The peach is one of the most rewarding stone-fruit trees – it repays you with sweet, aromatic fruit, but it needs a warm, sheltered position and regular care. Below is a practical guide from the Drzewka Kusek nursery, from choosing a variety to protecting against peach leaf curl.

  • Redhaven – the world’s most popular peach; versatile, with tasty, well-coloured fruit.
  • Inka – a Polish variety, productive and frost-hardy; good for dessert and preserves.
  • Harnaś – Polish, valued for frost hardiness and lower susceptibility to leaf curl.
  • Harbinger – very early, letting you start picking in summer.
  • Iskra – early, frost-hardy and reliably cropping.
  • Reliance – exceptionally frost-hardy, recommended for cooler regions.

Peach tree seedlings – rootstocks and position

Peaches need a warm, sunny, wind-sheltered spot – their flower buds are easily damaged by frost. The soil should be permeable, humus-rich and not too wet.

  • Peach seedling – good compatibility and vigorous growth; sizeable, heat-loving trees.
  • Myrobalan plum (seedling) – less demanding as to soil and tolerant of heavier ground; a popular rootstock for peaches and apricots.

Fertilising peaches – what is worth knowing?

Peaches crop heavily, so they have considerable nutrient needs:

  • In spring – nitrogen fertilisers supporting growth and fruit set.
  • In summer and autumn – potassium and phosphorus improving flavour, colouring and shoot ripening before winter.
  • It is worth applying compost or well-rotted manure and keeping the soil humus-rich and fertile.

Excess nitrogen delays shoot ripening and increases the risk of frost damage and disease.

Pruning peaches – how and when?

Peaches fruit on one-year-old shoots, so they need hard annual pruning – unlike apples or pears:

  • Prune in spring, at the start of the growing season (once the buds are visible) – wounds heal faster and the infection risk is lower than with winter pruning.
  • Each year shorten and thin the shoots to encourage the tree to produce new, fruit-bearing growth.
  • Thinning the canopy improves light access and airflow, limiting fungal diseases.

With a heavy set it is worth thinning the fruitlets – those left will grow larger and sweeter.

Peach diseases and how to prevent them

  • Peach leaf curl – the most serious disease; leaves pucker and turn red. Copper sprays in autumn and early spring, before bud break, are key.
  • Brown rot – rotting fruit and wilting shoots; remove mummified fruit.
  • Shot hole (leaf spot) – holes in the leaves; a well-ventilated canopy and copper protection help.
  • Powdery mildew – a white coating on leaves and shoots; cut out affected parts.

Pests

  • Aphids – deform leaves and weaken young growth.
  • Spider mites – cause silvering and drying of leaves, especially in hot weather.
  • Codling moth and scale insects – damage fruit and shoots.

Regular monitoring, supporting natural enemies and timely protective treatments all help.

Peach tree seedlings – care calendar

  • Spring: pruning, a spray against leaf curl before bud break, nitrogen feeding.
  • Summer: watering in drought, thinning fruitlets, pest monitoring.
  • Autumn: harvest, potassium-phosphorus feeding, a copper spray after leaf fall.
  • Winter: frost protection, whitewashing trunks, checking tree condition.