Growing Peaches in Zone 5 Northern Illinois

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Growing Peaches inZone 5 (Northern Illinois)
or

• (Growing Peaches Where Some Say You Cant)

or
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Introduction

• Royal Oak Farm has been growing peaches for about
  15 years in Northern Illinois.
• From 1993 to the present we have seen
  temperatures of 12 to 18 degrees below zero, the
  coldest occurred in 2007.
• From 1993 to 2004 we lost only 6 to 8 trees
  total. In 2004 we planted about 900 new peach
  trees.
• In February of 2007 we lost over 10 of our 3-4
  yr. old trees planted in 2004 to -14 below zero
  temps that lasted for a period of 2 hours, but
  still produced peaches on many trees.
• Why could we still produce peaches on many trees
  while at the same time lose trees to -14 below
  zero temperatures?

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How Cold can they get?
Peaches compared to other tree fruits
How
Berries
Hardy
How
Tree Fruits
Strawberry
-5oF
Hardy
Blueberry (Interspecific hybrids)
-25o -35o
Apple
-30oF
Pear
-25o
Brambles Red Raspberries Purple Raspberries
Black Raspberry Thorny Blackberry Thornless
Blackberry
-30o -15o -5o -25o 0o
Peach, Nectarine
-15o
Sweet Cherry
-12o
Tart Cherry
-30o
Grape American French hybrid
Apricot
-15o

-30o -15o
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The Key Is The Buds!

• The temperature at which the fruit buds are
  injured depends primarily on their stage of
  development.
• They are most hardy during the winter when they
  are fully dormant. As they begin to swell and
  expand into blossoms, they become less resistant
  to freeze injury.
• Not all blossom buds are equally tender.
  Resistance to freeze injury varies within trees
  as it does between location and varieties.
• Buds which develop slowly tend to be more
  resistant.
• As a result, some buds are usually killed at
  higher temperatures while others are resistant at
  much lower temperatures.

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Peach Flower Buds

• Flower buds are borne on 1-year old wood
• Center bud is a leaf bud
• Large bud on either side is a flower bud

Photo W.Lord
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Healthy Flower Buds

• If winter temperatures do not go too low, buds
  will be bright yellow and green inside
• Low winter temperatures are only part of the
  story temperature fluctuations are the real
  threat

Photo, W Lord
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If Winter Is Too Cold
Photo W.Lord

• This bud was killed by cold winter temperatures
  
• It will drop off as buds begin to swell in spring
• Choose the correct varieties and plant on warm
  sites to prevent this loss

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They Made It!
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Spring temperatures are generally much more
critical to peach production than dormant winter
temps.
Old standard temperature is the lowest
temperature that can be endured for 30 minutes
without damage. This chart also shows the
temperature that will kill 10 and 90 of
normal fruit buds. These numbers were taken from
Washington (WSU), Michigan (MSU) and North
Carolina (NCS) Extension Bulletins. Peaches - WSU
EB0914 Portions of these bulletins are posted at
Gregg Lang's Fruit Bud Hardiness Page at the MSU
Horticulture Department
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How Do We Do It?
Key Factors for Cold Climates

• Site
• Rootstock Variety
• Planting
• Pruning
• Pest Management

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Site Selection
Peaches are only hardy on good sites.

• Well drained soils are essential (Excess soil
  moisture leads to plant injury or death and
  increases risk of disease)
• Good Air Drainage (frost-free, fruit rots)
• Hilltop vs slope (hilltops are best for air
  drainage, but winds are worse on cold hardiness)
• Sunlight All Day Long (plant rows east to west)
• Access to Water
• A realistic appreciation of the climatic limits
  of the location

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Planting

• Use only native soil for backfill
• Soil filled with fertilizer amendments
  encourages roots to stay in hole
• Roots should extend into native soil as soon as
  possible for drought tolerance and anchoring
• Add fertilizer amendments to the surface around
  the tree and about 12 away from the tree

• Water as you fill the hole to prevent air pockets
• Water every 10 days for first season if no rain
• I am not an advocate of mulch. Mulch can contain
  disease or harbor disease. Instead keep tree
  weed free and ground bare for frost protection

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Rootstock
While many rootstocks and dwarf trees are
available, planting on seedling or standard
rootstocks is best for peaches.
Photo, W Lord
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Cold Hardy Rootstocks

• Lovell A standard in Northern Illinois good
  disease tolerance
• Tennessee Natural
• Bailey Seedling standard size, hardy
• Halford Seedling A proven performer, very hardy

All spaced 12x20 for open center or 10 x 14 for
central leader
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Cold Hardy Varieties
Varieties or - days of harvest relative to the
old standard Redhaven have been developed for
the upper Mid-West area of theUnited States

• PF 7A Freestone - 10 days
• PF 24-007 22 days
• PF 24C Coldhardy 24 days
• PF 25 26 days
• PF 1 - 30 days
• Garnet Beauty (-11)
• Harcrest (26)
• Summer Serenade (sport of Garnet Beauty)
• Autumn Star ( 45) - new cultivar, 2003 very
  hardy fruit buds, but very late

• Red Haven
• Contender (18) - has high chilling requirement
  (1050 hrs) very hardy fruit buds
• Cresthaven (24)
• Madison (24) - buds very hardy, but fruit is
  tender does not pack/ship well
• Redskin (29) bloom harvest is spread out,
  providing more frost hardiness.
• Reliance (3) - reliable cropping, but tends to
  have poor quality fruit

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Pruning

• Unpruned trees tend to produce weak, short growth
  and small fruit.
• Pruning should be done as close to bud break as
  possible.
• Keeps the tree within height and width bounds
  affording easier management and harvest
• Increases the size and color of the fruit
• Keeps the fruiting wood vigorous and productive
• Helps in insect and disease control
• Pruning is an annual process
• The central leader system is highly recommended
• Pruning stone fruit trees is based on the growth
  and fruiting habit of the tree.

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PRUNING AT PLANTING

• A one-year peach tree may have several side
  branches. After planting, all branches within 18
  to 20 inches of the ground, shoots that are
  broken, and those with narrow crotch angles
  should be removed.
• Three or four branches with wide angles
  vertically spaced 6 to 12 inches apart should be
  selected for the main scaffolds.
• All other branches should be cut off at the trunk
  being careful to observe the location of the
  branch bark ridge and branch collar. The leader
  should be cut back to 30 to 36 inches above the
  ground.
• Lateral branches selected as scaffolds should be
  pruned to 2 to 4 inches long stubs, each having
  one bud.

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During the second year

• Remove branches that tend to grow inward or
  straight up through the center of the tree
• Remove limbs that grow from one side of the tree
  across to the other side
• Head back (lightly) permanent scaffolds that
  exceed 30 inches with few or no side branches
• Remove all but 2 or 3 well-spaced side branches
  (secondary scaffolds) from the permanent
  scaffolds. The side branches remaining should be
  at least 30 inches in length and grow out and
  slightly up. Those that grow down, straight up,
  or within 15 inches of the trunk should be
  removed.

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PRUNING BEARING (MATURE) TREES

• Peaches are borne laterally on shoots that grew
  the previous year (1-year old shoots). Therefore,
  pruning must stimulate new shoot growth each
  year. The number of fruit buds formed is greatest
  on the longer shoots. Hence, a six inch shoot
  will have fewer fruit buds than a shoot 18 inches
  in length.
• On a vigorous one-year shoot, three buds are
  usually produced at each node (See Figure). The
  two plump outside buds are blossom buds and the
  smaller bud in the center is a leaf bud.
• A less vigorous shoot may only have one fruit and
  one leaf bud at each node. Shoots over 18 inches
  in length shoots may even lack fruit buds.
• The key to fruit production on a peach,
  therefore, is to prune and fertilize to produce
  new shoots each year which are 10 to 15 inches in
  length.

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PRUNING BEARING (MATURE) TREES

• When pruning a fruit-bearing tree, the following
  branches (secondary scaffolds) should be removed
• those that are broken, diseased, or insect
  infested,
• those that are slender and weak - especially on
  the inside of the tree,
• those that grow toward the center or straight up,
  and
• those that grow down and interfere with mowing or
  other equipment.

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Integrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a sustainable
approach to managing pests. IPM practitioners
base decisions on information that is collected
systematically as they integrate biological,
cultural, mechanical, physical and chemical
controls.

• Biological control - Use of beneficial organisms
  to manage pests
• Cultural control - Crop rotation, improved
  sanitation, and other practices that reduce pest
  pressure
• Mechanical and physical control - Traps,
  cultivation and physical barriers
• Chemical control - Judicious use of pesticides
  that pose a low risk to human health, non-target
  species and the environment.
• Resistant varieties - Use of crop varieties that
  yield well even under high pest pressure.
• Regulatory control
• State and federal regulations that prevent the
  spread of pests

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Overall Spray Program

• The best control for peach twig borer on peach
  trees is a dormant or delayed dormant spray
  (shortly before bloom).
• Peach twig borer and Oriental fruit moth can
  cause severe twig dieback and damage to fruit if
  not controlled.
• Treat peach, apricot, nectarine and plum trees in
  July and August to control peach tree borer
  (crown borer)
• Cytospora canker is a fungus problem that results
  in bark damage with an amber to brown gum on
  trunk or branches

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A Complete Spray

• Insects/Disease
• Plum curculio, oriental fruit moth, Japanese
  Beetle, mites, aphids
• Brown rot, Coryneum blight, peach scab

Available at most hardware stores, garden centers
or on-line.
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Pest Disease Managment

• Dormant, Before Bud Swell
• Disease. Leaf curl. Apply dormant copper spray.
• Insects. Mites, scales. Lecanium scale and San
  Jose scale apply Esteem at 4.0-5.0 oz with oil.
  Use higher rate of Esteem under heavy scale
  pressure.
• Brown rot. Remove all fruit from trees after last
  picking to prevent brown rot fungus from
  overwintering in mummies and twig cankers.
  Discing lightly under the trees no later than
  first bloom will aid in preventing fruiting of
  the brown rot fungus on old mummies in contact
  with the soil. Clean cultivation is not
  necessary--just disturb the mummy's contact with
  the soil. If this is not done, bloom sprays may
  become more critical.
• Cytospora canker. Cytospora canker is one of the
  most destructive diseases of peaches

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Cytospora Canker
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Cytospora Canker

• Also known as perennial canker, peach canker,
  Leucostoma canker, and Valsa canker, the disease
  may cause trees in young orchards to die.
• Infected trees in older orchards gradually lose
  productivity and slowly decline.
• The fungus attacks the woody parts of stone fruit
  trees through bark injuries and pruning cuts, and
  through dead shoots and buds
• Visible first is the exuding of gum at the point
  of infection. (gumosis)
• The canker forms from a small necrotic center
  that slowly enlarges with the collapse of the
  inner bark tissue.
• Cankers enlarge more along the length than the
  width of the branch.
• Managing Cytospora canker involves total orchard
  management. Since no stone fruit tree is immune,
  and fungicide treatments alone are not effective,
  control efforts must be aimed at reducing tree
  injuries where infection could begin.

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Pest Disease Management

• Pink to First Open Bloom
• Disease. Brown rot (blossom blight). Blossom
  blight typically is not a problem unless
  temperatures are above 55F, it is warm and wet,
  or brown rot has been a problem in the past.
• Insects. Plant bugs, green peach aphid.
• Plant bugs. Applying alternate row-middle sprays
  at reduced intervals should improve control.
  Plant bug feeding injury results in sunken areas
  on developing fruit that is not pubescent. Bugs
  are most persistent in orchards with alfalfa or
  clover sods. Since peaches are most vulnerable to
  catfacing injury at pink and petal fall, do not
  cultivate soil in orchards at those times.
  Cultivation only serves to destroy many alternate
  host plants, thus driving the insects up into the
  peach trees.
• Oriental fruit moth mating disruption. If
  hand-applied mating disruption is used,
  dispensers should be placed at the pink stage at
  the recommended label rate. All dispensers should
  be in place before bloom.

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Pest Disease Management

• Petal Fall
• Disease. Brown rot, scab.
• Insects. Oriental fruit moth, plant bugs, plum
  curculio, aphids.
• Plum curculio. If plum curculio is a problem,
  shorten spray intervals through the first cover
  spray.
• Green peach aphid. If this aphid is present, add
  Actara, Lannate, or Provado.

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Pest Disease Management

• Shuck Split, Shuck Fall
• Diseases. Scab, brown rot, bacterial spot, rusty
  spot.
• Insects. Plum curculio, Oriental fruit moth,
  leafrollers, plant bugs, aphids.
• Rusty spot. Spotting on the fruit of some
  varieties such as Redskin, Many of the new peach
  cultivars are also highly susceptible. Sulfur may
  reduce rusty spot incidence. Follow label
  recommendations.
• Bacterial spot. Copper in spring and fall. Begin
  weekly applications of Mycoshield at shuck split
  on susceptible varieties. Sprayer air velocity
  should not exceed 100 mph. The first applications
  are most critical for control. Do not apply
  within 3 weeks of harvest. Dilute sprays with
  Mycoshield have provided the best control.
  Spraying at night under slow drying conditions is
  most effective.
• Green peach aphid.
• Plum curculio. Same control as at petal fall

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Pest Disease Management

• First, Second, Third Covers
• Diseases. Scab, brown rot, bacterial spot.
• Insects. Oriental fruit moth, leafrollers, lesser
  peachtree borer, mites, plant bugs, scales.
• Bacterial spot. Same as shuck split/fall
• Mites. For mite control, use Fruit Tree Spray
• Early season lesser peachtree borer. If there is
  only a moderate problem (less than 2
  borers/tree), wait until late summer to apply
  controls If there are more than two borers per
  tree, make an application now and again in late
  summer. This borer attacks weak or injured trees
  in winter damaged orchards and diseased trees,
  especially those with canker. Adult borers
  deposit eggs in wounds from May through August.
  The peak egg-laying period for the first
  generation is in June. Low-volume sprays are not
  effective on lesser peachtree borer. Use only
  high-volume, handgun applications. Be sure to
  cover trunk and scaffold limbs.

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Conclusion
You Can Do It!

• Site
• Rootstock Variety
• Planting
• Pruning
• Pest Management

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A Nice Peach Crop!
Photo W.Lord