Peach Branch Breaking
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DebbieTT
Posted: Jul-20-2004 at 7:05pm
This morning I was standing under the Peach tree and took a photograph of them. I was commenting to my neighbor about being able to eat fresh peaches real soon, like next August.
This afternoon I went out to pick some flowers and ended up dismayed to find two major branches were broken. One was the branch I had photographed just this morning!
Unbelievable! Last year my other peach tree had a tree fall on it and broke off one side of all the branches, so it is lop-sided. Now my beautiful tall peach tree is going to look almost the same.
I am not very happy about this latest development.
GardenNut
Posted: Jul-20-2004 at 8:44pm
Oooh! How sad!!!
I noticed in the first picture how loaded the branches are - looks like there was too much weight on the branch. I don't grow peaches, but my Rodale book recommends thinning fruit to 6 to 8 inches apart after the June drop (apples are the same, which I have grown).
It's sooo hard to do that! You work so hard and wait so long for the fruit that you want every single one the tree gives you! But it really is worth the (gulp) pain of pulling off perfectly good fruit to prevent broken branches and to promote even ripening. I have the same problem with thinning veggie seedlings. They're my babies!!!
I know, I know. Another task to do in an already packed gardening season!
Chris Sunset 4 USDA 8a
gary
Posted: Jul-21-2004 at 10:05am
Chris, the GardenNut, is right Deb. Your neighbor, former Extension agent, and another Chris (Smith) wrote the following in his June 11th Bremerton Sun column:
"Apples aren’t the only trees that routinely set too many fruits. Peaches and Asian plums are guilty too. Cherries, European plums and pears though, generally don’t need thinning.
"Some orchardists wait until “June drop” has done part of the job before thinning their apples. You can start earlier, though. Getting at it when fruits are marble-size maximizes the benefits of the practice. The marble-size fruit stage is when you thin peaches and Asian plums, too. Space the apples and peaches you keep about six inches apart and the plums four inches apart."
I didn't get to the task on my apple tree until two weeks ago (seems I was busy researching & writing on irrigation) so I ended up dumping 50 lbs into my garbage can off just the Gravenstein side of my tree.
Gary
DebbieTT
Posted: Jul-21-2004 at 1:00pm
Oh Chris and Gary I would have thinned them had I known that was the proper thing to do like I do my apples. Although this Dwarf (NOT!) peach tree would make it difficult to thin some that were out of reach of me and my ladder. I probably could have thinned enough to prevent this mishap though. I can thin them now though! I will go thin out my smaller peach tree, all peaches are in reaching distance with me on the ground.
Live and learn and hopefully it will grow some branches to right itself. It was such a beautiful tree too! My first year I get to have peaches but I am going to try not to cry over spilt peaches.
AmyPNW
Posted: Jul-31-2004 at 4:02pm
What beautiful peaches you have Deb. The fruit set has been fantastic around here this year. It is sad to lose part of the tree. I wish I were coming to commiserate with you. I will keep my fingers crossed for a lovely grow out.
Amy
DebbieTT
Posted: Aug-03-2004 at 10:40am
Sunday my DH and I pruned the branches. We left them dangling hoping there was enough going through to finish the peaches. When we pruned then I picked the peaches and went and made a peach cobbler and eating a lot of fresh too.
It doesn't look as bad as I thought it would, and hopefully as you said Amy, the grow out won't be bad.
The deer have been in my garden eating peaches that have fallen. I hope they aren't making a habit of feastin in my garden.
gary
Posted: Aug-04-2004 at 11:21am
Debbie,
In June/July 2000 Kitchen Gardener Magazine, an article by Stefanie Vancura of Colton, OR stated, “Deer are creatures of habit, and once they learn that there is a barrier to their usual thoroughfare, they choose a new route.”
This what happened when I put my solar electric fence around the vegetables. The traffic went from 6 deer round trips per day to two deer in the last four years.
I too hope you haven't created a new habit pattern.
Gary
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
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