It does in my area. Peaches are easy to over fertilize and grow like crazy, but most of my apples don’t grow much ever after a lot of N. B9 rootstocks are a big part of my problem.
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No, peaches require about double the N as apples as a general rule- but peaches also are supposed to grow more vigorously than apples and be pruned back harder every season. However, it is odd if your apple is not “happy” in the same site as a “happy” peach- but there are many possible reasons that may have nothing to do with the soil.
My peaches get lots of pruning during summer months, especially this wet season.
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It may not be normal but in my area it takes over 100#N/acre for apples but only 25-30#N/acre for peaches.
Its easy to promote too much vigor in the peach trees which takes a lot of extra work to prune out!
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ever since my peachtree started produce peaches.it doesn’t grow much every year
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This year I see your point, with all the rain, peaches are growing far too vigorously in my orchard, although I didn’t put a lot of N on them. However, ones close to my nursery trees, which did get ample supplementary N are a particular problem (nursery trees can’t grow too fast, IMO). My statement of N requirements may have been poorly founded- bolstered by the fact that our main ag chemical supplier sells fertilizer mixed for commercial growers, and the ratio of N to K for peaches has twice the N as K where as the apple formulation is 50-50. This could be just that apples use more potassium AND nitrogen than peaches, but a lot more potassium. I’m going to search for something more definitive now.
It took a while, but for whatever it is worth, this southern university publication recommends double the amount of N for peaches to apples as a maintenance program. https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_images/programs/anmp/NM-5.pdf
Of course, actual needs will be specific to any given site and soil, but this may indicate that peaches use much more N than apples when growing at peak productivity.
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I expect peach fertilizer requirements are very site specific, especially in my area. A major peach growing region about an hour south on sandy soil requires a lot of fertilizer, but growers in the mountain area use almost no fertilizer on peaches and still complain about too much tree vigor.
I use use leaf samples to help fine tune my fertilizer rates, but even after more than 100#/N on the Apples the numbers are always too low and the growth on the fruiting B9 trees is always less than hoped for. The new Geneva trees got about 25#/N and they have already grown about 3 feet, so my problem may be specific to B9 which is a punk in my area.
I use less N on my peaches than suggested but the leaf sample is always in the top end of the desired levels.
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I guess when you also factor in various apple rootstocks it is impossible to generalize about species requirements, but I expect that absolute N needs of peaches is much greater than apples, with the most important other variable being how much one or the other can extract from the soil.
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Really enjoyed reading this thread.
I noticed something this year on a couple posters from California. Their fruit trees (@Richard is one) appeared to be sheared from a tall height to a uniform mushroom/rounded shape… as if no discretion was involved, whatsoever. It may or may not be every tree but more so the impression I got was when one of their trees got gangly/too tall, out came the hedge trimmers and a once an done haircut was it.
I’m wondering if I did this (they did it early spring) would I have a good chance at fruiting? One tree I recall (not in Richard’s yard) appeared to be 10’ across x 6’ tall after shearing. I don’t think these folks thought it mattered whether peach, plum, apricot, or whatever.
My ‘Saturn’ peaches have been pruned in the past to scaffold branches that sucker profusely and again this year after pruning they are in the 8’ x 8’ range as of now. I was thinking after having read this thread I would go prune the water sprouts out today and open them up again. Possibly cut the trees back to 5-6’ x 5-6’, also. I’m getting very low production from them. One Saturn has produced one peach thus far and a 4" diameter trunk (6-7 years old) while this year the other finally put on 25-50 peaches which were here one day and gone the next. I got nothing from it. This is the first year it had a crop. Both planted 6-7 years ago.
I can get photos if that would help.
Dax
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I heavy pruned my tree last year as a courtesy to the neighbor. I would like to do the same two weeks ago, but the peaches still are not sized up and ripe yet. They should’ve been harvested two weeks ago. There was a lot of leaf damage and mole damage to the roots early in the season which has delayed the fruit. I’ve gotten a handle on the leaves anyway, and they’re pushing out a ton of new growth. But the peaches are still rockhard and between half and 2/3 the size they should be. Have these peaches missed some kind of internal timeclock and they’re never going to ripen? Or should I just let them go all season till it gets cold? Neighbors tree is getting smothered with my Peachtree…
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I follow R.S. Martin’s “How to prune fruit trees” but I also control the hieght by trimming to 5’ on very young trees and then at 8’ after a few years.
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Thanks a lot, Richard. I like the simplicity that book offers.
Dax
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I think that productivity has much more to do with climate/weather than with type of pruning.
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In my experience, Martin’s advice about pruning peach whips 1/3 back is excellent.
Well guys I bought Martin’s book. It sure won’t hurt my already, terribly desperate situation! 
The crazy thing is I truly believe I already know what I’m doing!
Maybe I need an ‘attitude’ fine-tune. ha
Dax
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That’s one of the pruning concepts I’ve never fully grasped. Since peaches grow on 1 year old wood doesn’t summer pruning severely decrease the amount of fruiting buds for next years crop? My peach has grown really well and has put on a recent growth spurt. Its to the point I don’t want it much higher. But if I trim all the new growth will I have enough fruiting wood for next year?
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I hacked many of plums back quite a bit this summer and I’m a bit worried. Most are 3-4 years old and several were hitting 10 feet or more (especially my Jefferson plums). I left one almost untouched to compare. Several flowered like crazy this spring so hopefully I still get some blooms next year. I left most of my peaches alone since they all fruited but I may have hit the interior of my 4 year old Veteran. I’ve had to thin it the last two years, I’d be o.k. with a somewhat lighter load.
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Peaches … “Frequently it will be necessary to prune out as much as 70% to 75% of the previous season’s growth”.
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Yes, and that’s a good thing. You are cutting out excessively vigorous shoots- at least I do. These bring the bearing area of the tree too high, shading potentially fruitful shoots lower in the tree. I also bring the tree into the boundary I have allocated it- but most of the work is eliminating too-high growth to keep the bearing surface close to the scaffolds- 12-18" shoots. Those shoots have likely already developed flower buds when you prune and even if you top them when they exceed that height they will flower the next season.
On years when I have crop here, there is always way too many potential peaches. If you live in a region where that is not the case you will probably benefit from pruning methods I describe. Peach trees have to be kept in bounds. Once new wood stops forming on a part of the scaffold because of shading it may never form again (depending on the variety).
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