more. But what I don’t know is, how well would a nectarine (or peach) perform in about 50% shade in Zone 5, or anyplace warmer for that matter? Do you think it’s worth a shot, or should I just be content with my apples and cherries?

I would appreciate hearing from anyone with real-life experience growing peach or nectarine in partial shade, regardless of USDA zone. I am most interested in understanding the minimum sun vs. shade requirements of nectarine or peach.

Thank you.

 

[bigbendmarine]

I'm in North FL and can say in our neck of the woods ***sometimes*** I find spots with dappled afternoon shade to do ok with plantings typically identified as "full sun" required... BUT again that's in FL when I'm often on the extreme high end of zone tolerances versus the low end, and where heat stress and dry spells can be severe issues.

Appreciating I'm likely sharing what you may already have read, sounds like your early morning sunlight will at least help lower (to a degree) disease risks associated with wetness from morning dew/rains not drying... but that your fruit production will still suffer.

Copying and pasting bit of related random information from a number of google hits...

Site Selection, Soil Preparation and Planting​

Peaches or nectarines require full sunlight and should not receive shade from buildings or tall trees. If possible, select a site with a high elevation so that cold air can drain away from the tree on a cold night during bloom.​

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Selecting a Site​

Sunlight, and plenty of it, is the key to maximizing fruit production. Pick an area where the trees will be in the sun most or all of the day. The early morning sun is particularly important because it dries the dew from trees, thereby reducing the incidence of diseases. If the planting site does not get plenty of sun, then you can not expect the best performance from the trees. Avoid very steep or badly eroded hillsides and areas having poor air circulation and poor soil water drainage.​

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Sun Requirements​

Nectarines grow best in full sun -- meaning at least six hours per day of sun, if not more. If you're planting a nectarine near a home or a building, a southern exposure is best. Southern exposures typically provide bright sun from morning through evening. Plant nectarines away from fences, garden walls or large trees that could shade them.​

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Nectarines In Shade​

Nectarines grown in partial shade have dramatically reduced crops. In addition, nectarine trees that are grown in shade are often less healthy and more susceptible to disease. Nectarine buds need at least 30 percent sunlight to produce high quality fruit. This figure includes buds growing on the interior of the tree.​

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Coastal Areas​

Foggy coastal areas with moderate temperatures and low hours of sun are not always appropriate for growing nectarines. The lack of sun, combined with the temperature-moderating effects of the ocean, reduce chill hours and summer heat, preventing many varieties of nectarine from optimal fruiting, and others from fruiting at all. If you live in a coastal area with a Mediterranean climate and limited amounts of sun, consider the variety "Goldmine."​

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Impact of Sunlight on Fruit Color​

Fruit Color refers to ground color (background color) and blush (red color). When peach fruit ripen, the ground color changes from green to yellow. Changes in ground color are not affected by fruit position on the tree or exposure to sunlight, so ground color can therefore be used by harvesting crews to indicate fruit maturity. Changes in blush, or red coloring in the fruit skin or flesh, are affected by fruit position in the canopy and sunlight interception. The more exposed to the sun a fruit is, the greater the intensity of its blush. A high percentage fruit red blush (>70%) and bright yellow ground color are most desirable for attractiveness and sales in US markets. Percentage red blush is at least 50% for many recently released cultivars (Table 4). If the ground color becomes difficult to see due to very high percentage of fruit red blush, the occurrence of slight softening at the fruit tip can be used to determine the correct harvest time.​

 

[David M. Taylor]

Thank you, that is helpful and is consistent with what I've been concerned about. I'm still curious as to people's real-life experience though, as I know Google and written texts will often provide the safest answer, but is all this conservative guidance truly consistent with reality? Overall I guess I'm reluctant to waste time trying to grow something that won't be fruitful for a long time. My gut is telling me it's not worth the time, but my heart says maybe to try it anyway. Internal tug o' war.

 

[Prof.Kent]

I am in Zone 5B, Midland Michigan. (Climate is quite variable from year to year so I call it Zone 5A, with late spring frosts.) My neighbor across the road, (West) also has a large maple tree that shades the west end of my lawn where I planted maybe 8-12 peach and nectarines over the past 20 years. I get little late afternoon sun and little early morning sun due to forest to the east. So about 5-6 hours per day of direct sunlight. I have had one crop of Georgia peaches (which the raccoons got). The trees do not grow nearly as vigorously as peaches should and suffer from disease and winter die-back due, I believe, to their weakened health. So I just kept planting new ones as the others died. No more. I have a new orchard with plenty of sun now and I will be cutting these (what are left) down and planting lilacs (shade tolerant). I have also tried to grow apple trees in shady areas. It isn't worth it. Stunted trees, too many years to first fruit. I have given up on shady fruit trees. Just my 2 cents. Results may vary, but I doubt it.
My motto is: "If a fruit tree is not growing vigorously, it is dying slowly."

 

[David M. Taylor]

Thank you, Kent. I've watched most of your videos. I didn't know you had tried growing peaches in Michigan. Again this is confirming my worries... probably not worthwhile for me to try a nectarine here where I'll bet it's even colder and shadier.

 

[Prof.Kent]

LOL :-) There is a very good reason I haven't made Youtube videos of my peach growing escapades!
Most peaches and nectarines have not lived past their 1st or 2nd fruit.
You might be able to grow a nectarine, but you need full sun. A Paul Friday PF-24C peach is very cold hardy also. I planted a few PF-24C's last year, so I am trying again to grow some peaches (love them!) but this time in full sunlight.
David, good to hear from you again. I didn't recognise your name right off. Has your Honeycrisp fruited yet?

 

[David M. Taylor]

I got about a full bushel of Honeycrisp last year, ENORMOUS first-crop. I even removed half the buds and thinned to one fruit per cluster. The apples were huge too. Unfortunately, about 95% had apple maggot. But the ones that were clean were simply WONDERFUL. I'll be sure to spray this year to keep bugs out.

 

[Prof.Kent]

Apple maggot infestations are not usually annual events but when it happens it reminds us to spray. I had AMs a few years ago and lost about 75% of the crop.

 

[H20fwler]

I have a standard size Elberta and a Hale Haven peach planted three years ago about thirty feet apart in very loamy soil, the Elberta gets afternoon shade from a big mulberry tree. Both the trees are growing equally the same. Neither are old enough to have fruited yet but should in the next year or two, they are currently around nine feet tall.
In my area everyone that raises peaches says that after they start producing to expect them to only live 10-15 years, for whatever reason they are a short lived tree here.

 

[bigbendmarine]

They're know for being relatively short lived (for a variety of reasons). 15 to 20 is old even in my more southern neck of the woods, and they generally stop producing as they enter their final few years. I just cut down 2 older ones at my place this year. Best guess is they were about 20, limping along while slowly declining, with no fruit production at all in at least the past 4 years (length of time I've owned the property).

 

[Prof.Kent]

David, If I remember correctly you had a white garden shed at the side of your yard. Planting a peach against that wall would help, creating a micro climate. The more heat you can give a peach/nectarine the better it will survive.

 

[David M. Taylor]

David, If I remember correctly you had a white garden shed at the side of your yard. Planting a peach against that wall would help, creating a micro climate. The more heat you can give a peach/nectarine the better it will survive.

Espalier style, eh? Hmm... I'll have to see if I can find a good spot for it. I believe that answer is no but I'll give it a little thought.

 

[Prof.Kent]

You can always build you own new wall!

 

[WTNUT]

David,

I am in Zone 6A. I have many peach trees. I do have real life experience trying to plant them in partial shaded areas on the farm. These were in small plots. As I recall, I have tried 5 of different varieties in partial shade. All were a failure. On the other hand, I have 10-15 peach trees in full sunlight on a slope that faces Southeast getting great sunlight and the peach trees do amazingly well. I have not: however, tried nectarines.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[David M. Taylor]

Thanks WTNUT, and all of you. I have decided that it's not worth the trouble to try a nectarine or peach here. I will wait for global warming then plant one about 20-30 years from now. ;D

Cheers all!

 

[David M. Taylor]

Update: After all the above discussion, I ended up getting a peach tree on somewhat of a whim. Elberta peach. It will be located in the most sunny part of the yard, almost full sun. I had planned to put a Cortland there to replace my Cortland that died last year of fireblight, but the Cortland trees I found were $70! And the peach was a steal at only $15! For that difference, I figured the peach will be worth a try! If it dies, oh well, I'll order a Cortland years down the road to replace it, I'm fine with that. Also picked up a Romeo bush cherry for $40. To those worried about deer... I live in the city with a fenced in yard. The most damage I'll get is from my dogs and from birds, and maybe some rabbits. I think I can deal with those things for the most part. Looking forward to seeing what happens with these experiments! :)