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The columnar peach is a relatively new type of fruit tree, widely used both for ornamental purposes and for harvesting. The use of columnar trees can significantly save space in the garden. Caring for such plants is quite simple and allows even novice gardeners to grow them.
Benefits of Growing Columnar Peaches
Compared to regular peaches, columnar peaches have quite a few advantages. These include:
- Small size, which allows you to place quite a lot of different varieties in a small area.
- Ease of care and harvesting.
- Resistance to diseases and pests.
- Early start of fruiting.
- Good fruit taste.
- The fruits are larger than usual.
- The crown hardly needs pruning.
- High winter hardiness.
Despite the fact that the reviews of columnar peaches are very good, they are not without flaws. Such trees do not have a high yield due to their small size. Their lifespan is much shorter than usual.
Columnar peaches have another drawback – the high price of seedlings, reaching up to 1000 rubles per 1 piece.
General description of columnar peaches
The columnar peach gets its name from its characteristic columnar crown shape. It is a low deciduous fruit tree. Its height is usually no more than one and a half meters, although there are varieties with a higher crown. A columnar peach is planted singly or in group plantings for decorative purposes. Plants look very impressive both during flowering and during fruiting.
Characteristics of columnar peach varieties
Columnar cultivars of peaches have increased resistance to pests and diseases compared to ordinary trees. Due to their small size, their yield is much lower, but the fruits themselves are larger and tastier. They are more winter-hardy than usual, easily withstand temperatures down to -40°C.
In terms of flowering and fruiting, trees of this type do not differ from ordinary peaches, among them there are both early and late varieties.
Popular varieties of columnar peach
gardener’s totem. It is one of the most popular varieties of columnar peach. This is a variety of medium early ripening, usually the fruits reach maturity in the second half of July. The height of the tree does not exceed 1,7 m. The fruits are large, up to 300 g in weight, rounded. The pulp is juicy, yellow-orange in color, sweet taste. Ripe fruits have a good trade dress, high transportability, are well stored. The total yield can reach 12-14 kg per tree. The gardener’s totem is one of the most unpretentious varieties that are not demanding on growing conditions.
Steinberg. The variety has a pyramidal crown shape. The height of an adult tree can reach 2 meters. The fruits are round, orange-yellow. Their average weight is 150 g. On the sunny side, a raspberry blush appears on the peaches. The pulp is fragrant, juicy yellowish color.
Anniversary of the capital. A tree of this variety grows up to one and a half meters. Its fruits are bright yellow, 230-250 g in weight, sweet taste. You can use them both for fresh consumption and for canning.
Golden Triumph. An early ripening variety that ripens in early July. The average height of a tree is up to one and a half meters. The crown is compact. The fruits are red, the flesh is orange, sweet, fragrant. The average fruit weight is 250–280 g. The total yield can reach 10 kg per tree. The variety is highly resistant to diseases, as well as increased frost resistance.
honeyed. This is an early variety that ripens in early July. The crown is medium in size, the height of the tree can reach 2 meters. Fruits up to 200 g, rounded, yellow with a characteristic blush, slightly pubescent. The taste is sweet.
Souvenir. Crimean variety of columnar peach. The tree can reach 2,5 m in height, the crown with a diameter of up to half a meter. The fruits ripen quite late, in the first half of August. They are yellow in color, with a slight blush and slight pubescence. The pulp is yellow, juicy, sweet.
Varieties of columnar peaches for the Moscow region
The climate of the Moscow region is by no means ideal for such a southern crop as a peach. However, the high frost resistance and disease resistance of these trees makes their cultivation possible even in such conditions. Now columnar peaches grow well not only in the Moscow region, but also in more northern territories.
All the varieties described above have high winter hardiness, so they can easily endure winters near Moscow. In addition, you can try to grow a columnar peach Fig in the Moscow region. This is a relatively young variety. The height of the tree does not exceed 2 m. The fruits are flattened, sweet and juicy, but they lie and are poorly transported due to their delicate skin. Their mass is 150–180 g.
Planting and caring for columnar peaches
For planting, one-year-old seedlings of a columnar peach are usually used. When choosing them, you should be especially careful, taking into account their cost. The seedling should look good and have a developed root system. Planting a columnar peach is done in late autumn or early spring, before the start of the growing season.
Site selection and preparation of soil
For good growth and development of the plant, a large amount of sunlight is needed, so it is advisable to choose a place on the south side of the site. It is not recommended to plant it in the shade of other trees, buildings and structures. Wetlands and lowlands, as well as areas with a high level of groundwater, are not suitable for planting.
Soil preparation for planting should be done in advance. The place for the future seedling is cleared, removing weeds and excess debris. After that, the site is dug up, I add humus or rotted manure to the soil. It is best to do this in the fall if planting is planned in the spring. When planting in autumn, the procedure should be carried out at least a month before the planned date of disembarkation.
Landing algorithm
Planting pits for planting a columnar peach are dug out taking into account the size of the root system of the seedling. Usually this is a hole with a diameter of about half a meter and a depth of 50-60 cm. A layer of drainage from broken bricks, crushed stone or expanded clay is laid on the bottom with a layer of 7-10 cm, then the same layer of fertile soil is poured. Near the center of the hole, you need to drive in a peg to which a young tree will be tied.
The seedling is installed vertically in the pit and carefully covered with soil. It must be lightly tamped to prevent the formation of voids in the ground. Then the near-stem circle should be poured abundantly with water. The planted tree must be tied to a support, this will protect it from wind damage.
Caring for columnar peaches
Further care for columnar peaches is not difficult. During the year, it is processed to protect against diseases and pests, watering, fertilizing, loosening and mulching the soil. The frequency of watering depends on the amount of precipitation. In dry weather, the trees are watered about once a week. If there is enough rainfall, watering can be done once a month or less. Feed the tree several times a season. As a rule, complex mineral fertilizers are used for this in spring and summer, and organic matter in autumn.
During the season, 2-3 tree treatments are performed with special preparations for the prevention of diseases. Despite the fact that the columnar peach is a fairly frost-resistant plant, it must be covered for the winter. To do this, you can use various materials that allow air to pass through: burlap, paper, parchment, straw, dry reeds and others.
How to prune a columnar peach
Columnar peach pruning is done in early spring, before the start of the growing season. At this time, old diseased dry branches are removed, and the annual growth is also shortened to a length of 15-20 cm. This will allow the tree to maintain its decorative appearance. In the fall, a preventive examination of the peach is done, during which damaged and dry branches are also removed.
A video on pruning the columnar peach and other columnar trees can be viewed at the link below.
Conclusion
The columnar peach is no longer a rare and ornamental plant. More and more gardeners are planting these trees on their plots, which combine both decorative purposes and harvesting functions. It is much easier to care for such trees than for ordinary ones, so they attract not only experienced, but also beginner gardeners.