Hello, I am a newbie to this site. I wanted to get reassurances from the crowd that I still may have hope to harvest tasty peaches eventually. I planted my Redhaven bare root from Starks in a pot last year, and placed it in my garage over the winter .It produced multiple blossoms in the spring while still in the garage and eventually some fruit. I moved it outside in early May. In June all the leaves fell off after yellowing but the fruit remained and looked beautiful, albeit small. This week there is new leaf growth which was quite surprising. I was wondering whether I may or may not have fruit next year since there has been no real growth and I fear that I allowed all the energy of the plant to be used in making this fruit the first year. As mentioned, my first fruit was not sweet but it was a beautiful color. Could you provide any guidance on how to manage fruit in pots, what to expect next year and if I should fertilize now, and if so with what product? Thank you
The tree forms sugar in the fruit from the closest leaves about 3 on each side. If you had no leaves you have no sugar. Put it in a fabric bag, as large as possible and leave it outside all winter. Blooming in the garage is what messed you up. You could leave in the garage but take it out March first. The plant needs cold too to even form fruit. Redhaven was developed in Michigan and can take -10F not sure why you have it in the garage at all? Taking it out in May was a huge mistake. March 1st at the latest. Make sure it is exposed to freezing temps before you put it in too. I would put it in the garage December 1st. Fruit forms on last years growth so next season does not look good for your tree either.
Tree-Tone would be good to fertilize with. But August 1st is the last time I fertilize. I stop fertilizing all plants to prep for winter. new growth does not harden off. You still have time, use anything right now. Don’t use Tree Tone till next year it takes 2-3 weeks even to start working so fertilize with organics in March. Miracle grow would be fine right now.
Add some compost in the spring too, and have it mulched so it dos not dry out fast. Mulch with anything, pine bark is good, pine straw is easy in pots, even shredded leaves can’t hurt.
Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful replay and practical guidance. I clearly have a great deal to learn ! When you refer to a fabric bag, are you referring to similar material which is marketed as a frost blanket? I had been told by Starks to keep it in the garage to avoid the roots from dying in the severe winter. And I was worried that the frosts we have (sometimes until early May) would kill the flowers. But the idea of a fabric bag is appealing. If you have a product in mind, I would be grateful. Given our small space, fruit trees in pots was an appealing idea. Thank you, again.
It sounds like you are in the same boat as me. I purchased a RH in late fall and kept it in a pot all winter stored in the garage. I had good intentions of planting it out in the yard, but just didn’t get around to it. The tree began to bloom in February in the garage since the garage was not quite as cold as the outside…way ahead of what would be suitable to survive outside. I had to keep the tree indoors from February through late April. Fortunately, we ended up with two peaches that ripened up nicely in June!
However, I don’t believe the tree is all that happy living in a pot. It’s been transplanted to a fairly large pot as well to live in for the time being. I’m planning on planting it in the ground this fall once it’s dormant. I haven’t fertilized the tree at all since it may be a little stressed in the pot.
On the upside, if you do keep the tree in a pot and store it in the garage for winter protection, it will probably break dormancy again fairly early. However, it will look very nice while in bloom if you have a suitable place in the house for it with enough sunshine.