Fuzzy Peaches and Fuzzless Nectarines

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Fuzzy Peaches and Fuzzless Nectarines

Mention lake effect, and the first thing that pops into most people's minds, including those who live in our area, is a mental image of raging snowstorms. Don't feel bad, it is the first thing that I imagine, too. What we don't realize and take for granted is that the lake effect has an ongoing influence throughout the whole year in our Southern Great Lakes Region. In the article,The Climate of the Region, I mentioned that lake effect is both a blessing and a curse. When growing fruit trees, the climate is certainly a blessing because this in one of the perks to living in an area where the lakes influence the weather year-round.

Given the geographical location of our region, the lakes have definitely blessed our area with enough moderation in temperature and climate that we can grow more types of fruit trees than those who live just west and north of the southern Great Lakes system. People living a bit further west and north are unable to grow many of the stone fruits, or if they can, their choices of cultivars and varieties are very limited. I already discussed apples and pears in the article, An Apple (Or Pear)! A Day. This article will touch on the other fruits that are part of the home orchard series, peaches and nectarines.

Peaches and nectarines are known commonly as stone fruits. The stone fruits are those fruits that possess a central, single seed or stone. These fruits include cheeries, plums, apricots, peaches, and nectarines. Many of them are suitable for growing in the home landscape.

Peaches and their fuzzless sisters, Nectarines, are the Prima Donnas of the Orchard. Next to apples, more peaches are grown than any other fruit in the region, and I suspect, anywhere else, for that matter. It's easy to see why.

Peach and nectarine trees are just very pretty trees: They are graceful in appearance with their spreading and semi-weeping form, they have lovely pink blossoms, and they have beautiful lance-shaped leaves. If these trees never fruited, they would still make a nice addition to any landscape. As far as the size department goes, these trees, even the standard sized trees, are relatively short in stature. Standard sized trees will fit into most landscapes. They do have more stability than the dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties, thus they are less subject to being blown over in a storm.

Peach and Nectarine Varieties For The Southern Great Lakes Region:
There are many other varieties that are grown in the region, but these are the ones that do reliably well throughout the region, coastal and inland:

Redhaven: One of the most recognized and widely grown peaches in our region, the standard against which other varieties are judged. Redhavens have wonderful fruits, deeply blushed red, of medium size and great flavor and substance. The trees are very bud hardy in our region and are vigorous and reliable producers. Redhaven is an early producer and is the season opener for many orchards in the region. Late July to Early August is its season for fruit harvest. The fruits are freestone in nature, meaning they break away cleanly from the fruit.

Reliance: Next in line to ripen, 'Reliance' is an excellent choice for cold-hardiness, especially for those who garden in areas inland and away from the immediate protection of the lakes. It is good for canning and freezing, and fruit quality is good, although taste and substance are not that of 'Redhaven'. This is also a freestone variety, ripening very late July into August. Fruits are medium in size, light blush over yellow to greenish-yellow background.

Madison: Another peach with superb hardiness. 'Madison' is a late bearer, around the last week of August. Fruits are red against yellow background, are medium in size, and are freestone. Fruits have good flavor and substance. The trees are very vigorous and, as with Reliance, bred for more northern climates.

Belle of Georgia: A very hardy white-fleshed variety. The most reliable white for our region, again particularly for those further inland from the lakes. Fruits are large, freestone, blush red on white to cream colored backgrounds, ripens mid season, about middle August until September.

Mericrest: The hardiest nectarine that can be grown in the region. Freestone with a good red blush, this tree ripens in Mid-August and sets freestone fruits of medium size. Good choice for the more inland areas of our region. Fruits have good flavor and substance.

RedGold: Although not as hardy as 'Mericrest', one of the more widely planted nectarines in our region. Fruits are large, red blushed, and have good flavor and substance. Later ripening, late August to September is when it is ready for harvest.

Planting, Pruning, and Maintaining Healthy Trees
Appropriate siting and soil type is absolutely essential when growing peaches or nectarines. As with most of the stone fruits, these trees do not tolerate poorly drained soils. If you have heavy clay, then you need to prep the site prior to planting these trees. Literally dump in all the organic matter you can think of over a one to two year period: Manure, compost, leaves, rotting mulch, any organic plant material, and work the site deeply. Here is where amending the soil is a necessity if yours is less than ideal. Peaches and nectarines require a deep, fertile, sandy loam. Dig the site deeply and at least 6 or so feet out from the intended tree site. Make sure the tree is higher in elevation, in a sunny site, in an area where cold air can drain away.When you bring home your tree, it will need to be trained to an open vase shape. Cut it back to about 24 to 36 inches, and cut the branches back to about an inch length. Prune out any weak or over-vigorous upright stems that might develop during this first year. Select four branches that are tending to grow horizontally and are evenly spaced around the trunk to about the same height. Prune out any branches that will grow in the center of the tree or below the scaffold branches.

During the next year, trim back the scaffold branches by about a third, back to an outward growing branch. Trim the lateral shoots by about a third, and remove branches above and below the scaffold branches on the main trunk. If any new branches want to turn inwards towards the trunk, trim them out.

Over the next 3 to 5 years, continue to trim the branches back, especially vigorous branches. Maintain an open center to the tree, and shorten the scaffolds and lateral branches.

As the tree begins to mature, thin out old or dead wood, diseased wood, and keep the tree height overall low, to about 8 or so feet. Maintain the open vase shape. No more than 20% of the wood should be removed.

Peaches and nectarines are susceptible to many different diseases and insect predators. Organic control is very difficult, and there will be casualties among the trees and fruits if early prevention and constant vigilance is not maintained.

I highly recommend using organic based home orchard sprays to help maintain healthy trees and fruits. Again, I recommend Gardens Alive! for their organic controls. I also must add that cleanliness goes a long way to disease prevention. Pick up any dropped fruits and remove any diseased fruits as soon as they appear.

Brown rot is a common disease in the stone fruits. Spraying with sulfur helps to control this disese, starting just before blossoms open. Regular intervals of spray must be maintained. I recommend that anyone growing these fruits contact their county extension agent and explain that they are trying to maintain an organic approach in their peach or nectarine tree management. There are plant and microbial-derived fungicides that are considered "safer" and more environmentally friendly when treating diseases, and some could be broadly considered to be organic. Again, talk with your county extension agent.

Peach leaf curl is another common disease. Spraying with lime-sulfur helps to deter this disease, and is best applied during late winter before the trees break dormancy.

Two of the more serious pests affecting peach trees are the peach tree borers and peach twig borers. Spraying the soil and trees with Bt during dormancy and mid to late summer is an effective deterrent against the larvae, which cause the damage. A sign of damage is sap seeping from the trunk in the case of the peach tree borer. Keeping trees planting sites weed-free helps in deterring and discovering these pests before much damage can ensue. Poking a wire into the hole of a tree trunk is one way to puncture the larvae. The larvae can also cause damage below the soil line, so removing about 3 inches of the soil to look at the possible paths of damage is essential.

Plum curculio is another very difficult pest to control organically. Remove fallen fruit and spray with rotenone, an organic-based pesticide. This must be done quite regularly and carefully, for it can harm wildlife, particularly fish. Cultivation to destroy the pest in its larval stage is also good practice, and must be continued at regular intervals.

Peaches and nectarines need to be thinned to about 8 inches apart. This will allow the remaining fruit to develop to its optimal size, and will prevent the weight of too many fruits from bending and breaking the branches.

Apply organic fertilizers according to recommendations in early Spring. Use a well-balanced fertilizer and apply out to the drip line on these trees.

Peaches and nectarines are a challenge to grow, made even more difficult by using organic methods, but it can be done. The rewards are such that many people grow them and continue to derive satisfaction from successfully overcoming the many difficulties of growing these most elite of the stone fruits. Nothing can beat the taste of a tree-ripened peach or nectarine. That alone is enough for many gardeners to take on the challenge.

Links to Online Organic Gardening Supplies:
These are all active links:

Golden Harvest Organics
Greenfire
Gardens Alive!
Extremely Green Gardening Co.

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