Content
Planting a peach in spring is the best choice for a climate in the middle zone. In autumn, due to the early onset of cold weather, there is a risk that the young tree will not have time to take root and will suffer in winter. For a gentle southern culture, the gardener carefully chooses a site and enriches the land with nutrients.
Peach growing principles
Planting and caring for peaches in the middle lane is quite laborious, because plants of southern origin require increased attention. Even varieties of winter-hardy directions, bred specifically for growing in more severe conditions, will have to be carefully prepared for winter. The cold is tolerated by peaches, when planting they adhered to the rules and agrotechnical requirements for care throughout the warm season. And they also carefully mulched the trunk circle in the fall so that the roots would not suffer from the winter weather.
In addition, they pay attention to the healthy state of leaves and branches during prolonged precipitation with rather low summer temperatures. In such weather, the risk of weakening the plant and infection with fungal diseases increases.
Trees are not demanding on the composition of the soil, but its structure is important. Peaches are planted on light, drained and breathable soils. Arrange a sufficient drainage layer, up to 15-20 cm.
What kind of peach to plant
Now peaches have been bred for planting in those climatic zones where frosts drop to -25-30 ° C. Special achievements of domestic, as well as Belarusian, Ukrainian, Canadian and American breeders. So planting peaches in the suburbs has ceased to be a fantastic plot. Trees have also been bred, the flowers of which endure minus spring weather. Planting a peach in the middle lane dictates the choice of a seedling variety that is not only frost-resistant, but also with a late flowering period, when the threat of recurrent frosts has passed. The main criteria for selecting varieties for plots in those regions where severe winters, capricious spring and early autumn are:
- early maturity;
- winter hardiness and the ability of peach to quickly restore wood after freezing;
- late flowering.
Planting only early and mid-season varieties is explained by the fact that late peaches, ripening in September-October, will not have time to collect sugars before frost. Early cultivars bloom in April, early May, but the buds are not afraid of frosts down to -7 ° C. Fruits are harvested from mid-July to the second decade of August. The mid-ripening group ripens after August 10-15, fruiting lasts until the end of the month. Such peach seedlings are suitable for the Moscow region, as well as the Ural and Siberian regions, with the condition of planting in a cozy, draft-protected, sunny place.
Peach varieties differ in yield and frost resistance:
- Golden Moscow;
- Fury;
- Frost;
- Laureate;
- Red Maid;
- Redhaven;
- Kiev early;
- Voronezh bush.
Suchny, Novoselkovsky, Vavilovsky, Lesostepnoy early, Jelgavsky, Donskoy, Favorite Moretini, Collins, Harbinger, White Swan, Columnar Medovy, Steinberg and many others have also proven themselves well.
How to plant a peach correctly
Productivity, winter hardiness and low susceptibility of peaches to diseases largely depend on the choice of a planting site and filling the pit with nutrients.
When is the best time to plant a peach
In the middle lane, peaches are planted from April 10-20. If spring is early, planting is carried out at the end of March. A strong seedling will grow immediately. The leaves will not suffer from spring frosts, the root system will not dry out on condition of regular watering, it will take root well at the beginning of the warm season.
Where to plant a peach
A place is carefully chosen, taking into account the preferences of a light and heat-loving culture:
- a well-lit planting area will ensure the juiciness of the fruit;
- under the protection of a building on the south or southwest side, the peach will receive additional heat from the walls heated by the sun;
- a barrier to cold winds will to some extent save the seedling from freezing of flowers and ovaries, which cannot stand temperatures - 3 ° С, although the buds can withstand up to - 7 ° С;
- avoid shaded places where the wood of young shoots does not ripen, so there is a weak laying of flower buds or even the death of the tree;
- unsuccessful planting of peaches in lowlands with swampy soil and stagnant cold air.
Preparation of soil and planting pit
In the fall, at the planting site of the tree, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work, dig up the site, add compost, humus, 60 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium sulfate per square meter. When the weather permits in spring, as early as possible:
- form a landing pit with a diameter of 0.7-0.8 m and the same depth;
- a high drainage layer is placed on the bottom, up to 15-20 cm;
- then the upper fertile layer of garden soil is mixed with the same amount of humus or compost, adding 200 g of wood ash, 80-100 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium fertilizer or complex preparations according to the instructions.
After acquiring a seedling, planting is carried out.
Selection and preparation of seedlings
When buying a peach, examine its roots, they should be:
- elastic, not overdried;
- with dense fibrous processes;
- without damage and build-up.
Peaches often die in the summer after planting due to the fact that the roots have dried up during storage. They buy those trees whose buds are also alive, not dry, but the trunk and branches are intact, without cracks and scratches. Seedlings are transported by wrapping the roots in damp paper or cloth, and on top in polyethylene to keep the moisture remaining in the roots. If the weather is subzero, the trunks are also covered with something so that they do not suffer from the frosty air flow.
Sometimes peach seedlings of early varieties, like other ripening periods, are bought in the fall in order to save them in the basement on their own. The room temperature should not rise above + 5 ° С. The roots are placed in a box with wet sawdust so that the root collar is open. Before storage, all the leaves are cut off on the seedling. In winter, they systematically check the condition of the tree, make sure that there is no waterlogging.
How to plant a peach
All stone fruit trees are planted in the same way:
- a mound is formed from the laid fertile layer, on which the roots of the seedling are spread;
- the plant is placed so that the root collar rises 5-7 cm above the soil level;
- a support is hammered into the pit;
- sprinkle the peach roots with the remaining fertile substrate;
- the soil is compacted and watered;
- apply mulch on top to retain moisture.
What to do after landing
In spring, after planting, peach seedlings must be mulched so that the hot sun does not dry out the ground and roots:
- humus;
- compost;
- buckwheat husk;
- needles;
- agrofiber.
After planting, the peach is pruned:
- the central shoot is shortened;
- 3-4 strong branches are left below;
- lateral branches are cut to 3 buds.
- after 7-10 days, the seedling is treated with fungicides for fungal diseases.
If there is enough precipitation in summer, plants are watered 3-4 times per season with plenty of water, up to 30-40 liters. In the heat, spring planting seedlings are moistened by 15-25 liters every week. Water is poured not along the near-trunk circle, but into a groove formed along its perimeter with high sides, up to 12-15 cm deep, 10 cm wide. Particular attention is paid to treating peaches with fungicides if the summer is rainy and cool. The culture suffers from this kind of weather. In the first year after planting, peaches are not fed, since the trees have enough nutrients embedded in the substrate. Only in September or October, before water-charging irrigation, when the peach is given up to 40-50 liters of water, 2 tablespoons of superphosphate and potassium fertilizer are placed in the soil.
After feeding and watering a young tree before winter, the trunk circle is mulched with a high layer of humus or compost. The root system of the culture is sensitive to low temperatures and can freeze without preparation. It is advisable to install a protection from dry plant residues or a tent made of agrofibre around the stem for the first 2-3 winters after planting. Winter-hardy varieties can suffer from spring frosts, because the culture leaves the dormant period early.
Well-recovering wood after freezing will give a crop only the next year, with the condition of top dressing:
- in the spring, add 3 tablespoons of ammonium nitrate or 2 tablespoons of urea;
- in the summer they support with potash;
- in the fall, fertilize with phosphate preparations.
Transplanting a peach to another location
It was noted that in the south, trees take root more easily after transshipment, this is facilitated by favorable climatic conditions. It is best to replant the peach in the fall, when it enters a dormant period. A mature tree after 7 years very rarely takes root in a new place. Younger plants are easier to transplant, but only the procedure is carried out in case of emergency.
They try to preserve the root system as much as possible, widely digging in a previously well-filled earthen lump - up to 1.2 m, to a depth of 80-90 cm.It is wrapped with a film or tarpaulin from all sides in order to take it out of the pit and transfer it intact. The same fertilizers are placed on the bottom as when planting, 2-3 buckets of nutritious soil mixed with humus. Pour 30-40 liters of water and carefully set the tree, freeing the roots from the material at hand, which tightened the soil during transportation. After it is watered and a layer of humus mulch is applied. In the spring, the tree is pruned, taking into account the shortened root system.
Important nuances to know before boarding
When planning to grow peaches, they study the details of planting, placement and caring for plants.
At what distance to plant peaches
It is recommended to observe the interval between trees up to 4-5 m. The peach planting scheme provides that the fruit forms are separated from each other by a distance equal to the sum of the height of their crown. Then the plants freely use the nutrients from the soil. Intensive methods of crop cultivation involve compacted planting followed by active nutrition of trees with mineral preparations.
What can be planted next to a peach
Providing the correct planting and care for the peach in spring, they prevent possible diseases not only by treatment with fungicides, but also by a thoughtful arrangement:
- neighbors from the north, west and east at a distance of up to 6 m can be neutral apple and pear trees;
- the seedling should not be placed next to a plum, apricot or cherry, which are often subject to fungal diseases;
- tall ornamental trees will oppress the peach and shade, and uncontrolled shoots;
- do not plant where strawberries, melons and nightshades were grown, since the plants have a general predisposition to verticillosis;
- Close plantings of alfalfa and clover oppress young trees.
What year does the peach bear fruit after planting
A well-placed seedling, not affected by frost, blooms in the third year of development. After planting, the peach begins to bear fruit more abundantly for 5-6 years. The early varieties mature 85-95 days after flowering, while the middle varieties mature in 3-4 months.
Conclusion
Planting a peach in spring gives the plant the opportunity to thrive in favorable warm season conditions. Carefully select a suitable place and follow the recommendations for plant care.
