Peach tree: when and how to prune

Peach tree: when to prune it?

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Do the main prune in April, once flowering is over and the young shoots start to grow: you can then see which shoots carry flowers and young fruit.

In May–July, remove surplus shoots and tie in young ones; after picking, in August, cut back the shoots that have fruited. If your variety only ripens in September, leave that prune until the following spring.

Never prune from September to March: wounds heal poorly then, and silver leaf and bacterial canker have free rein.

What else to prune in those months? April · May · June · July · August

Peach tree: how to prune it?

1. Look at the buds first. Flower buds are round and plump, leaf buds small and pointed; they often sit in threes, with a leaf bud in the middle. Always cut just above a leaf bud, or the shoot will die back.
2. After picking, cut a shoot that has fruited back to the young shoot that grew at its base: that takes its place and will fruit next year.
3. Keep a free-standing tree open like a bowl, with three or four main branches and an empty centre: sun and air then reach the fruit, and the leaves dry faster after rain.
4. On a fan against a wall, remove in May–June the shoots growing towards the wall or straight out from it, and tie the others in, spread out like a fan.
5. In June, thin the young fruits to one every 10–15 cm: those left grow bigger and sweeter.
6. Saw off thick branches in dry, warm weather, just outside the branch collar. Saw a branch with silvery leaves, a sign of silver leaf, well back into healthy wood; disinfect your saw afterwards.

How much to cut, and how often?

• Every year, replace a good share of the fruited wood with young shoots: an unpruned peach only fruits high up and far out at the ends after a few years.
• Leave enough young shoots, spread over the whole tree: they will fruit next year. Only remove those that are too crowded or badly placed.
• Bring a neglected tree back over two or three years, each time cutting some of the long, bare branches back to a young side branch: large wounds heal poorly.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• The pink blossom appears as early as March, when few insects are flying: help the queen bumblebees and early bees with a soft paintbrush.
• Every pruning session falls in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Blackbirds sometimes nest in a fan against a warm wall: look carefully before each prune, as disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Curled tips full of green aphids are not leaf curl but aphids: ladybirds, hoverfly larvae and tits deal with them. Don’t spray poison, certainly not during flowering.
• Ripe and fallen peaches attract wasps, and butterflies such as the red admiral drink from fermenting fruit. Feel free to leave a few lying, but clear away fruit with brown rot.

Common mistakes

• Pruning in winter, so silver leaf and bacterial canker get in through the wounds.
• Not pruning, or too little, so the tree only fruits at the ends of long, bare branches.
• Cutting above a flower bud instead of a leaf bud, so the shoot dies back.
• Expecting pruning to prevent peach leaf curl: for that, put up a rain shelter from January to April and choose a less susceptible variety.
• Pruning without first checking whether there is a nest in the tree.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Apricot tree
• Almond tree
• Plum tree
• Cherry tree
• Fig tree

Similar to: Difference from apricot · Difference from almond · Difference from white willow · Difference from sweet chestnut

Plant profile: Peach tree · Pruning calendar and basic rules