Every gardener wants to have the most delicious peach on his plot, which would grow well and give a big harvest. The Redhaven peach variety is just that. It is great for growing in gardens at our summer cottages and has all the properties of a high-class variety. The article will tell you what the Redhaven peach variety is good for, as well as what gardeners should pay attention to when growing it.
Variety description
The Redhaven peach variety is an American, bred at the University of Michigan only in 1940. At the moment, the most popular among industrial plantings of peaches in America – it occupies more than 70% of all areas allocated for this crop. A very successful example of breeding, therefore, it is often used as a reference when propagating and breeding peaches. One of the most popular varieties among foreign breeders and amateur gardeners.
Redhaven is a relatively low tree, no more than 5 meters in height with a wide, up to 10 meters, well-formed crown. If grafted on almonds, then a 10-year-old tree grows no higher than 3 meters. Red haven peach is a long-liver, the life expectancy of a tree is up to 40 years, which is a lot for fruit trees.
The leaves are long and wide, up to 17 cm long and up to 4,3 cm wide, tapering towards the apex. They are located on the roots in groups of 2-3 leaves, petioles up to 9 mm in length.
Redhaven, depending on the region, blooms from late April to mid-May. The flowers are medium in size, up to 22 mm in diameter, bright pink in color, with a strong aroma.
Begins to bear fruit at 3-4 years of age. The fruits appear from the end of July to mid-August (depending on the climate). Redhaven is a high yielding variety. In the sixth year of life, up to 40-50 kg of peaches can be harvested from a tree, and the maximum yield reaches 11 years – up to 110 kg of fruit.
The fruits are large, each weighing 120-200 g, slightly flattened laterally, 60 mm in diameter, covered with velvety skin, which is easily removed from ripe fruits. The color of the fruit is rich, bright red, the flesh is very juicy, a good orange color. The stone is medium-sized, well separated from the pulp.
Advantages
Redhaven is the cultivar considered by experts to be the closest to ideal fruit of any peach, with a score of 4,9 on a five-point tasting scale. Moreover, peaches have increased transportability, which, together with high yields, makes it an additional source of income for enterprising gardeners.
The species is winter-hardy, not afraid of spring frosts (it can withstand frosts down to minus 25 degrees without much loss). It also copes well with curl, the main disease of peach. These qualities make it possible to breed it in vast areas with different climatic conditions.
It is also important that in this variety, flower buds are already formed on annual growths, which means that with proper care, a tree can begin to bear fruit already in the second year of life.
Care Tips
Redhaven peach requires careful preparation before planting. For future successful growth, a place protected from the winds, but open to sunlight, is ideal. It is desirable that groundwater is located no closer than 1,5 meters. Do not plant it among adult tall trees – such a neighborhood will oppress the young tree and inhibit its development and growth.
It is advisable to plant seedlings during the dormant period: in early spring in March or in autumn in early September.
Video “Planting a peach seedling”
This video will show you how to properly plant a peach seedling.
Redhaven prefers slightly acidic soils (loamy and sandy), pre-filled with organic and mineral fertilizers. Therefore, it is advisable to fertilize frequently after planting.
Redhaven is a self-fertile variety, but bees still visit it (they are attracted to its flowers during the flowering period), so it is advisable to plant several peach trees in the garden for better pollination.
Redhaven is highly susceptible to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and clasterosporium, therefore, for successful growth and development, it is necessary to carry out the correct agricultural technology, spraying in time and monitoring the condition of the tree.
Due to the high yield, this variety often suffers from overload, which causes the fruits to lose a lot of size. Therefore, it requires a mandatory annual procedure for normalizing ovaries. To do this, in early June (depending on the region), when the growing fruits reach a diameter of about 1,5 cm, they should be thinned out with scissors or pruners so that the distance between the ovaries is at least 10 cm. In this case, the fruits grow as large as possible and juicy. But if you remove already overgrown ovaries, the fruits will not become larger and you will not receive an increase in yield, and if you remove them early, then the tree may still drop some of the ovaries under the influence of adverse weather conditions and, on the contrary, you will receive less harvest.
Scheme of the formation of the crown of a peach tree
The Redhaven peach variety is an ideal variety for breeding in summer cottages and home gardens. High yields, resistance to frost and disease, together with proper agricultural technology, contribute to the fact that fragrant delicious fruits of the highest class will flaunt on your table every year.