Like any garden variety plants, planting trees requires the same amount of nurture and feeding as traditional plants until it is well enough to stand on its own. Many people love to grow their own fruit trees because the food is free and more delicious than the produce found at your local grocery store. Although there are different varieties of peaches and peach trees, there are two basic ways to start growing a peach tree in your yard or tree farm.
The peach tree can be bought as a young plant from a farmer’s market, or you can plant the pit of a peach in the ground and water it, waiting for it to germinate. The survival rate of a tree purchased as a young plant is a little bit higher than starting from scratch, but either way provides enjoyment and the thrill of watching it grow. In a few seasons, you will have fresh peaches from then on each year. If you have the time to plan ahead, it is recommended that you prepare the soil for the tree one to two season ahead of time. It is also recommended to buy a soil test kit when you are ready to plant the tree.
This will allow you to test the ph balance of the soil and make sure the right amount of nutrients are present in the soil. These test kits are available from garden shops and at the home and garden section at your local store. Preparing the soil ahead of time is the best way to ensure that your plant will grow up to be a healthy and vibrant tree.
The planting area for the tree should be five feet in diameter, and the hole for the seed or the new plant should be about ten to twelve inches deep. Cover up the hole by tamping the soil gently with a spade, then water it. After about a week, fertilizer should be added, and again about a month later. Check on the plant often, and water as needed. A mild pesticide can be used if necessary, and this will also ward off potential plant sicknesses such as leaf curl, a disease which the peach tree can be particularly vulnerable to. It may take a few years for the tree to bring forth its fruit, but it will be worth the wait. Many people grow peach trees for a living, and there are vast resources both online and offline which can instruct you further in the proper care and nurture of young fruit trees, especially in their developmental years. The main things to watch out for are pests and diseases, and be sure to give the young plant extra water during any dry seasons.
A well cared for plant can survive the coldness of the winter months with relative ease, and in a tropical or subtropical environment, this will be a complete non-issue. Hundreds of books have been written on the many different species and hybrids of peaches and peach trees, so the resources are vast. Probably the most important factor in the survival and well being of your peach tree is the soil. If the nutrients in the soil are inadequate, the roots will not grow properly. This can be supplemented with the proper fertilizer and plant food available from the home and garden section of your local store, or at farmer’s markets. The best prepared soil beforehand will provide the adequate nutrition for the pit or the young plant, and with a little time and patience, you will begin to see the tree emerging as a young, green, healthy plant.
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