How to Trim an Old Peach Tree

Pruning peach trees keeps the trees healthy. Removing certain branches improves air and sunlight circulation, boosting the fruit crop. Regular trimming also maintains the height and spread of trees, ensures a balance between leaves and fruit and keeps all branches productive. The main purpose for pruning old peach trees is to promote the development of successful fruiting shoots. Prune peach trees in the early spring, as the growth picks up for the season. Pruning in late fall or early winter can cause flower buds to die and branches to become injured.

Ladder
Pruning shears
Pruning saw
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Look over the peach tree. From the ground and the ladder, identify unproductive, wayward and unhealthy branches and limbs.
- 2
  Prune large, long branches because they can buckle under the weight of the peaches. Branches should be shorter and stronger. Use pruning shears for small shoots and branches and a pruning saw for branches larger than an inch in diameter. Make all cuts just outside the branch collar, which is the swollen section where two branches connect. When done pruning, each limb should have four to five strong branches.
- 3
  Trim away dead, broken and damaged wood with the pruning saw. Look for wood that is gray and brittle and eliminate it. Cut broken branches just below the affected area or at the point where they grow from a limb. Remove old peaches that may still be hanging on the branches.
- 4
  Remove branches that are three years old or older to invigorate the peach tree. Make pruning cuts just outside the branch collar, at the joint where the unwanted branches meet younger branches.
- 5
  Thin the canopy. Eliminate limbs that cross or rub against each other because they clog up the canopy, blocking air flow and sunlight from getting to the rest of the peach tree. Fruit on these branches will also develop scarring which can invite disease problems.
- 6
  Cut off watersprouts. These vigorous shoots grow from the top-facing side of limbs and take nutrients from the rest of the peach tree. Snip them off with the pruning shears.
- 7
  Fertilize the peach tree to help it rebound from pruning. There will be some loss to next year's crop but pruning is the only way to invigorate the tree. According to Ohio State University, mature peach trees generally need 1 to 2 lbs. of 10-10-10 fertilizer in March and May. Apply 10 to 20 percent more fertilizer to counteract the effects of pruning.
- 8
  Cut off new shoots and branches annually to maintain the shape you've created. Target those that are outside the desired tree shape. Cut off any branches that cross or rub each other, as well as diseased or broken limbs.

How to Grow Winesap Apples in Georgia

How to Heal Tree Wounds

Landscaping Trees