symplastless wrote:
A little word about peach trees. They do not tolerate proper pruning well
let alone improper pruning.
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20...ach/index.html

For much more on pruning:
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning



I'm not sure what you mean by "They do not tolerate proper pruning
well". All stone fruits respond well to pruning. Peaches require heavy
pruning.

The convention is to remove growth equal to 2/3 of what grew during the
previous spring and summer. Ideally, you remove old growth and keep new
growth. However, new growth should be headed, at least removing the
final inch of each new branch or twig; this keeps the branch from
growing any longer and promotes new branch formation.

Failure to prune a peach thoroughly before flowering will result in more
fruit this year but a reduced crop next year. It also increases the
risk of branches breaking when they set too much fruit unless you thin
the immature fruit more aggressively than if the tree were pruned.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/