[jevennett]

i have fan peach against a sunny wall. has got a bit overgrown and out of shape. Is now  a good time to prune or do I wait until frost has passed and does anyone have a good guide to how I prune to get it back in shape. It is too bushy to fit behind my cover now so need to do something

[madcat]

Eeek!  I dont think now is a good time to prune it .....  In england they are tender beasts and it will soon be coming into flower.   

Peaches and nectarines should be pruned after fruiting.  If you really really really really really really can't live with it until then, then wait till we are past the frosts and the blossom before doing what you have to do.  And then do a proper job later in the year.

there are instructions here - but speaking from my experience, doing too much in the spring just asks for problems when we get the odd cold and wet spring night.  Might be okay for those in glass houses ...

[Trillium]

Peach trees are the easiest to prune as they actually need very little pruning. Mostly you'll want to remove all dead bits, which you could do now, and later remove any branches that are rubbing against one another - select the least vigorous branch. Little water shoots can be trimmed back to one bud. Otherwise, don't overdo peach tree pruning as they really don't like it.

[Snoop]

Trillium, you sound like a tree pruning expert. I know nothing about fruit trees but would love to learn. Can you give me a recommendation for a book I could buy? I buy books off Amazon and have them posted over, but it's a bit hit and miss sometimes for books on fruit and veg if you can't have a look through them first.
Thanks for any advice.

[Trillium]

Wouldn't call myself an expert but I do have 3 peach trees that do beautifully despite living beyond their normal cold tolerance range  I have 17 other trees in pears, apples and plums

I learned mostly by checking a lot of website (googling fruit tree pruning) and there are loads of good info sites around. Even Youtube has lots of good pruning videos. Try these before deciding on a book.

[Trikidiki]

I have a niggling thought in the back of my mind that you should not prune peaches too early due to the risk of creating entry points for peach leaf curl.

I've looked in my books and done a quick look online but can't find a reference.

To be safe, if you do prune now, treat with a copper based fungicide and keep the tree covered to prevent spring rain falling on the topgrowth as this is how leaf curl spores are spread.

[Yorkie]

Stone fruits should be pruned in summer, to prevent peach leaf curl, I do believe

[mr Isaccs]

I pruned my peach tree at the end of last summer (quite severely I should say),
It had been left for a few years and there were only six fruit on it,
Looking at it now I couldn't even think about pruning it at this time of year, the new buds on fresh red stems are plentiful, just hoping that it's not all going to be leaf.
I will soon find out in a few months time when the blossom starts flowering (hopefully)

[Trillium]

For any fruit tree, don't prune more than 25% in any one year or its too great a setback for the tree. Peaches are one of the exceptions of not needing regular pruning, merely cleaning up of dead bits, rubbing branches, etc. The most important part about peaches is to thin the fruit so the tree doesn't overbear one year then turn into a biennial bearer. Better to have some fruit every year and no broken branches from excessive weight.

As for peach leaf curl, I've dealt with it for many years and you can't avoid it as its a spore that blows in with wind and rain. Merely pick off the affected leaves, bin them (never compost!) and feed and water the tree well afterward. It will soon put out new leaves and recover. I find peaches love a good dose of fish emulsion. When my sons used to fish, they'd bring home their catches and we'd bury them under the peach tree. Had the best and tastiest crops those years.