How to treat peach trees in autumn

Peach

Peach is a capricious crop; to obtain a good harvest, gardeners have to put in a lot of effort. From spring to late summer, you need to constantly monitor the tree's health, apply fertilizer promptly, improve the soil, and prune. Autumn care is one of the most crucial stages; a bountiful harvest next season can only be expected if the peach tree is properly prepared for winter.

How to care for a peach tree in autumn

Standard autumn procedures include fertilizing, watering, loosening the soil, and spraying peach trees against diseases and pests. Young, unfruitful trees require reliable frost protection. Each gardener must develop their own plan, taking into account the climate and weather conditions of the region, as well as the characteristics of the peach variety.

Attention!

Young peaches, up to 3 or 6 years old, need to be protected not only from frost but also from the sun. Winter burns can lead to freezing of the fruit buds.

Beginning gardeners should remember that failure to follow proper gardening practices not only results in reduced yields but also the loss of trees. Renovating a garden is a complex and time-consuming process. Therefore, all recommended procedures must be followed diligently. Difficulties may arise only during the first couple of years; after that, autumn peach tree care will become second nature.

How to care for the soil

The soil around the tree should be dug 10-15 days before the first frost. This procedure helps to dislodge parasitic insects that burrow into the upper soil layers for the winter. The soil should be dug to a depth of up to 30 cm, very firmly; this will determine the extent of pest damage from low temperatures. Dig around the tree trunk very carefully, avoiding damage to the roots.

Turned clods of soil don't need to be broken up or leveled with a rake; frost gradually loosens the soil, allowing moisture to drain unimpeded. The first month of winter in most regions is characterized by low temperatures, snowfall, and frequent thaws. If you loosen the clods immediately, weather changes will turn the top layer of soil into a dense crust that prevents air and moisture from passing through, negatively impacting the tree's future development.

Fertilizing peaches in autumn

To ensure a successful winter, peach trees need to be fed, starting with mineral fertilizers. Dig holes up to 25 cm wide and deep around the trunk, 30 cm away from it (gradually increase the size of the trenches as the tree matures). First, apply phosphorus, cover it with a 4 cm layer of soil, add potassium, and cover with soil again. Alternatively, instead of alternating fertilizers, use a ready-made phosphorus-potassium mixture, mix it with some of the excavated soil, fill the holes, and cover with the remaining soil.

It's very convenient to combine organic fertilizer application with tilling: compost or manure is evenly spread around the peach tree's trunk, leveled with a rake, and the soil is tilled as described above. The amount of any fertilizer is calculated based on the tree's age and soil conditions. Exceeding the recommended amount is not recommended, as this will disrupt the peach tree's natural preparation for winter.

Age of the tree	Fertilizer application rates
Up to 3 years	10 kg of organic matter, 75 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium salt.
4–7 years	15 kg of manure or compost, 125 g of superphosphate, 45 g of potassium salt and 65 g of ammonium nitrate.
7–9 years old	25–30 kg of organic matter, 160 g of superphosphate, 65 g of potassium salt.
Ages 9 and up	35 kg of organic fertilizers, 180 g of superphosphate, 100 g of potassium salt and 120 g of ammonium nitrate.

After adding minerals and organic matter, it's advisable to apply foliar feeding (after leaf fall). You can use urea (50 grams per bucket of water). If the peach tree was planted in the spring, with proper soil preparation, there's no need to fertilize it in the fall; it will only need feeding the following year. After autumn planting The first full feeding is carried out after one and a half years.

Attention!

If the soil isn't depleted and the peach tree isn't too old, fertilizing it with nitrogen-containing fertilizers in the fall isn't recommended. The tree will start growing without having time to prepare for winter.

Phosphorus is applied every two seasons and only in the fall. Organic fertilizer can be applied every three years, but if the soil is already fertile, less frequent applications or a reduced dosage are recommended. Fertilizing young trees with fresh (unrotted) manure is not recommended, as it will burn the roots. The opposite is true for older peach trees, as the roots are already established and have penetrated deep into the soil, so they are not susceptible to root burn.

How and when to water a peach tree

Most of the peach tree's connecting roots are located at a depth of 65 cm, so the soil should be moistened to the same depth. Water the tree after the leaves have fallen, when it is no longer growing. It's important to water before the first autumn frosts; later watering can result in partial or complete freezing of the roots, branches, and trunk. To avoid mistakes, consult a long-term weather forecast. Water gradually and only at the roots.

Peaches should be watered moderately, avoiding waterlogging, as this will prevent the trees from overwintering properly and increase the risk of fungal and viral diseases. If the garden has heavy, clayey soil or if the trees are growing in a low-lying area, it's best to avoid watering. Another reason to avoid watering is a rainy autumn. Peaches planted in sandy loam or podzolic soils require significant pre-winter moisture.

Autumn pruning of peach trees and crown shaping

Peach trees require a lot of sunlight, but they are also very vigorous growers. If pruning is not done promptly, the tree will develop numerous stems, which will produce numerous fruit buds. Overloaded with fruit, the branches will break, weakening the peach and preventing it from overwintering properly. Before planning autumn pruning, study the features of crown formation.

Cup-shaped type

Most peach varieties are shaped into a bowl—the trees are sufficiently thinned, receive good sunlight, and are easy to care for and harvest. This process is performed in the spring only in the south; in other regions, it's done in August or the first half of autumn (provided the weather is warm and dry). Shaping will take at least four years, and should begin one to two years after planting, depending on the height of the seedling.

The main trunk is pinched at a height of 80 cm, the lower 60 cm are left for the standard, and the upper 20 cm are for the skeletal branches. The strongest 3 or 4 lateral branches are left and can be shortened to 15 cm. The remaining shoots, as well as all buds, are completely removed. In summer, upward-growing stems are broken off.
The following year, all skeletal branches are brought to the same length. Stems growing on trunks and skeletal branches during the summer are shortened to 10 cm.
In the third year, only the strongest branches, located half a meter from the base of the skeletal branches, are left and shortened to 50 cm. These will become the secondary branches.

In the final year, third-order branches are established. In the summer, shoots growing downward, inward, and horizontally are removed. Thinning and preventative pruning are necessary annually thereafter. A peach tree bears fruit well for about 13 years, after which it needs to be rejuvenated. This procedure is acceptable when the yield has noticeably declined, provided the peach tree itself is healthy and well-groomed.

Household pruning

This method is more suitable for varieties with dense budding. The procedure involves shortening weakened annual shoots by 15–20 cm, while healthy branches should be pruned to leave 3 to 8 groups of fruiting buds (depending on growth vigor). This type of pruning can be combined with replacement pruning: strong fruiting shoots are pruned using a home-made method, while weak, growth, and mixed shoots are pruned by only 3 buds.

By combining these two pruning methods, you can create an optimal crown for peach varieties prone to dense growth. Never use extreme pruning methods on young trees. Removing a significant portion of the branches will require more than four years for fruiting to begin. It's recommended to thin the crown no more than once a year before the first bloom.

Autumn pruning of a formed peach tree

The procedure is performed from late September to mid-October to allow the wounds to heal before frost sets in. Only sharp, clean, and disinfected garden tools (scissors, loppers, pruning shears, or saw) should be used. The cut areas must be sealed with garden varnish or oil paint, or, in extreme cases, treated with crushed wood ash.

Attention!

The bulk of the peach harvest is produced on mature, one-year-old, and cluster branches. Fruit on fruiting and generative shoots is usually small and dry.

In the fall, remove diseased, damaged, and dried branches (they can harbor pests, fungal spores, and pathogenic bacteria). Weakened shoots and suckers that crowd the crown should be pruned, as they will absorb too many nutrients during the winter. First, prune branches containing only flower or growth buds, then thin the crown. Any pruning should be done only in warm, dry weather.

The optimal height for a mature peach tree is 3.5 meters; the crown should be lowered by pushing it laterally. In regions with harsh winters, heavy pruning is performed in the fall to improve nutritional distribution. In temperate or southern climates, as well as for winter-hardy varieties that can withstand temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius, this type of pruning is not necessary.

Autumn peach processing

The main treatment of peach trees is carried out in the fall, with further results being consolidated in the spring. Summer spraying is aimed at eliminating diseases or pests during the most dangerous periods (unfavorable weather or epidemics). Fall is a damp time of year, and the high humidity creates an ideal environment for spore development. If fungal activity is not suppressed before winter, they will penetrate the tree bark as early as February, slowing sap flow, and depriving buds and flower buds of moisture and nutrients. Even with timely spring intervention, saving the peaches will be difficult.

Before beginning treatment, thoroughly prepare the garden and trees: remove all fallen leaves and fruit, prune, and whitewash the trunks. Spraying should be done in calm, windless weather before lunch. It is important that there is no rain for the next 2-3 days. Protective clothing and a fine-mist sprayer are available for the work. Treat the trunk first, then the branches, and finally, if necessary, the soil. It is advisable to rotate the products throughout the year to prevent insects, pathogenic bacteria, and fungi from developing resistance.

Attention!

Spraying of peaches in autumn should be carried out a month before the first frost and only after the leaves have fallen.

For comprehensive peach tree protection, gardeners prepare mixtures of insecticides and fungicides. First, check the compatibility of specific products; all necessary information is provided on the packaging. Failure to follow this rule can result in ineffective spraying or even damage to the tree. Recommended fall peach sprays:

To cope with almost all insects at different stages of their development, treatment with urea (50 g per 10 liters of water) will help;
A tree treated with a diesel emulsion is covered with a protective film that prevents the development of pests hiding in the leaves and bark. The parasites will emerge. To prepare the solution, you will need 2 kg of clay, 600 g of diesel fuel, and 2 tablespoons of liquid soap per 10 liters of water. You can replace the chemicals with garlic infusion; insects dislike its smell.
To combat fungi, peach trees need to be sprayed with 3% Bordeaux mixture (2 to 12 liters of solution per tree) or other copper-containing preparations.

To help you choose the right pest control products, keep in mind that the most dangerous diseases for peach trees are moniliosis, powdery mildew, and clasterosporium, and the most serious risk is leaf curl. The tree is most often attacked by mites, various types of aphids, weevils, oriental codling moths, and fruit moths. When purchasing pest control products, consult with the seller, focus on prevention when choosing dosages, and always follow safety precautions.

How to protect peaches from sun and frost

Direct sunlight, regardless of the time of year, can burn the bark, young branches, and in some cases, even the roots. Damaged areas are usually frozen, and in the spring, the tree expends considerable energy regenerating, which negatively impacts the quantity and quality of the harvest. Peach trees are especially susceptible to sun damage after insufficient or uneven autumn watering; burns are more common if the tree grows in poor soil.

Protecting peach trees from sunburn is easy: in the fall, whitewash the trunk and base of skeletal branches with a mixture of 2 kg of slaked lime, 250 g of copper sulfate, and 30 g of laundry soap per bucket of water. For best results (protecting fruit buds and bark), it's advisable to spray the tree with lime milk. Young peach tree trunks can be wrapped in cardboard, spruce branches, straw, sunflower stalks, reeds, or corn. The material should be tied loosely, but securely.

Attention!

You need to remove the protection from the peach tree after the return of spring frosts, but you shouldn’t delay it too long, so that the tree doesn’t rot.

How to protect a peach tree for the winter depends on the regional climate and the location of the garden. In the south, high hilling and creating a substantial snowdrift as the snow falls are sufficient. In cities with frosty, snowless winters, as well as in areas exposed to cold winds, mulch the area around the tree trunk with a mixture of sawdust and ash (up to 15 cm thick) to retain warmth at the roots.