Well, my peach tree made a ton of peaches, all or most of which had
worms in the center, and/or brown rot. The red admirals are drunk out
there and I mean drunk and many thousands of them.

Anyway, I don't kill insects, but does anyone know of a way to prevent
brown rot aside from proper hygiene after the growing season is over.
Also, I was wondering if I can do an extreme pruning after all the
fruit has fallen off. The tree is a good umbrella shape, but it is
way too tall...about 14 feet tall. The raccoons get up in there and
poop on my canopy to mark THEIR peach tree. I don't mind, but if the
tree was shorter they can get to it without skating the canopy and
maybe I can pick the peaches easier. Does anyone have any good book
recomendations regarding peaches?

Victoria

jangchub wrote:

Well, my peach tree made a ton of peaches, all or most of which had
worms in the center, and/or brown rot. The red admirals are drunk out
there and I mean drunk and many thousands of them.

Anyway, I don't kill insects, but does anyone know of a way to prevent
brown rot aside from proper hygiene after the growing season is over.
Also, I was wondering if I can do an extreme pruning after all the
fruit has fallen off. The tree is a good umbrella shape, but it is
way too tall...about 14 feet tall. The raccoons get up in there and
poop on my canopy to mark THEIR peach tree. I don't mind, but if the
tree was shorter they can get to it without skating the canopy and
maybe I can pick the peaches easier. Does anyone have any good book
recomendations regarding peaches?

Victoria

I keep all my fruit trees pruned to ten feet tall. There are many guides
to pruning but your best recommendations for fruit trees will probably
come from your state agricultural extension service. If you're in Texas
TAMU is your friend. If you don't spray at all you probably will never
get a decent crop. I only use dormant oil spray in the winter and it has
improved my crop greatly. Proper pruning will also help in letting light
and air into the interior of the tree plus you will need to get rid of
some of the fruit so others will get bigger. HTH

George, USDA Zone 9b, SW Louisiana

jangchub wrote:
Anyway, I don't kill insects, but does anyone know of a way to prevent
brown rot aside from proper hygiene after the growing season is over.

I'd love some advice on that too, we haven't had a peach in 2 years!!!
The trees are strikingly beautiful when blooming though.

Also, I was wondering if I can do an extreme pruning after all the
fruit has fallen off. The tree is a good umbrella shape, but it is
way too tall...about 14 feet tall. The raccoons get up in there and

I'd wait until February to prune them. Let the leaves produce energy now.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

On 7/13/2007 1:35 PM, Victor Martinez wrote:
jangchub wrote:
Anyway, I don't kill insects, but does anyone know of a way to prevent
brown rot aside from proper hygiene after the growing season is over.

I'd love some advice on that too, we haven't had a peach in 2 years!!!
The trees are strikingly beautiful when blooming though.

Also, I was wondering if I can do an extreme pruning after all the
fruit has fallen off. The tree is a good umbrella shape, but it is
way too tall...about 14 feet tall. The raccoons get up in there and

I'd wait until February to prune them. Let the leaves produce energy now.


If you are trying to grow something that does not grow in nature (a
hybridized peach), then you must resort to some non-natural practices.
I use a spray that combines dormant oil (which kills over-wintering
insects and their eggs) with copper sulfate (which prevents fungus and
other diseases). I spray this immediately after pruning and again just
as the flower bud swell and begin to show red (and again if it rains
within 48 hours after spraying).

Gather up all fallen fruit and trash it. Don't leave it to become a
breeding ground for next year's brown rot.

Prune in the winter. If you normally get snow, wait until the buds
swell slightly. In my area, I prune around New Year. Don't prune now;
the tree is forming the wood on which next year's crop will appear.

--
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/

As with any pesticides, caution must be taken.
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/spring.html

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"David E. Ross" wrote in message
news
On 7/13/2007 1:35 PM, Victor Martinez wrote:
jangchub wrote:
Anyway, I don't kill insects, but does anyone know of a way to prevent
brown rot aside from proper hygiene after the growing season is over.

I'd love some advice on that too, we haven't had a peach in 2 years!!!
The trees are strikingly beautiful when blooming though.

Also, I was wondering if I can do an extreme pruning after all the
fruit has fallen off. The tree is a good umbrella shape, but it is
way too tall...about 14 feet tall. The raccoons get up in there and

I'd wait until February to prune them. Let the leaves produce energy now.


If you are trying to grow something that does not grow in nature (a
hybridized peach), then you must resort to some non-natural practices.
I use a spray that combines dormant oil (which kills over-wintering
insects and their eggs) with copper sulfate (which prevents fungus and
other diseases). I spray this immediately after pruning and again just
as the flower bud swell and begin to show red (and again if it rains
within 48 hours after spraying).

Gather up all fallen fruit and trash it. Don't leave it to become a
breeding ground for next year's brown rot.

Prune in the winter. If you normally get snow, wait until the buds
swell slightly. In my area, I prune around New Year. Don't prune now;
the tree is forming the wood on which next year's crop will appear.

--
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/

On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:35:56 -0500, Victor Martinez
wrote:

I'd love some advice on that too, we haven't had a peach in 2 years!!!
The trees are strikingly beautiful when blooming though.

Do you know the chill hours on your peach? Mine is 400. Last winter
we finally had at least or close to temps below 45 for 400 hours.
Fruit trees, particularly peaches will show beautiful flowers, but if
the chill hours aren't there the blossoms abort the fruit along with
them when they fall off.

I'd wait until February to prune them. Let the leaves produce energy now.

I agree, but peaches set fruit on new wood. So, my line of thinking
was that if I cut out all the largest and oldest limbs I'd encourage
new growth. Then, in February prune it back into the scaffold I have
it pruned into now.

I'm going to go take a look at Dromgool's peach orchard at the store.

"jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:35:56 -0500, Victor Martinez
wrote:


I'd wait until February to prune them. Let the leaves produce energy now.

I agree, but peaches set fruit on new wood. So, my line of thinking
was that if I cut out all the largest and oldest limbs I'd encourage
new growth. Then, in February prune it back into the scaffold I have
it pruned into now.

An article in the Statesman yesterday about the impact of the rain had
this:
"....says Bill Psencik of the Psencik Peach Farm in Fredericksburg

"The foliage on the trees is so dense that we will have to do a lot of
summer pruning to allow adequate sunlight to enter the inside of the canopy
of the trees," Psencik says. "This can have a great effect on the amount of
next year's peach crop."

So, apparently pruning in Summer is not a bad thing.



I'm going to go take a look at Dromgool's peach orchard at the store.

On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:01:09 -0500, "cat daddy"
wrote:

An article in the Statesman yesterday about the impact of the rain had
this:
"....says Bill Psencik of the Psencik Peach Farm in Fredericksburg

"The foliage on the trees is so dense that we will have to do a lot of
summer pruning to allow adequate sunlight to enter the inside of the canopy
of the trees," Psencik says. "This can have a great effect on the amount of
next year's peach crop."

So, apparently pruning in Summer is not a bad thing.

Yes, this is in line with my original thought to remove most of the
old wood which will no longer produce fruit and cut it back hard.
Summer pruning on fruit trees is very common.

Since the tree has given me brown rot for the last three years, and if
it doesn't get remedy I was going to remove it and plant another on
the other side of the property...well, I have nothing to lose. So, I
will follow my instinct and cut it back and prune heavily so new wood
will grow out for next years fruit. I made a mistake in my
terminology, peaches fruit on second year wood, meaning whatever new
wood grows this year, will be the shoots to produce fruit next year.
The shoots are from 18 to 24 inches long and those (generally red in
color) will be the shoots to produce next year.

I will also use a copper fungicide or something similar, but I will
not use pesticides. I don't kill. That's that.

jangchub wrote:
not use pesticides. I don't kill. That's that.

Actually, we all do. Whether we want to or not.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

Not sure where this summer pruning is taking place, but heavy pruning in the
summer
encourages the tree to put out lot's of new growth, usually in the form of water
sprouts that grow up vertically and our not desirable. Better to wait until the
tree goes dormant in late fall or early winter.

Sherwin D.


cat daddy wrote:

"jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:35:56 -0500, Victor Martinez
wrote:


I'd wait until February to prune them. Let the leaves produce energy now.

I agree, but peaches set fruit on new wood. So, my line of thinking
was that if I cut out all the largest and oldest limbs I'd encourage
new growth. Then, in February prune it back into the scaffold I have
it pruned into now.

An article in the Statesman yesterday about the impact of the rain had
this:
"....says Bill Psencik of the Psencik Peach Farm in Fredericksburg

"The foliage on the trees is so dense that we will have to do a lot of
summer pruning to allow adequate sunlight to enter the inside of the canopy
of the trees," Psencik says. "This can have a great effect on the amount of
next year's peach crop."

So, apparently pruning in Summer is not a bad thing.


I'm going to go take a look at Dromgool's peach orchard at the store.

Are you giving this advice as specific to peach trees in Central Texas,
or as a general rule of tree pruning?
I would think the commercial grower would not do anything to jeopardize
his current and future crop or orchard.

"sherwindu" wrote in message
...
Not sure where this summer pruning is taking place, but heavy pruning in
the
summer
encourages the tree to put out lot's of new growth, usually in the form of
water
sprouts that grow up vertically and our not desirable. Better to wait
until the
tree goes dormant in late fall or early winter.

Sherwin D.


cat daddy wrote:

"jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:35:56 -0500, Victor Martinez
wrote:


I'd wait until February to prune them. Let the leaves produce energy
now.

I agree, but peaches set fruit on new wood. So, my line of thinking
was that if I cut out all the largest and oldest limbs I'd encourage
new growth. Then, in February prune it back into the scaffold I have
it pruned into now.

An article in the Statesman yesterday about the impact of the rain
had
this:
"....says Bill Psencik of the Psencik Peach Farm in Fredericksburg

"The foliage on the trees is so dense that we will have to do a lot of
summer pruning to allow adequate sunlight to enter the inside of the
canopy
of the trees," Psencik says. "This can have a great effect on the amount
of
next year's peach crop."

So, apparently pruning in Summer is not a bad thing.


I'm going to go take a look at Dromgool's peach orchard at the store.

I know, but not all the new growth will be in the form of water spouts
and it will be the new shoots which will produce the fruit next year.
I have nothing to lose by trying this rehab project. The tree is
producing beautiful baseball sized fruits with rot. I may have to
wait two seasons to really reap the benefits of doing this hard prune,
but I truly believe it's the only thing I can do.

In the meanwhile, when the fruit trees go on sale in February I'll buy
some and plant them in other spots.


On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:53:39 -0500, sherwindu
wrote:

Not sure where this summer pruning is taking place, but heavy pruning in the
summer
encourages the tree to put out lot's of new growth, usually in the form of water
sprouts that grow up vertically and our not desirable. Better to wait until the
tree goes dormant in late fall or early winter.

Sherwin D.


cat daddy wrote:

"jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:35:56 -0500, Victor Martinez
wrote:


I'd wait until February to prune them. Let the leaves produce energy now.

I agree, but peaches set fruit on new wood. So, my line of thinking
was that if I cut out all the largest and oldest limbs I'd encourage
new growth. Then, in February prune it back into the scaffold I have
it pruned into now.

An article in the Statesman yesterday about the impact of the rain had
this:
"....says Bill Psencik of the Psencik Peach Farm in Fredericksburg

"The foliage on the trees is so dense that we will have to do a lot of
summer pruning to allow adequate sunlight to enter the inside of the canopy
of the trees," Psencik says. "This can have a great effect on the amount of
next year's peach crop."

So, apparently pruning in Summer is not a bad thing.


I'm going to go take a look at Dromgool's peach orchard at the store.

summer pruning wont stimulate new growth, it is for shaping the tree.
On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:01:09 -0500, "cat daddy"
wrote:
"The foliage on the trees is so dense that we will have to do a lot of
summer pruning to allow adequate sunlight to enter the inside of the canopy
of the trees," Psencik says. "This can have a great effect on the amount of
next year's peach crop."

So, apparently pruning in Summer is not a bad thing.

wrote:

summer pruning wont stimulate new growth, it is for shaping the tree.
On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:01:09 -0500, "cat daddy"
wrote:
"The foliage on the trees is so dense that we will have to do a lot of
summer pruning to allow adequate sunlight to enter the inside of the canopy
of the trees," Psencik says. "This can have a great effect on the amount of
next year's peach crop."

So, apparently pruning in Summer is not a bad thing.

I would qualify that statement to say small amounts of pruning are ok, but heavy

pruning will stimulate the tree to put out lots of new growth, usually in the
form
of water sprouts.

Sherwin

jangchub wrote:
Do you know the chill hours on your peach? Mine is 400. Last winter

I don't remember, but it made sense for Austin when we got them.

we finally had at least or close to temps below 45 for 400 hours.
Fruit trees, particularly peaches will show beautiful flowers, but if
the chill hours aren't there the blossoms abort the fruit along with
them when they fall off.

I didn't mean to say the trees do not produce fruit. They do. We just
don't get to eat any because they rot.


--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he