What is the best month to prune peach trees? What is the best month to prune peach trees?

Peach tree pruning time

Peach trees are usually pruned between the time their leaves fall and February of the following year. Through pruning, the peach trees can remove remaining pests and diseases on their branches in the winter and also supply nutrients to the roots, laying the foundation for high peach yields in the following year.

How to prune peach trees

1. Young tree stage

When pruning young peach trees, the main focus is generally on expanding the crown and shaping them, so pruning is generally done by short cutting, light pruning and leaving them long. For slender branches and extended branches, pruning should be done according to the tree shape to be cultivated. For branches that are not the main trunk, light pruning and leaving them long should be used to promote later flowering and fruiting, and slowly cultivate them into fruiting branches.

2. Peak fruiting period

For peach trees in the peak fruit-bearing period, the main thing is to extend the fruiting period of the peach trees. For longer fruit-bearing branches in the peak fruit-bearing period, about 5 flower buds should be retained. For medium-length fruit-bearing branches, about 3 flower buds should be retained. Shorter fruit-bearing branches do not need to be shortened.

Peach tree pruning precautions

Don't be too particular about the shape of the peach tree. Prune according to the specific needs of the tree. During winter pruning, only cut the branches that are too thick or too thin, and leave the rest alone. During summer pruning, only cut the dense branches. This kind of tree shape has a short crown and has space for working, so it is convenient and labor-saving to operate in the field.