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Planting a peach in the spring is the best choice for a midland climate. 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 delicate southern culture, the gardener carefully chooses a place and enriches the earth 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. Peaches endure the cold, when planting they adhered to the rules and agrotechnical requirements for care throughout the warm season. They also carefully mulched the near-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 the planting of peaches in the suburbs has ceased to be a fantasy story. Trees are also 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 return frosts has passed. The main criteria for selecting varieties for sites in those regions where harsh winters, capricious spring and early autumn are:
- precocity;
- winter hardiness and the ability of peach to quickly restore wood after freezing;
- late flowering.
Planting only early-ripening and mid-ripening 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 frost down to -7 ° C. The fruits are harvested from mid-July to the second decade of August. The mid-season 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 Maiden;
- Redhaven;
- Kiev early;
- Voronezh bush.
Juicy, Novoselkovsky, Vavilovsky, Early Forest-Steppe, Elgavsky, Donskoy, Favorit Morettini, Collins, Harbinger, White Swan, columnar Honey, Steinberg and many others have also proven themselves well.
How to plant a peach
Productivity, winter hardiness and low susceptibility of peach to diseases largely depend on the choice of planting site and filling the pit with nutrients.
When is the best time to plant a peach?
In the conditions of the middle lane, peaches are planted from April 10-20. If the spring is early, planting is carried out at the end of March. A strong seedling will immediately grow. The leaves will not suffer from spring frosts, the root system will not dry out under the 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 selected, taking into account the preferences of a light and heat-loving culture:
- a well-lit area for planting will ensure the juiciness of the fruit;
- under the protection of the building from the south or southwest side, the peach will receive additional heat from the walls heated by the sun;
- a barrier to cold winds to some extent will protect the seedling from freezing of flowers and ovaries that cannot stand temperatures of -3 ° C, although buds can withstand up to – 7 ° C;
- avoid shady places where the wood of young shoots does not ripen, so there is a weak laying of flower buds or even the death of a tree;
- unsuccessful planting of peach in lowlands with marshy soil and stagnation of cold air.
Soil and planting pit preparation
In autumn, at the place of planting 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 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 at the bottom, up to 15-20 cm;
- then the top 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, inspect its roots, they should be:
- elastic, not overdried;
- with dense fibrous processes;
- without damage and growths.
Often, peaches 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, 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 minus, the trunks are also covered with something so that they do not suffer from the frosty air flow.
Sometimes peach seedlings of early varieties, as well as other ripening periods, are bought in the fall in order to store them in the basement on their own. The temperature in the room should not rise above + 5 °C. The roots are placed in a box with wet sawdust so that the root neck is open. Before storage, cut off all the leaves 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 straightened;
- the plant is placed so that the root neck rises 5-7 cm above the soil level;
- a support is hammered into the pit;
- sprinkle peach roots with the remaining fertile substrate;
- the soil is compacted and watered;
- Mulch is placed on top to retain moisture.
What to do after landing
In the spring, after planting, peach seedlings must be mulched so that the hot sun does not dry out the ground and roots:
- humus;
- compost;
- buckwheat peel;
- needles;
- agrofiber.
After planting, the peach is cut off:
- the central shoot is shortened;
- 3-4 strong branches are left below;
- side branches are cut to 3 buds.
- after 7-10 days, the seedling is treated with fungicides from fungal diseases.
If there is enough precipitation in summer, the plants are watered 3-4 times per season with plenty of water, up to 30-40 liters. In the heat, seedlings of spring planting are moistened by 15-25 liters every week. Water is poured not along the 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 the treatment of peaches with fungicides if the summer turned out to be rainy and cool. The culture suffers from such weather. In the first year after planting, peaches are not fed, because the trees have enough nutrients 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 put into 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 slightly without preparation. It is advisable for the first 2-3 winters after planting to install protection from dry plant residues or an agrofibre tent around the stem. Winter-hardy varieties may suffer from spring frosts, because the culture leaves the dormant period early.
Well-restored wood after freezing will give a harvest only for the next year, with the condition of top dressing:
- in the spring, 3 tablespoons of ammonium nitrate or 2 tablespoons of urea are added;
- in the summer they support potash;
- fertilize with phosphate preparations in the fall.
Transplanting peach to another place
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 repot a peach in the fall when it enters its dormant period. An adult 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 a previously well-filled earthen lump – up to 1,2 m, to a depth of up to 80-90 cm. The same fertilizers are placed at the bottom as when planting, 2-3 buckets of nutrient soil mixed with humus. Water 30-40 liters of water and carefully set the tree, freeing the roots from the material at hand, which pulled the soil together when carried. After watering and applying a layer of mulch from humus. In the spring, the tree is pruned, given the shortened root system.
Important nuances to know before landing
If you are going to grow peaches, learn the details of planting, placing and caring for plants.
How far apart 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 their crown height. Then the plants freely use the nutrients from the soil. Intensive methods of growing crops imply compacted planting followed by active nutrition of trees with mineral preparations.
What can be planted next to a peach
Providing the peach with proper planting and care in the spring, possible diseases are prevented not only by fungicide treatment, but also by a thoughtful arrangement:
- neutral apple and pear trees can be neighbors from the north, west and east at a distance of up to 6 m;
- 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 with both shade and uncontrolled growth;
- do not plant where strawberries, gourds and nightshade crops were grown, since plants have a general predisposition to verticillium;
- close plantings of alfalfa and clover oppress young trees.
What year does a 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. Early varieties ripen 85-95 days after flowering, and medium – 3-4 months.
Conclusion
Planting a peach in the spring gives the plant the opportunity to thrive in the favorable conditions of the warm season. Carefully select a suitable place and follow the recommendations for caring for the plant.