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Old 26-01-2004, 06:36 PM
Janice
 
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Default should i fertilize my peach tree now? long
On 25 Jan 2004 21:34:35 -0800, (jon) wrote:

greetings all,

we just bought a house and the previous owner tells us that the 12'
tall tree in the front yard is a peach that usually manages to bear
tasty fruit. don't know the variety. i live in boulder, co (zone
6?). the temp fluctuates wildly in the winter. yesterday it was 60,
today we got 6 inches of snow and it's 20. like many other parts of
the country, we have been suffering through a drought the past couple
of years. two questions:

1) should i fertilize my peach tree now? if so, with what and how?
if not, when?

2) can anyone recommend another variety of fruit tree that tolerates
relatively dry conditions fairly well? i just hate to have to drench
thirsty plants in the desert in the summer.

thanks for the advice!

jon


Don't fertilize plants while they're dormant. Generally speaking, you
probably do not need to fertilize the tree at all, just make sure it
does get adequate water, and keep the ground evenly moist throughout
the year. If you let it get really dry while the fruit is forming,
they'll either drop, or if they have adequate water to hang onto the
tree, and you then water it heavily, or it rains enough to saturate
the ground after a dry period later in the formation of the fruit, the
pits will split, and when that happens it often lets earwigs in, and
allows fungus to grow.

If you keep the tree happy, it'll give you lots of fruit. But watch
out for the Peach tree borer. The peach tree can live for decades,
but the average life of a peach tree is around 8 years, because so
many are killed by the peach tree borer. Keep vegetation from growing
around the tree.. 18 - 24" and you can buy special borer crystals to
scatter around the tree, or just put moth balls out there around the
tree.. keep pets away. It doesn't kill the moths that look more like
wasps than moths, but it repels them and if they lay their eggs far
enough from the tree, the larvae die before they get to the tree where
they like to bore in. There are some which will lay eggs in the
crotches and twigs too. Call your local extension agent and find out
what they recommend for water and care for the tree, and to recommend
what other trees you can grow there.

I will plant peaches, nectarines, plums/prune, apricots, but not
apples or pears because I can grow peaches, nectarines, plums/prunes,
apricots without spraying them for codling moth, because the codling
moth far prefer apples and pears which are usually around in peoples'
yards because so many people get a house, plant apples and cherries,
and then don't spray them and let the fruit drop and don't clean them
up, so it's practically impossible in my area to grow apples or
cherries without spraying with something other than BT.. but.. BT
(bacillus thuringensis (sp?) is at least an organic pest control that
can help keep the maggots out of the apples, and possibly the
cherries, if you spray at the right time and often. But if I can't
grow it without chemical sprays, I figure I'll let the professionals
grow them and spray their ground. I have only had a few peaches
damaged by coddling moth or anything else. However, early peaches and
occasionally some late ones, will be pecked to the pits where the sun
hits the peaches and that spot ripens. Finches are the culprits
there. I tried to grow the sweetheart apricot that has an edible
almond like pit and I did not get a single one because squirrels cut
them off while they were still green, every one! When chickens
roosting in it broke it I just had it cut to the ground. I wasn't
going to win any kind of a war with squirrels, and I knew it would
keep me angry forever trying! Can't legally kill them and there are
way more squirrels than I could trap! Grumbling.. need a herd of
trained squirrel killing Maine Coon Cats stationed in every tree! LOL

Oh.. my area, zone 6 high desert SW Idaho. And get your soil tested
if you really want to know what your yard may lack. Get the test
stuff from the extension agency.. box and instructions. I think that
it's $35 now though

Janice
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Old 26-01-2004, 07:59 PM
Janice
 
Posts: n/a
Default should i fertilize my peach tree now? long
On 25 Jan 2004 21:34:35 -0800, (jon) wrote:

greetings all,

we just bought a house and the previous owner tells us that the 12'
tall tree in the front yard is a peach that usually manages to bear
tasty fruit. don't know the variety. i live in boulder, co (zone
6?). the temp fluctuates wildly in the winter. yesterday it was 60,
today we got 6 inches of snow and it's 20. like many other parts of
the country, we have been suffering through a drought the past couple
of years. two questions:

1) should i fertilize my peach tree now? if so, with what and how?
if not, when?

2) can anyone recommend another variety of fruit tree that tolerates
relatively dry conditions fairly well? i just hate to have to drench
thirsty plants in the desert in the summer.

thanks for the advice!

jon


Don't fertilize plants while they're dormant. Generally speaking, you
probably do not need to fertilize the tree at all, just make sure it
does get adequate water, and keep the ground evenly moist throughout
the year. If you let it get really dry while the fruit is forming,
they'll either drop, or if they have adequate water to hang onto the
tree, and you then water it heavily, or it rains enough to saturate
the ground after a dry period later in the formation of the fruit, the
pits will split, and when that happens it often lets earwigs in, and
allows fungus to grow.

If you keep the tree happy, it'll give you lots of fruit. But watch
out for the Peach tree borer. The peach tree can live for decades,
but the average life of a peach tree is around 8 years, because so
many are killed by the peach tree borer. Keep vegetation from growing
around the tree.. 18 - 24" and you can buy special borer crystals to
scatter around the tree, or just put moth balls out there around the
tree.. keep pets away. It doesn't kill the moths that look more like
wasps than moths, but it repels them and if they lay their eggs far
enough from the tree, the larvae die before they get to the tree where
they like to bore in. There are some which will lay eggs in the
crotches and twigs too. Call your local extension agent and find out
what they recommend for water and care for the tree, and to recommend
what other trees you can grow there.

I will plant peaches, nectarines, plums/prune, apricots, but not
apples or pears because I can grow peaches, nectarines, plums/prunes,
apricots without spraying them for codling moth, because the codling
moth far prefer apples and pears which are usually around in peoples'
yards because so many people get a house, plant apples and cherries,
and then don't spray them and let the fruit drop and don't clean them
up, so it's practically impossible in my area to grow apples or
cherries without spraying with something other than BT.. but.. BT
(bacillus thuringensis (sp?) is at least an organic pest control that
can help keep the maggots out of the apples, and possibly the
cherries, if you spray at the right time and often. But if I can't
grow it without chemical sprays, I figure I'll let the professionals
grow them and spray their ground. I have only had a few peaches
damaged by coddling moth or anything else. However, early peaches and
occasionally some late ones, will be pecked to the pits where the sun
hits the peaches and that spot ripens. Finches are the culprits
there. I tried to grow the sweetheart apricot that has an edible
almond like pit and I did not get a single one because squirrels cut
them off while they were still green, every one! When chickens
roosting in it broke it I just had it cut to the ground. I wasn't
going to win any kind of a war with squirrels, and I knew it would
keep me angry forever trying! Can't legally kill them and there are
way more squirrels than I could trap! Grumbling.. need a herd of
trained squirrel killing Maine Coon Cats stationed in every tree! LOL

Oh.. my area, zone 6 high desert SW Idaho. And get your soil tested
if you really want to know what your yard may lack. Get the test
stuff from the extension agency.. box and instructions. I think that
it's $35 now though

Janice
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Old 26-01-2004, 07:59 PM
Janice
 
Posts: n/a
Default should i fertilize my peach tree now? long
On 25 Jan 2004 21:34:35 -0800, (jon) wrote:

greetings all,

we just bought a house and the previous owner tells us that the 12'
tall tree in the front yard is a peach that usually manages to bear
tasty fruit. don't know the variety. i live in boulder, co (zone
6?). the temp fluctuates wildly in the winter. yesterday it was 60,
today we got 6 inches of snow and it's 20. like many other parts of
the country, we have been suffering through a drought the past couple
of years. two questions:

1) should i fertilize my peach tree now? if so, with what and how?
if not, when?

2) can anyone recommend another variety of fruit tree that tolerates
relatively dry conditions fairly well? i just hate to have to drench
thirsty plants in the desert in the summer.

thanks for the advice!

jon


Don't fertilize plants while they're dormant. Generally speaking, you
probably do not need to fertilize the tree at all, just make sure it
does get adequate water, and keep the ground evenly moist throughout
the year. If you let it get really dry while the fruit is forming,
they'll either drop, or if they have adequate water to hang onto the
tree, and you then water it heavily, or it rains enough to saturate
the ground after a dry period later in the formation of the fruit, the
pits will split, and when that happens it often lets earwigs in, and
allows fungus to grow.

If you keep the tree happy, it'll give you lots of fruit. But watch
out for the Peach tree borer. The peach tree can live for decades,
but the average life of a peach tree is around 8 years, because so
many are killed by the peach tree borer. Keep vegetation from growing
around the tree.. 18 - 24" and you can buy special borer crystals to
scatter around the tree, or just put moth balls out there around the
tree.. keep pets away. It doesn't kill the moths that look more like
wasps than moths, but it repels them and if they lay their eggs far
enough from the tree, the larvae die before they get to the tree where
they like to bore in. There are some which will lay eggs in the
crotches and twigs too. Call your local extension agent and find out
what they recommend for water and care for the tree, and to recommend
what other trees you can grow there.

I will plant peaches, nectarines, plums/prune, apricots, but not
apples or pears because I can grow peaches, nectarines, plums/prunes,
apricots without spraying them for codling moth, because the codling
moth far prefer apples and pears which are usually around in peoples'
yards because so many people get a house, plant apples and cherries,
and then don't spray them and let the fruit drop and don't clean them
up, so it's practically impossible in my area to grow apples or
cherries without spraying with something other than BT.. but.. BT
(bacillus thuringensis (sp?) is at least an organic pest control that
can help keep the maggots out of the apples, and possibly the
cherries, if you spray at the right time and often. But if I can't
grow it without chemical sprays, I figure I'll let the professionals
grow them and spray their ground. I have only had a few peaches
damaged by coddling moth or anything else. However, early peaches and
occasionally some late ones, will be pecked to the pits where the sun
hits the peaches and that spot ripens. Finches are the culprits
there. I tried to grow the sweetheart apricot that has an edible
almond like pit and I did not get a single one because squirrels cut
them off while they were still green, every one! When chickens
roosting in it broke it I just had it cut to the ground. I wasn't
going to win any kind of a war with squirrels, and I knew it would
keep me angry forever trying! Can't legally kill them and there are
way more squirrels than I could trap! Grumbling.. need a herd of
trained squirrel killing Maine Coon Cats stationed in every tree! LOL

Oh.. my area, zone 6 high desert SW Idaho. And get your soil tested
if you really want to know what your yard may lack. Get the test
stuff from the extension agency.. box and instructions. I think that
it's $35 now though

Janice
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Old 26-01-2004, 09:25 PM
Janice
 
Posts: n/a
Default should i fertilize my peach tree now? long
On 25 Jan 2004 21:34:35 -0800, (jon) wrote:

greetings all,

we just bought a house and the previous owner tells us that the 12'
tall tree in the front yard is a peach that usually manages to bear
tasty fruit. don't know the variety. i live in boulder, co (zone
6?). the temp fluctuates wildly in the winter. yesterday it was 60,
today we got 6 inches of snow and it's 20. like many other parts of
the country, we have been suffering through a drought the past couple
of years. two questions:

1) should i fertilize my peach tree now? if so, with what and how?
if not, when?

2) can anyone recommend another variety of fruit tree that tolerates
relatively dry conditions fairly well? i just hate to have to drench
thirsty plants in the desert in the summer.

thanks for the advice!

jon


Don't fertilize plants while they're dormant. Generally speaking, you
probably do not need to fertilize the tree at all, just make sure it
does get adequate water, and keep the ground evenly moist throughout
the year. If you let it get really dry while the fruit is forming,
they'll either drop, or if they have adequate water to hang onto the
tree, and you then water it heavily, or it rains enough to saturate
the ground after a dry period later in the formation of the fruit, the
pits will split, and when that happens it often lets earwigs in, and
allows fungus to grow.

If you keep the tree happy, it'll give you lots of fruit. But watch
out for the Peach tree borer. The peach tree can live for decades,
but the average life of a peach tree is around 8 years, because so
many are killed by the peach tree borer. Keep vegetation from growing
around the tree.. 18 - 24" and you can buy special borer crystals to
scatter around the tree, or just put moth balls out there around the
tree.. keep pets away. It doesn't kill the moths that look more like
wasps than moths, but it repels them and if they lay their eggs far
enough from the tree, the larvae die before they get to the tree where
they like to bore in. There are some which will lay eggs in the
crotches and twigs too. Call your local extension agent and find out
what they recommend for water and care for the tree, and to recommend
what other trees you can grow there.

I will plant peaches, nectarines, plums/prune, apricots, but not
apples or pears because I can grow peaches, nectarines, plums/prunes,
apricots without spraying them for codling moth, because the codling
moth far prefer apples and pears which are usually around in peoples'
yards because so many people get a house, plant apples and cherries,
and then don't spray them and let the fruit drop and don't clean them
up, so it's practically impossible in my area to grow apples or
cherries without spraying with something other than BT.. but.. BT
(bacillus thuringensis (sp?) is at least an organic pest control that
can help keep the maggots out of the apples, and possibly the
cherries, if you spray at the right time and often. But if I can't
grow it without chemical sprays, I figure I'll let the professionals
grow them and spray their ground. I have only had a few peaches
damaged by coddling moth or anything else. However, early peaches and
occasionally some late ones, will be pecked to the pits where the sun
hits the peaches and that spot ripens. Finches are the culprits
there. I tried to grow the sweetheart apricot that has an edible
almond like pit and I did not get a single one because squirrels cut
them off while they were still green, every one! When chickens
roosting in it broke it I just had it cut to the ground. I wasn't
going to win any kind of a war with squirrels, and I knew it would
keep me angry forever trying! Can't legally kill them and there are
way more squirrels than I could trap! Grumbling.. need a herd of
trained squirrel killing Maine Coon Cats stationed in every tree! LOL

Oh.. my area, zone 6 high desert SW Idaho. And get your soil tested
if you really want to know what your yard may lack. Get the test
stuff from the extension agency.. box and instructions. I think that
it's $35 now though

Janice
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Old 26-01-2004, 09:25 PM
Janice
 
Posts: n/a
Default should i fertilize my peach tree now? long
On 25 Jan 2004 21:34:35 -0800, (jon) wrote:

greetings all,

we just bought a house and the previous owner tells us that the 12'
tall tree in the front yard is a peach that usually manages to bear
tasty fruit. don't know the variety. i live in boulder, co (zone
6?). the temp fluctuates wildly in the winter. yesterday it was 60,
today we got 6 inches of snow and it's 20. like many other parts of
the country, we have been suffering through a drought the past couple
of years. two questions:

1) should i fertilize my peach tree now? if so, with what and how?
if not, when?

2) can anyone recommend another variety of fruit tree that tolerates
relatively dry conditions fairly well? i just hate to have to drench
thirsty plants in the desert in the summer.

thanks for the advice!

jon


Don't fertilize plants while they're dormant. Generally speaking, you
probably do not need to fertilize the tree at all, just make sure it
does get adequate water, and keep the ground evenly moist throughout
the year. If you let it get really dry while the fruit is forming,
they'll either drop, or if they have adequate water to hang onto the
tree, and you then water it heavily, or it rains enough to saturate
the ground after a dry period later in the formation of the fruit, the
pits will split, and when that happens it often lets earwigs in, and
allows fungus to grow.

If you keep the tree happy, it'll give you lots of fruit. But watch
out for the Peach tree borer. The peach tree can live for decades,
but the average life of a peach tree is around 8 years, because so
many are killed by the peach tree borer. Keep vegetation from growing
around the tree.. 18 - 24" and you can buy special borer crystals to
scatter around the tree, or just put moth balls out there around the
tree.. keep pets away. It doesn't kill the moths that look more like
wasps than moths, but it repels them and if they lay their eggs far
enough from the tree, the larvae die before they get to the tree where
they like to bore in. There are some which will lay eggs in the
crotches and twigs too. Call your local extension agent and find out
what they recommend for water and care for the tree, and to recommend
what other trees you can grow there.

I will plant peaches, nectarines, plums/prune, apricots, but not
apples or pears because I can grow peaches, nectarines, plums/prunes,
apricots without spraying them for codling moth, because the codling
moth far prefer apples and pears which are usually around in peoples'
yards because so many people get a house, plant apples and cherries,
and then don't spray them and let the fruit drop and don't clean them
up, so it's practically impossible in my area to grow apples or
cherries without spraying with something other than BT.. but.. BT
(bacillus thuringensis (sp?) is at least an organic pest control that
can help keep the maggots out of the apples, and possibly the
cherries, if you spray at the right time and often. But if I can't
grow it without chemical sprays, I figure I'll let the professionals
grow them and spray their ground. I have only had a few peaches
damaged by coddling moth or anything else. However, early peaches and
occasionally some late ones, will be pecked to the pits where the sun
hits the peaches and that spot ripens. Finches are the culprits
there. I tried to grow the sweetheart apricot that has an edible
almond like pit and I did not get a single one because squirrels cut
them off while they were still green, every one! When chickens
roosting in it broke it I just had it cut to the ground. I wasn't
going to win any kind of a war with squirrels, and I knew it would
keep me angry forever trying! Can't legally kill them and there are
way more squirrels than I could trap! Grumbling.. need a herd of
trained squirrel killing Maine Coon Cats stationed in every tree! LOL

Oh.. my area, zone 6 high desert SW Idaho. And get your soil tested
if you really want to know what your yard may lack. Get the test
stuff from the extension agency.. box and instructions. I think that
it's $35 now though

Janice
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