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 POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPH 



Stub pruning . We haven't mentioned stub pruning since it was discussed 

 in the February, 1964 issue of Fruit Notes . However, while pruning 

 branches on the windward sides of Delicious trees planted on a windy 

 site this past winter the practice was brought in mind. We know that 

 branches on the windward side are apt to "hug" the leader until crop- 

 ping holds them down. Leaving extra limbs on the windward side of 

 trees on windy sites will help keep the branches more horizontal because 

 of competition. However, to keep from restricting the central leader 

 and/or inhibiting the development of desirable scaffold limbs, do stub 

 pruning. Stub pruning involves reducing the length of undesirable limbs 

 instead of removing them. Many of the stubbed branches will have to be 

 removed or again restricted during the next pruning season. 



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PRUNING PEACH TREES 



William J . Lord 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



Pruning peach trees correctly is one of the most important opera- 

 tions in peach growing because Valsa canker, winter injury, and limb 

 breakage are problems associated with poor pruning practices. 



Peach trees may be pruned as either open center or modified leader 

 type trees. The open center system consists of 3 main scaffold limbs 

 arising at approximately the same point on the trunk. The modified 

 leader type tree has 3 to 5 branches vertically spaced 4 to 6 inches 

 apart along the trunk, with the modified leader also carrying side 

 branches. The writer prefers the modified leader type tree, the prun- 

 ing of which is described below, because it is less time consuming to 

 train during the formative period and in our experience, results in 

 less limb breakage during periods of high winds. Following a wind- 

 storm in August, 1976, damage to open-center trees in one orchard was 

 so severe that the grower had to remove them, whereas trees trained 

 as modified central leader trees were retained. 



P runing at planting : A 1-year-old peach tree as it comes from the 

 nursery normally has several side branches. After the tree is set, 

 all branches within 18 inches of the ground should be removed. Any 

 narrow-angled side branches should be cut off. Then, 3 or 4 branches 

 which come out at wide angles, vertically spaced about 6 inches apart, 

 should be saved for main scaffold branches. All other limbs should be 

 cut off flush with the trunk. The leader should be cut back to the 

 top-most side branch and the lateral branches should be cut back to 

 short stubs, 2 to 4 inches long, with each containing 1 bud. 



Pruning during the formative period : Delay pruning of both the young 

 and bearing tree until late spring (near bud swell) . After pruning, 



