Anyone Have Peach Trees?

[b116757]

I have some coons but the home orchard has a dog in the yard and my farm orchards are still too young to tell how they will be effected. I do have a persimmon grove and a old pear tree that the coons likely don’t bother a whole lot do to being a good distance from the creek bottom where the coons mainly travel could be different this year with 150 acres of corn on my place.

 

[H20fwler]

We have a couple peach trees left of our original four, Elberta's. Did have two Red Haven but they didn't make it. They have been in the ground 6-7 years now and fruit some are getting better every year. Problem here is when they finally start putting on a good fruit set they end up dying. Have never seem a peach tree around here last longer than 10-12 years when they get really nice they die off...must be the winters or something? I need to try and find agood variety that can thrive here for longer than 12 years.

 

[Telemark]

We have a couple peach trees left of our original four, Elberta's. Did have two Red Haven but they didn't make it. They have been in the ground 6-7 years now and fruit some are getting better every year. Problem here is when they finally start putting on a good fruit set they end up dying. Have never seem a peach tree around here last longer than 10-12 years when they get really nice they die off...must be the winters or something? I need to try and find agood variety that can thrive here for longer than 12 years.

Is it possible to get them on a larger rootstock?

 

[Mortenson]

TC mentioned it, but again peach trees just don't live long. 10 to 12 is probably considered acceptable. Start planting replacements by age 5 or so?

 

[swat1018]

I planted 4 peach trees in 2009 when I built this house. I've had peaches twice. Central Indiana. Usually a late frost. Best peaches I've ever ate those 2 years, Red Havens.

 

[Teeder]

I have 2 Reliance and a Red Haven. The older Reliance is atleast 15 years old. The Red Haven is about 10. The other Reliance is about 3. Both Reliance produce well every year. No watering, no fertilizing and only spraying 1-2 times a year. Every year they get frosted, but pull through with fruit. The Red Haven puts out 3-5 peaches a year and has barely grown. I'll probably pull that one and plant another Reliance.

This is from the old Reliance. It went through numerous frosts this spring and laughed them off.
I could have thinned the fruit for bigger peaches, but we just freeze them for pies anyway.

 

[Teeder]

"Another snapped the top off from the heavy fruit load. "

I support each branch with a board when the fruit starts filling out.

You can see the supports in this picture. The poor tree shape is from broken branches from before I started supporting it.

 

[SwampCat]

You can see the supports in this picture. The poor tree shape is from broken branches from before I started supporting it.

Do you spray and if so, what is your timing?

 

[Teeder]

I sprayed once this year. Peaches were a little larger than marble size. I'm by no means and expert on that.

 

[SwampCat]

I sprayed once this year. Peaches were a little larger than marble size. I'm by no means and expert on that.

I am starting to believe the hot, humid south is a tough place to grow fruit trees.

 

[Mortenson]

My tree is a hot mess right now with support boards also. Started taking the first few the past couple days. They're half again as big as a baseball. Where the clusters weren't thinned enough they'll be smaller. No spray all year and it made it thru several freezes. Some peaches get big damage so those ones are thinned.

 

[Mortenson]

This is from the old Reliance. It went through numerous frosts this spring and laughed them off.
I could have thinned the fruit for bigger peaches, but we just freeze them for pies anyway.

Teeder, do you pick yours a little early and let them ripen on the shelf, or pick them when they're ripe and ready to eat?

 

[Teeder]

A little early and ripen in the house. Let them ripen enough to skin and slice and then we freeze them in bags big enough for a pie.

 

[Mortenson]

Cr*p! Mother nature just hinge cut my tree again. I should've known better...what an idiot!

 

[SwampCat]

Cr*p! Mother nature just hinge cut my tree again. I should've known better...what an idiot!

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I dont know what is worse - so much fruit the branches break - a little fruit and the coons and bears break the branches - or no fruit at all.

 

[Teeder]

Cr*p! Mother nature just hinge cut my tree again. I should've known better...what an idiot!

View attachment 55737

Well, that sucks. Been there, done that.

 

[swat1018]

Cr*p! Mother nature just hinge cut my tree again. I should've known better...what an idiot!

View attachment 55737

Greed is a terrible thing! I did the same thing last year, I couldn't stand to thin many when I hadn't had a peach in 10 years. Once again, none this year.

 

[Mortenson]

Greed is a terrible thing! I did the same thing last year, I couldn't stand to thin many when I hadn't had a peach in 10 years. Once again, none this year.

Hah ain't that the truth! This one particularly stings because I was literally only about an hour too late. I read Teeder's opinion to grab the peaches a hair early and went outside to get busy and got the big surprise. I'm going to be proactive and plant another yard Contender next spring.

 

[swat1018]

I think I'm going to try a Reliance. My contender, Red Haven, and my Elbertas never produce here. A frost seems to always get them.

 

[Mortenson]

Does anyone have experience with Veteran peach? Says it's also one of the most cold hearty trees. Was thinking of ordering 1 Contender and 1 Reliance but may swap that out for a Vet.