How Can You Increase Your Backyard Peach Tree's Production?
Posted on: 2 August 2016
Having a peach tree in your backyard sounds like a lovely prospect, until you realize that the tree is producing few, if any, peaches. Low productivity can occur for a number of reasons, but fixing the problem is rarely as complicated as you may imagine. Here's a look at some common reasons why peach trees under-produce and what you can do about them.
Reason #1: Lack of a pollinating partner.
Most peach trees are not self-fertile. This means that in order for the blossoms on the tree to develop into fruit, they need to be pollinated by the pollen from a different variety of peach tree. So, if your peach tree is the only one in your yard and none of your neighbors have peach trees, you'll need to plant another one in order to get a sufficient peach crop. Head to your local nursery, and purchase a second fruit tree to plant. Make sure it's a different variety than the tree you currently have.
Reason #2: You're not pruning the tree properly.
Any one peach tree branch only produces fruit for so long. So, it's possible that your tree has too many old branches and not enough new ones. If you have not pruned your tree in some time, wait until late winter, and then prune away the older, tougher branches. This should stimulate new branches to grow, and these branches should produce more fruit. Note that it may take a couple of years of pruning for production to drastically increase.
Reason #3: Your tree is not getting enough nutrients.
Your peach tree needs an array of nutrients, from nitrogen to potassium, in order to be healthy enough to produce fruit. Fertilizing your tree may help improve its fruit production if your soil is deficient. Purchase a standard 15-15-15 fertilizer from a garden store, and dilute it according to package instructions. Make sure you spread the fertilizer in a wide circle around the tree, since the roots of the tree spread out widely. Re-apply the fertilizer each spring until your tree's fruit production improves. You can also spread some wood mulch in a wide circle around the tree. The wood will slowly break down and add nutrients to the soil.
If you try all of these methods and your tree is still not producing, talk to a tree care expert in your area. He or she will take a look at your tree and try to get to the bottom of the problem.
For tree services, contact a company such as Troyer Tree Service Inc.
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