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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 12, 2014 9:43:22 GMT -5
It's been some years since I had a producing peach tree, so my memory is failing me a little. When do I thin the fruit on my peach tree? (In other words, what size should the fruit be when I thin them?) I am supposed to thin to 6" spacing between peaches, right? As an aside, I have a few baby peaches that look like fused quadruplets. Really weird-looking little things. These won't make usable fruits, so I should thin them, right? Though I might leave one and let it develop just to show the kids and freak them out.
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Post by coppice on Apr 12, 2014 10:47:24 GMT -5
Six inches apart might be a place to start. I'd take off any "phunny" looking fruit too.
If you irrigate or get enough rain you may have to thin a second time. What're you using for a spray regime?
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 12, 2014 14:45:06 GMT -5
Yes, I do drip-irrigate when needed. In some years, April and May can be extremely dry.
How do I know if I need to thin again? If I need to do a second thinning, how far apart do the fruit need to be?
I'm spraying Serenade for diseases. I don't know how bad the fruit diseases will be, since this will be my first year with a real crop. That probably depends on whether the fruit ripens before the rainy season starts in June.
But this tree has been amazingly disease-free since I planted it in 2012. No leaf spots or anything. It stays lush and green right up until the leaves turn in the fall. The last tree I had needed substantial spraying to keep the leaves healthy.
I will be applying neem seed meal to the soil also. Neem seed meal (a.k.a. neem cake) is the residue left over after neem seeds are pressed for oil. It's been used as a fertilizer and pesticide in India for decades. It provides the same active ingredient as neem oil - azadirachtin - which is taken up by the plants' roots and has a systemic effect as an insect killer and also as an insect anti-feedant and repellent. It also lowers nematode populations in treated soil.
I have been waiting for petal drop to make the first neem seed meal application. I didn't want to risk azadirachtin being excreted in the nectar and pollen and harming pollinators. So now it's time to apply!
I'll be monitoring for any insect damage, and add an organic insecticide spray if needed.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 12, 2014 14:45:57 GMT -5
Oh, yeah - when do I do the first thinning? As soon as all of the blossoms finish dropping?
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desertrat
Pro Member
Posts: 143
Joined: October 2011
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Post by desertrat on Apr 14, 2014 12:42:50 GMT -5
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 15, 2014 10:57:45 GMT -5
Hmm...pickled peach pits. I'll have to think about that one.
The timing on the gardeningknowhow site probably doesn't work for me. I looked on IFAS and they recommend thinning before the peaches reach marble to nickle size. That will be pretty soon.
Some of the baby peaches have dropped on their own. Also, we had a strong thunderstorm last night with quite a bit of wind. I wouldn't be surprised if that did a little more thinning for me - hopefully not too much! It's been raining this morning so I haven't had a chance to go check yet.
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mjc26250
Junior Member
Posts: 36
Joined: April 2014
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Post by mjc26250 on Apr 16, 2014 7:35:59 GMT -5
Some of the baby peaches have dropped on their own. Also, we had a strong thunderstorm last night with quite a bit of wind. I wouldn't be surprised if that did a little more thinning for me - hopefully not too much! It's been raining this morning so I haven't had a chance to go check yet. And THAT is why I never bother thinning peaches...more often than not, they will drop almost enough to thin themselves, if the wind doesn't over thin them. I think peaches are one of, if not the most likely to drop/self thin fruits around.
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Post by coppice on Aug 9, 2014 9:26:08 GMT -5
I'm much more wanting to get pruned fruit into a bucket and out of the orchard, to like a compost pile. Breaking up the breeding cycle of critters that like peaches (or any other fruit) needs to have to work harder for their supper, lest it be be me working harder for mine. I'd start with one spread hand apart, and thin a second time if branches are drooping too much, to two hands spread apart. and if that still wan't enough I'd take off any doubletons too.
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Post by redneckplanter on Apr 28, 2015 19:23:40 GMT -5
I can tell ya iffin yer tree is loaded with fruit and you get a stronnnnnnnnnng wind your tree can snap in half.done it few days ago.tons of fruit on the desert dawn.now its gone.
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Post by coppice on Apr 29, 2015 2:58:21 GMT -5
The old guys used especially on peach, sticks and two-by's with a notch (on one end) as props. There is a bit of art in figuring how many fruit you can leave on the tree if'n there is a gale.
If peach is new to you, better to take off a couple too many, than too few.
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Post by izitmidnight on Apr 29, 2015 23:22:14 GMT -5
My three peach trees thin themselves. Frost usually takes a third of the blooms. Then the crazy storm weather of springtime usually knocks down the other third. Just checked them this evening and they seem to be thinned apropriately to finish the summer.
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Post by coppice on Apr 30, 2015 2:43:10 GMT -5
Maybe thats why the old guys called it providence...
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Post by coppice on Apr 30, 2015 10:37:03 GMT -5
I will be applying neem seed meal to the soil also. Neem seed meal (a.k.a. neem cake) is the residue left over after neem seeds are pressed for oil. It's been used as a fertilizer and pesticide in India for decades. It provides the same active ingredient as neem oil - azadirachtin - which is taken up by the plants' roots and has a systemic effect as an insect killer and also as an insect anti-feedant and repellent. It also lowers nematode populations in treated soil. I have been waiting for petal drop to make the first neem seed meal application. I didn't want to risk azadirachtin being excreted in the nectar and pollen and harming pollinators. So now it's time to apply! I'll be monitoring for any insect damage, and add an organic insecticide spray if needed. I have been a Nosey Parker after you mentioned Neem cakes repellent qualities. I can find reference to is use instead of cotton-meal (its N-P-K is 6, 1, 2) because it is not a GMO organic growers like it. I am falling down finding citations for its insect repellent qualities. More as I stir it up.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 30, 2015 11:44:34 GMT -5
I have been a Nosey Parker Heyyyy... not all of us Parkers are nosey...
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 1, 2015 8:43:59 GMT -5
coppice , last year when I made that post I based it on an article I found about neem as an insecticide and repellant. Unfortunately I can't seem to find it anymore. Most of the study of neem cake has been done in India, as neem cake has long been used there.
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Post by coppice on May 1, 2015 9:05:57 GMT -5
The consensus I have been able to find suggests neem cake aught to be safe for bees. The take away was it was a fertilizer over an insecticide.
I stopped growing peach for a longish time due to not having the space to keeping a backup inventory of new peach trees coming to to make up for casualties.
Now that I'm getting pulled back into growing them. I'd love to have a systemic for borer.
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