Prunus persica  (PROO-nus PURR-si-cah)

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Deciduous ornamental or fruit tree

HEIGHT:   10 to 15 feet. Can attain a maximum height of about 25 feet.
SPREAD:   10 to 15 feet
FINAL SPACING: 15 to 30 feet

NATURAL HABITAT AND PREFERRED SITE:   Peach tree is native to China but adapts well to a wide range of soils as long as they are well drained.

IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION:  Peaches are spreading, ornamental and fruiting trees that have early spring flowers of all colors followed by either ornamental or edible fruit.

FLOWERS AND FRUIT: Colorful flowers form in the early spring in a wide range of colors from white to pink and various shades of red. Flowers expand before the leaves in March through May. Flowering trees produce almost no fruit at all. The edible peaches form a delicious soft, fuzzy-covered fruit in the mid to late summer. The fruit is actually a droop maturing July through October generally. Flowers are pink before the leaves. Fruit color, shape and size will vary due depending on the cultivar. Peach fruit is delicious but flowers are also edible.

BARK:     Smooth with a metallic silver gray or brown appearance when young developing a heavier texture with age. Mature trees will develop furrowed bark.

FOLIAGE:  Leaves are simple, alternate, elongated and sometimes clustered. They are thin, 3 to 6 inches long and bright green. Fall color is usually yellow. Finely sawtooth margin. Leaves tend to drop early.

CULTURE:  Flowering peach trees are easy to grow for a wonderfully colorful flower display in the spring.

PROBLEMS: Peach trees are attacked by a variety of pests because they are not well adapted. Flare ups of insects and disease can be knocked back with Garrett Juice plus garlic and potassium bicarbonate. Insect pests can also be controlled with fire ant control mixture used as a spray or other citrus based products. Trees in severe stress with lots of problems should be treated with the Sick Tree Treatment.

PROPAGATION:  To get the fruit desired, propagation must be done by cuttings. To get a “who knows what” peach, plant seed. Softwood cuttings and grafting of cultivars also is done.

INSIGHT:  An excellent plant for attracting beneficial insects. There are many varieties that I recommend for Texas, consult the Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening Book by Garrett and Beck.