Overloaded branches can break under the weight
How not to grow peaches: This tree at Cal Expo last July should have thinned months earlier. The guide: A hand's width between fruit. Kathy Morrison
The pride of fruit tree gardeners in their crop is something to see. After all, they've battled gusty winds, late frosts, a lack of pollinators, weather-borne diseases -- and that's before the fruit ripens, when the birds and squirrels come after it. On top of this, why would they want to thin that crop they're so proud of?
Because an overloaded fruit tree is a stressed tree, and it might break under all that weight.
Last summer, the Sacramento County master gardeners who worked at the State Fair could not get over the predicament of the little peach tree that was just a few feet from their booth. It had never been thinned that year, and was jammed with ripening fruit. It looked uncomfortable at the very least. Fruit that touches while growing like that also makes it easier for diseases or pests to spread through the crop.
On a much bigger tree, that crop could bring down a branch or even split the tree. The full-size fruit trees in the back of The Farm area were just as jammed. (Also disease-ridden, but that's a post for another day.) Fortunately, there are few walkways back in that area, so fairgoers weren't in too much danger from falling branches.
Here's "The Home Orchard," the UCCE master gardeners' guide, spearheaded by the late Chuck Ingels, on the subject:
"A tree's leaves supply energy for growth; if there are not enough leaves to support the number of fruit that set, the fruit will, in effect, compete with each other for carbohydrates and so remain small. ... Although thinning reduces the number of fruit and total yield, it improves the size and quality of fruit."
Most stone fruits except cherries require thinning most years. Fruit can be thinned any time from just after bloom to a few weeks before harvest, "The Home Orchard" notes. The book suggests April to mid-May (ahem, now) as the best time to thin, when fruit are big enough to assess but not so big that you risk breaking branches.
Peaches or nectarines on a healthy tree growing under ideal weather conditions should be thinned to 5 to 7 inches apart (about a hand's width), the book notes. Apricots and hybrids such as apriums are smaller, so 3 to 5 inches apart is recommended, and 4 to 6 inches for plums and pluots. Get rid of one of the "doubles" that develop and retain the largest fruit. Toss rejects into the organic waste bin.
So buck up, fruit growers -- bravely thin those unripe peaches and plums now. Your tree will thank you later.
For more on orchard tree care, visit https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/Fruit_and_nuts/ on the Sacramento County master gardeners' website.
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Garden Checklist for week of April 21
This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.
* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.
* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.
* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.
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Rather than toss those little green peaches, make them into refrigerator pickles. This is the first year I've attempted this and they are still 3 weeks from being ready to test, but I'm happy that there is a use for them other than as compost. The recipes I followed came from the Crafty Cookery website - one sweet, one savory. Note that these are not processed and thus must be stored in the refrigerator, so be sure you can dedicate the space to it before starting. There is not safe tested recipe for processed green peach pickles. At least not yet.
Cool idea! I've made other refrigerator pickles. Will have to check out that website.