How to Pollinate & Grow Peach Trees
Add a peach tree to your yard if you want some extra flair in your garden. Peach trees grow beautiful, delicate blooms in early spring that later develop into plump fruit as red and gold as a sunset. Growing your own peaches also helps cut grocery costs. Having control over and pesticides used on the produce is an added benefit as well. Proper pollination of the peach tree is important to development, though. Follow a few simple guidelines to help plant and pollinate a beautiful, productive peach tree. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Soak your peach tree sapling in water for 12 hours before planting it into the ground. For peach pits, rinse the pit thoroughly to remove all traces of fruit and let it dry for several days.
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Scout around your home for your peach tree location. Peach trees require a lot of sunlight, so try to find a location visited by direct sunlight for at least 8 hours out of the day. Clear the area of any debris with a rake. Don some gloves and pull any weeds that remain in your planting area. The gloves will help defend against sharp spines on the weeds.
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Dig a hole large enough to let the roots of your peach tree settle in comfortably. Dig a smaller hole if you will only be planting a peach pit. Mix some fertilizer or compost with the regular garden soil. For transplanted peaches, follow the nursery instructions on how far down to bury the tree. Bury peach tree pits under 2 inches of soil. Water the transplanted tree or peach pit thoroughly after planting.
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Shake the limbs of your peach tree gently when blooms appear. This will help loosen some pollen from the blooms while avoiding damaging the delicate blossoms. Peach trees have beneficial features that allow them to self-pollinate. Most plants need another plant to provide pollen for fruit production, but peach trees can pollinate themselves.
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Tips & Warnings
Honeybees really are the best way to pollinate. Planting flowers like Dahilas, Hyacinth and Geraniums will help attract bees to better pollinate your peaches. The flowers are a beautiful addition to your yard as well.
Purchasing a young tree from a nursery is advisable. Seeds take three to four years to mature into a tree.
Plant seeds in early winter. Peach pits need a dormant season in soil before they germinate in the spring.
Fight shock in transplanted tree by planting them in the dormant season. Choosing and overcast day with a good chance of rain is advisable.
If you have more peaches forming than you expected, don't be afraid to lightly prune your tree. Removing some of the weaker looking peaches will make your remaining peaches larger and healthier.
