Peach trees require careful pruning and training to maintain their shape regulate crop loads and maximize fruit quality. While dormant pruning is common, summer pruning is equally important. Pruning peach trees during the growing season helps manage vigor, enhance light exposure, and promote the development of high-quality fruiting wood. This comprehensive guide will teach you how and when to prune peach trees in summer.
Why Prune Peach Trees in Summer?
Summer pruning peach trees provides several key benefits
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Manages vigor – Removing excessive shoot growth in summer prevents trees from becoming too large and vigorous, This helps control their size
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Improves light exposure – Eliminating upright shoots and interior branches in summer allows more sunlight to penetrate the canopy. This encourages fruit bud development and fruit coloring.
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Promotes fruiting wood – Cutting back vigorous shoot growth in summer forces more buds on those shoots to develop into fruit buds for the following year.
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Allows access – Removing problematic branches in summer opens up the center of the tree for picking and improves spray coverage.
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Reduces pruning needs – Frequent summer pruning reduces the amount of dormant pruning required to maintain tree shape and size.
When to Prune Peach Trees in Summer
The ideal timing for summer pruning peach trees depends on your specific objectives:
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June – Remove competitive upright shoots and interior branches shading developing fruit. This improves light exposure.
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Early July – Cut back vigorous shoot growth to encourage fruit bud development for the following year.
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Mid July – Eliminate late-forming shoots to avoid stimulating new growth too close to dormancy.
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2-4 weeks before harvest – Prune to improve light exposure and fruit color development on current season’s crop.
Avoid pruning after mid-July as this can reduce tree hardiness and winter survival. It’s best to finish summer pruning by this date.
How to Summer Prune Peach Trees
Follow these summer pruning guidelines to maintain tree structure, health, and productivity:
1. Remove Upright and Vigorous Shoots
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Cut back fast-growing shoots that are shading the canopy interior. Remove select branches entirely.
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Shorten shoots growing straight up from scaffold branches and pointing toward the center.
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Reduce shoot length by 30-50% to slow growth. Make cuts above an outward facing bud.
2. Eliminate Interior Branches
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Thin congested branches inside the canopy to improve light penetration.
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Remove shoots growing from the underside of scaffold branches into the interior.
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Retain only short fruiting spurs inside the canopy to minimize shading.
3. Open Up the Center
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Remove shoots originating low on scaffold branches and pointing inward.
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Prune to create an open, vase-shaped canopy with good light distribution.
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Provide access to the tree interior to facilitate spraying, thinning, and harvesting.
4. Cut Back Watersprouts
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Completely remove vigorous vertical shoots (watersprouts) arising on branches.
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If too large to remove entirely, cut watersprouts back by at least half their length.
5. Shape Scaffold Branches
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Spread outward-growing shoots on scaffolds to encourage horizontal growth.
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Remove secondary branches with narrow crotch angles to prevent breakage.
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Head or tip back shoots extending beyond the desired canopy width.
6. Thin Overcrowded Areas
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Remove congested shoots and branches to encourage light penetration and air circulation.
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Retain well-spaced, productive fruiting wood and eliminate redundant growth.
Pruning Cuts to Use
Making proper pruning cuts is critical for directing tree growth and maintaining tree health. Two main types of cuts are used in summer pruning:
Thinning cuts – Removing a shoot or branch back to its point of origin or to the main branch. Use to remove excess growth.
Heading cuts – Removing the end of a shoot or branch, leaving part of the stem. Use to shorten shoots and slow growth.
When heading shoots, always cut just above an outward facing bud to encourage horizontal growth. Avoid leaving branch stubs, flush cuts, and tearing of bark.
What Tools to Use
Having the right pruning tools makes summer pruning more efficient:
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Bypass hand pruners – For cutting shoots up to 1⁄2” diameter
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Lopping shears – For cutting branches up to 11⁄2” diameter
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Pole pruners – For reaching high branches from the ground
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Pole saws – For removing larger branches and watersprouts
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Saws – For cutting back scaffold branches too large for loppers
Sanitize tools before pruning each tree to prevent disease spread. Keep blades clean, sharp, and well-oiled.
How Much to Prune
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Remove no more than 30% of the tree canopy when summer pruning mature peach trees.
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Focus on removing specific shoots and branches, not shearing trees.
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Avoid over-thinning the canopy, as this can reduce fruit bud formation for the next year.
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Leave an adequate leaf area after pruning to support tree growth and fruit development.
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Strategic, moderate summer pruning is ideal. Over-pruning is counterproductive.
Pruning Young vs. Mature Trees
Pruning objectives differ slightly between young establishing trees and mature fruiting trees:
Young trees:
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Train scaffold branches to desired angles and spacing
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Remove narrow-angled limbs prone to breaking
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Head vigorous upright shoots for wide branch angles
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Thin competitive shoots and branches
Mature trees:
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Remove vigorous upright wood shading the canopy
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Improve light exposure for fruit coloring and quality
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Regulate tree vigor and limit size
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Renew fruiting wood to maintain productivity
Pruning in Organic Systems
Organic growers rely on pruning rather than plant growth regulators or herbicides for managing tree vigor. Follow these organic guidelines:
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Prune more aggressively than conventional growers to restrict vigor and enforce small tree size.
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Prune in multiple summer applications, rather than one large dormant pruning.
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Remove all watersprouts and root suckers promptly to prevent re-growth.
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Prevent branches from extending beyond desired orchard width through diligent summer pruning.
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Use certified organic oils and sanitizers when pruning to prevent disease transmission.
Results of Summer Pruning
With proper technique and timing, summer pruning of peach trees provides these results:
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Smaller tree size – Pruning controls vegetative vigor and restricts tree height and spread.
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Better light exposure – Thinning the canopy allows sunlight to penetrate for fruit coloring and quality.
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Increased fruit bud formation – Hedging shoots forces more buds to develop into fruiting wood.
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Improved spray coverage – Removing interior branches provides chemical access to the entire canopy.
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Enhanced fruit quality – Fruit receive more light in a well-exposed canopy, improving color and taste.
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Easier harvesting – Opening up the center eases picking access and improves worker efficiency.
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Reduced dormant pruning – Frequent summer pruning minimizes the pruning required in winter.
Summer pruning is a critical practice in peach orchard management. Strategic pruning in summer maintains small tree size, enhances light exposure, promotes quality fruiting wood, and reduces dormant pruning needs. With proper technique and timing, summer pruning results in more productive trees and higher quality fruit. Consistent pruning during the growing season is essential for sustaining the health, vigor, and productivity of peach trees.
Types of Buds and Shoots
Peach trees have only two types of buds – vegetative and fruit. The terminal bud at the end of a shoot is always vegetative and produces a leafy shoot. Axillary buds form at the base of leaves on current season shoots in the summer. They can be either leaf (vegetative) or flower buds. Peach flower buds are termed “pure” or “simple” because they contain only flower tissue. A peach flower bud produces a single flower that can set one fruit. One to three buds can grow at each node, which is the point on the shoot where a leaf is attached. Nodes at the terminal end of a shoot usually have single buds. The small, pointed buds are vegetative and the larger, rounder, and more hairy buds are flower buds. A lot of the nodes on the bottom two-thirds of a shoot have two or three buds next to each other. Flower (F) and leaf (L) buds can be arranged in any way (FL, FF, FLF, FFF), but flower buds (FLF) are usually found next to leaf buds. There are different types of trees, cultivars, and light conditions that can affect how many and where on a shoot there are flower buds. One cultivar may have 25 flower buds for every foot of shoot length, while another may only have 15 flower buds for every foot of shoot length. Short shoots, less than 6″ generally have the most fruit buds per inch of growth. Shoots growing now on trees that have a lot of crops also have fewer fruit buds on the bottom third of the shoot. According to research, shoots that grow in low-light areas (less than 40% full sun) have fewer flower buds than shoots that grow in high-light areas of the canopy. When shoots are longer than 2 feet, they often don’t have many flower buds at the base and end of the shoot. Moderately vigorous shoots have a high proportion of nodes with 2 flower buds.
Most of the nodes have vegetative buds that could turn into lateral shoots that could bear fruit in later years. Axillary buds develop along the growing shoot and normally remain dormant until the following spring. But some axillary buds on strong shoots from this season (more than 2 feet long) only stay dormant for a few days before they grow into secondary shoots, also called “sylleptic shoots.” Sylleptic shoots are not very fruitful because few nodes have fruit buds. The fruiting shoot should be 12 to 24 inches long and 3/16 to 1/4 inch thick at the base. It shouldn’t have any sylleptic shoots. Pruning, fertilizing, watering, and fruit thinning must all be done correctly to make sure that the plants grow enough shoots each year to make enough fruit buds for the next season. Get rid of short shoots (less than 6″ long) because they produce small fruit because there aren’t enough leaves around the fruit.
Types of Pruning Cuts
There are two types of pruning cuts, “heading” and “thinning”.
Thinning refers to removing a limb or shoot at its point of origin along an older branch. Thinning cuts don’t cause new growth near the pruning cut, and they’re usually the best way to keep a tree from getting too big and get rid of extra shoots. Thinning cuts are also used in older trees as a method of fruiting shoot renewal. If you cut off a shoot that produced fruit the previous year, there are buds embedded in the bark around the shoot’s collar that come out of dormancy and may grow into next year’s fruiting shoots.
Heading cuts get rid of the terminal buds that make hormones that stop shoots from growing from buds below the terminal bud. Cutting off the top of a one-year-old piece of a shoot encourages shoot growth from the two or three buds below the cut. Heading older branches encourages shoot development from buds imbedded in the bark within several inches below the cut. Heading cuts are used to shorten and stiffen branches and to induce branching. Heading cuts are usually only made the year the tree is planted to get branches from which scaffolds will be chosen. “Bench cuts” are a type of heading cut in which the end of a branch is cut off just above a side branch. Bench cuts are sometimes needed to move branches that grow straight out to the outside, but they should be avoided if possible because watersprouts will grow on the flat part of the branch below the cut.
Benefits of Summer Pruning Peaches
FAQ
Should you prune peach trees in summer?
What happens if you prune a fruit tree in summer?
What happens if you don’t prune a peach tree?
How far can you cut a peach tree back?
When should you prune a peach tree?
Heavily prune in winter to help open up the centre, to create an open vase-shape to allow more light and air to circulate. Once this framework is established, prune any dead, diseased, damaged and crowded branches as they develop. Peaches and Nectarines bear fruit on the side growing stems – called laterals – produced during the previous summer.
How do you prune a peach tree?
Sterilize pruning tools with rubbing alcohol before you begin pruning your peach tree to avoid introducing plant diseases. Clean off the pruners again before pruning another tree. Prune peach trees minimally in spring. Peaches are produced on wood that grew last summer. Removing live wood in spring can potentially reduce fruit production.
Why should you prune a peach tree?
There are several reasons for pruning a peach tree. Pruning creates a strong framework that is able to support large yields. It also aids in balancing fruit production and vegetative growth. Pruning is used to control the height and spread of a tree, allowing for easier harvesting.