Hi. I was told by a peach grower that if the temp got down to -16 for about
45 minutes at any time during the winter, it would kill the buds that would
have made blossoms on a peach tree. That not being the case, you might try
putting a "super phosphate" (0-52-0) on the ground around your trees next
winter or early spring. It is supposed to encourage blossoms to be produced
by the plants on which you use it.

Dwayne

"Steve" wrote in message
...


Jim Elbrecht wrote:
I jinxed myself last winter when I told my sister-in-law that I got a
1/2 bushel of peaches every year from my *single* dwarf peach tree.

Our discussion was whether peaches need a cross-pollinator. If I
remember right, these trees supposedly did. The names are long
forgotten, but 10-15 years ago I bought two -- one died before either
had a blossom-- and the other has been making piles of peaches every
year since.

This spring it had no blossoms. I *did* prune a large horizontal
branch off late last fall. [maybe 20% of its foliage] I also opened
up the canopy above it as it was beginning to be shaded by some Sumac
to its west. It's at the foot of a east-facing slope & the sumac
was growing out and above the peach tree.

It looks healthy otherwise, so I'm guessing it just put all its energy
into new growth this year. Does that sound likely, or is 15 years
getting old for a dwarf peach?

Jim
[zone 5-6, NY]

Fifteen years is getting old for any peach, dwarf or otherwise. That
has nothing to do with the lack of bloom.
With few if any exceptions, peaches are self fertile. Even if they
were not, it wouldn't have anything to do with a lack of flowers.

The buds that are destined to be next years flowers are formed near
the end of the growing season. Pruning of any kind in late fall will
not affect the remaining branches and their flower buds.
Something either prevented the development of flower buds last
summer or something killed the buds during the winter. A heavy crop
one year can reduce the number of new flower buds formed for next
year but peaches usually manage to produce flower buds every year.
I'm going to guess that the buds formed but were winter killed. You
must have had a cold spell last winter that was just a little over
the limit for your tree. Late frosts can cause a crop failure but a
late frost is one that kills the flowers after they open (or just
before). Since you saw no flowers at all, I would think about what
happened back in January.

Steve
[zone 3-4 NY]