- 5 



pruning of course because we do not use dwarfing rootstocks on 

 peaches. Some growers might say they have been doing just this 

 and it is being done quite generally through the state. Trees are 

 cut hard and held down to size and we are mowing the tops off and 

 holding them down, but this is not exactly what we mean. 



Careful Pruning 



Careful and perhaps time consuming pruning is required to 

 hold a bearing peach tree at a maximum of seven feet in height and 

 still produce heavy yields. A fast job of mowing or a severe cut- 

 ting back of the tree may keep it down to size but this kind of 

 pruning often results in heavy sucker growth and not the best pro- 

 duction. The tree must be directed to a horizontal spreading form 

 rather than the typical vase shape. 



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ree down and spreading begins in about the third 

 fold limbs are established during the first two 

 ree begins to produce a bushel or more in the 

 runed to grow more horizontal and spreading. Up- 

 emoved and only a minimum of cutting back is done 

 he fruit will spread the tree. Careful selection 

 ust be made while pruning. Strong, upright grow- 

 emoved in preference to one- and two-foot long 

 g shoots. Short, weak fruiting shoots should be 

 d four-year-old trees may produce quite a bit of 

 ht, strong growing shoots as the first pruning 

 e tree grow in a more horizontal spreading man- 

 rowth becomes less as the tree bears fruit. 



As a peach tree reaches full production (5-8 years) much of 

 the fruiting wood is in a three to four foot band in the top of the 

 tree beginning from seven or eight feet to 11 or 12 feet in height. 

 This low pruning maintains the band of fruiting wood at the four 

 to seven foot 1 evel . 



New System of Pruning? 



Is this a new system of pruning? Perhaps not, but it is not 

 a simple cutting back of the tree to keep it low. It involves 

 more thought and more careful selection of fruiting wood and thin- 

 ning out of both weak and over vigorous shoots and the saving of 

 the heavily budded one and two foot fruiting shoots. The pruning 

 requires more time than just plain hard pruning because more thin- 

 ning out of weak wood and selection of the best fruiting wood is 

 done . 



We have observed trees pruned to this low system and some 

 have been held to a seven-foot height for 35 years and have good 

 fruiting wood throughout the large spread of fruiting area. Pro- 

 duction has been good also--five to eight field crates per mature 

 tree. We have established a few demonstration trees in all peach 



