Spring planting eliminates peach seedlings from the risk of freezing in the first winter. If you calculate the timing correctly and plant seedlings on time, young trees will successfully root, gain strength and acquire strong immunity. In this article, we will learn the features of planting a peach in spring, its pros and cons.
When to plant a peach?
In order for the peach to take root safely and not suffer from low temperatures, it is important to plant it in time. An error in any direction threatens problems:
- If you rush and plant a seedling too early, then it may suffer during recurrent frosts.
- If you are late with planting, the seedling will take root for a long time, and its immunity will be weakened.
The peach is characterized by early growing season, so it is important to plant before the start of sap flow. Timing varies depending on the climate. In some regions, you can plant a peach in late March or early April. But only if the air temperature - day and night, does not drop below + 5 ° C.
Experienced gardeners coordinate their actions in the garden with the lunar calendar. There are favorable and unfavorable days for planting peaches.
Lunar peach planting for 2019:
Months | Auspicious days | Bad days |
March | — | 6, 7, 21 |
April | 11-17; 21-26 | 5, 19 |
May | — | 5, 19 |
June | — | 3, 4, 17 |
Pros and cons of spring planting
Planting a peach in spring, in comparison with autumn planting, has several advantages:
- More chances for survival. A sapling planted in the spring enters the winter, which has grown stronger during the spring-summer season - it is better prepared for extreme conditions than a peach planted a month and a half before frosts. This advantage is more relevant for regions with harsh winters.
- During the spring and summer, the gardener, reacting in time to drought, diseases or pests, quickly eliminates them.
- In spring, there is a lot of moisture in the soil, this contributes to the rooting of the seedling and accelerates its adaptation.
The disadvantage of an autumn planting is the difficulty with precise timing. You can never determine in advance the timing of peach planting - they depend not only on the climate in the region, but also on specific weather conditions.
Planting dates for peaches in spring in different regions and countries
Recommended planting dates for peaches in the regions of Russia and neighboring countries:
- Volga region. There is a risk of early drought. The recommended landing time is the end of March. If you postpone the planting at a later date, the survival rate of the seedling worsens.
- Middle Strip and Moscow Region. Here, it is best to plant a peach in April - at earlier dates, frosts are possible, which can destroy the seedling.
- Siberia and the Urals. It is important to take into account the frost resistance and ripening time of a particular variety. Here, varieties with the highest frost resistance and early ripening should be planted. The recommended landing period is the end of April.
In Belarus, the peach is planted in early April, and in Ukraine, the landing dates depend on the region - in the south, planting is carried out in early March, in the north - in early April.
How to plant a peach in the spring is described and shown in the video below:
Preparing for spring planting
Peach is a fast growing tree. If you comply with all the conditions of planting and agricultural technology, then it quickly turns to fruiting. The success of the landing depends on the correctness:
- site selection;
- selection and preparation of planting material;
- soil preparation.
Characteristics of an ideal peach planting site:
- south side of the site;
- lack of drafts;
- the presence of a wall or other protection from the wind.
Peach should not be planted in the shade of other trees. Deficiency of the sun leads to crumbling of fruits, deterioration of their taste.
Soil requirements
Before planting a peach, find out the composition of the soil - the survival rate of the seedling depends on it. If the composition is unfavorable, it will have to be corrected.
Soil requirements for peach planting:
- The best option is fertile soils with good drainage properties. Peach loves chernozems and medium loamy soils with good air and moisture exchange.
- Peach is able to grow on any soil, while providing high-quality drainage - for this, stones, gravel, broken brick are poured at the bottom of the planting pit.
- Light sandy soils with a high level of groundwater are not suitable.
- Waterlogged and heavy loamy soils are not suitable.
Fertilizers
The soil for planting is dug up in the fall. Digging saturates the earth with oxygen. If it is found that the composition of the soil is poor in trace elements, this deficiency is corrected one year before planting the seedlings.
The soil for planting peach is prepared as follows:
- Manure, wood ash, superphosphate and potassium chloride are introduced for digging.
- A soil mixture is introduced into the planting pit - it is prepared from a fertile layer and fertilizers. The hole is filled with it at 2/3. The composition of the soil mixture:
- wood ash - 200 g;
- rotted manure - 6 kg;
- superphosphate - 200 g;
- 2 parts of the topsoil - 1 part of peat.
The soil mixture applied during planting is subsequently applied every spring. If the soil is fertile, then when planting it is limited to the application of ash and complex mineral fertilizers.
Respect for neighborhood
The plot where strawberries, melons or solanaceous crops are contraindicated for peach is a crop that suffers from diseases that are dangerous to the tree. It is not recommended to sow alfalfa and clover in the area where peach seedlings are planted - they can drown out the growth of young trees.
Peach is not recommended to be planted near:
- apple trees;
- apricots;
- pears;
- walnuts;
- cherries;
- sweet cherry.
A peach planted near cherries and sweet cherries gradually reveals the side adjacent to these trees. The tree's immunity falls, the branches begin to dry out, gum flows from them. Such a peach freezes in winter.
What is the distance between seedlings?
Growing up, the peach turns into a spreading tree. It is important to foresee the interval between neighbors in advance - trees in the garden should not interfere with each other. There should be at least 3.5-4 m between trees, 5 m between rows. If the interval is not kept, the plants will gradually oppress each other.
Landing pit
Pits for spring planting of peach are prepared from autumn, before the onset of cold weather. If many trees are planted on a flat area, then rows are arranged from south to north. If on a slope, the rows are directed across the slope.
Approximate dimensions of the landing pit:
- Depth - 60-70 cm.
- Diameter - 50-60 cm.
Drainage is immediately laid on the bottom, and soil mixture is placed on top. During the winter, the soil will settle to the desired level.
How to choose a seedling?
Rules for choosing seedlings:
- Buy peach seedlings, as well as any fruit trees, only in nurseries and specialized stores.
- Before buying a seedling, decide which variety you need. To do this, read the article on the best peach varieties. Consider its frost resistance and ripening period - a peach should be suitable for the climate of your region.
- Examine the place where the rootstock grows with the scion - it should be even. Juice and sagging is not allowed.
- Inspect the roots and bark. Cut a piece of root with secateurs - the cut should be white. This confirms that the seedling is alive. Check also the health and freshness of the seedling by peeling off a micro particle of the bark - under it there should be a layer of green, not brown.
Seedling preparation
Nurseries sell the bulk of seedlings in the fall. Therefore, many gardeners, having bought planting material in the fall, add it in drops until spring. Such seedlings should be handled with extreme caution - because of the heat and moisture, their buds swell early, which can be easily damaged if not handled carefully.
How to prepare a seedling for planting:
- Take a look at the seedling before planting. If he seems sick and weak, he probably lacked moisture. Dip the roots of the seedling in water for a day. If desired, add a root stimulant - Zircon, Kornerost, etc.
- Trim dry and damaged parts of the roots. Damaged roots can be distinguished by their color - they are gray or brown. Cut to a white cut.
- If the seedling is purchased just before planting and is transported to the planting site, wrap a damp cloth around its roots. Wrap the top with polyethylene so that moisture does not get lost. Cut the leaves.
Landing algorithm
If the planting time has come, the pit is ready, and the seedling is prepared, proceed according to this plan:
- Insert a support into the pit - a wooden stake or a concrete column. The length of the support should be such that, having gone 50 cm into the ground, it would be 20 cm lower than the base of the crown of the seedling.
- In the hole there is a loose soil mixture, laid in the fall - make a depression in it of such a size that the roots of the seedling will comfortably fit there.
- Pour two buckets of water into the groove and wait for the soil to absorb moisture.
- With the roots spread out, place the seedling in the center of the hole. The distance from the root collar to the ground level is 3-4 cm.
- Shaking the seedling from time to time, cover its roots with fertile soil. Shaking helps to fill inter-root voids.
- Tamp the soil around the base of the seedling with your hands.
- Form a shaft 10 cm high around the seedling.
- Attach the peach to the pedestal with a soft rope.
- Water the tree with two buckets of water. When the water is absorbed, level the shaft.
- A day later, loosen the soil near the peach, and then sprinkle it with mulch (you will learn about mulching here) - peat, straw, humus.
Tree care
When a peach is planted in spring, its growth and development are immediately taken under control. The future harvests and health of the peach tree depend on the timeliness and correctness of care.
Watering
In order for the peach to take root efficiently and not dry out its roots, it is important to moisten the soil in time. If there is no seasonal rain, the tree is watered every week. Watering rate - 2 buckets of water for each planted peach.
A small shaft is made around the tree - it will retain moisture and prevent the weathering of the soil. So that after irrigation a crust does not form, and the soil allows air to pass through well, trunk circles mulch - sprinkle with humus, compost, straw.
Protection against diseases and parasites
Peach needs regular preventive pest control.
A set of protective measures is recommended:
- whitewash the trunk in the spring;
- spraying before the start of bud extension;
- spraying at the stage of budding;
- processing after flowering.
Spring spraying helps protect the tree from a whole range of diseases and pests. Moreover, you can spray at the same time fungicides and insecticides.
Most often, the peach is affected by the curliness of the leaves, and its main pests:
- ticks;
- fruit moth;
- weevils;
- aphid.
Treatment scheme for diseases and pests of peaches:
Tree development period | Diseases and pests | What is used? |
Swelling of the kidneys | Clasterosporium, curl | Copper preparations |
Pink buds | Aphids, flower beetles, leafworms, fruit moth, weevils | Contifore, Delan |
Bloom | Moniliosis | Horus |
Flowering end | Scab, curl | Horus, Delan |
2 weeks after flowering | Mites, powdery mildew | Speed |
Top dressing
In the first year, after planting, the peach does not need feeding - enough fertilizers are laid in the planting hole and in the soil during digging. But in the second year, fertilizers will be needed - in the early spring, nitrogen fertilizers, urea or carbamide are applied - 120 g per 1 sq. m, as well as ammonia or calcium nitrate - 60 g per 1 sq. km. m.
What else is useful to know about fertilizers:
- Sod-podzolic light soils with a small percentage of organic matter are annually fed with mineral and organic fertilizers.
- Podzolized soils are fertilized once a year with nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and, somewhat less often, organic fertilizers.
- When applying top dressing, consider the frequency of watering the garden. The more often you water, the more fertilizers are washed out. Therefore, a regularly watered garden needs more fertilizer.
The key to success in spring planting is preparation from the fall and accurate timing. If you do everything right, and take care of the needs of a young tree in time, then the peach will happily take root in 3-4 years and will delight you with its first fruits.
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